This week’s menu features seasonal outdoor pleasures chased by beer, beer and more beer.
Monday, July 9
The annual Beecher Park Summer Concert Series, featuring five consecutive Monday concerts on the sloping lawn behind the Mitchell Branch Library (37 Harrison St, New Haven; 203-946-8117), kicks off at 6:30 p.m. Featuring a food cart plus “live music and pie for sale by the slice” ($4)—the latter made by local amateurs vying for supremacy—tonight’s music is performed by Manny James & Soulclectic, and tonight’s pie category is apple, pear and quince. Free to attend; picnic blankets encouraged.
Tuesday, July 10
From 5 to 8 p.m., enjoy some classic cars—including your own, if you have one—during the latest installment of the Big Lew Cruise Series at the YMA Annex Club (552 Woodward Ave, New Haven), where you can also “grab a bite to eat and listen to our live DJ,” “enter our 50/50 raffle and win some cash” or “[step] in from the heat and grab a cold drink.” Free to attend.
Wednesday, July 11
The 2018 Twilight Concert Series at the New Haven Museum’s Pardee-Morris House (325 Lighthouse Rd, New Haven) continues at 7 p.m. with featured act Joe Miller & The Hipshakers, whose music is described by Miller as ranging from “straight-ahead raw rock ’n’ roll and dirty blues to backwoods folk with a country flavor.” Along with lawn chairs or picnic blankets, you can “bring your own food and drink” or buy some treats from Fryborg, a food truck specializing in French fries paired with inventive gourmet sauces that also sells a variety of sandwiches. Free to attend.
Thursday, July 12
The State House (294 State St, New Haven), a ballyhooed new entertainment venue carved from a historic but long-abandoned space behind coworking spot The Grove, has organized a few shows already. But tonight’s 8 p.m. bill appears to be the first one to take place in the House itself. Headlined by celebrated local folk septet Goodnight Blue Moon and opened by The Backyard Committee, which melds roots rock with indie, tickets cost $8.
Friday, July 13
Friday means it’s time for another outdoor Friday Flicks screening. Featuring Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), which introduced the irresistible adventurer-archaeologist Indiana Jones, the movie gets rolling at 8:30 p.m. in the athletic field behind the John C. Daniels School of International Communication (569 Congress Ave, New Haven). Free.
Saturday, July 14
There are at least two ways to pair visual art and beer tonight. From 7 to 10 p.m. at Kehler Liddell Gallery (873 Whalley Ave, New Haven; 203-389-9555), there’s an opening reception for The Art of Craft Beer, a show featuring artsy beer labels and the artists who designed them. Curated by the people behind the podcast The 16oz. Canvas, regular tickets cost $25 and get you two beers, while various more expensive options involve swag, early access and even a third drink.
From 9 p.m. to midnight, New Haven’s legendary HI Crew graffiti collective redecorates the back room at Three Sheets (372 Elm St, New Haven; 475-202-6909) during the latest in the beer-forward bar’s monthly “Art in the Back, Music in the Front” series. The music in the front comes courtesy of local act West Rockers and Vermont-based Bless the Child. Free to attend.
Sunday, July 15
The Beer Collective (130 Court St, New Haven; 203-507-2602) is hosting a 6 p.m. “beer dinner” featuring “five farm-to-table courses and six Counter Weight beers.” Brews on the menu include a pilsner, a farmhouse ale, a peachy Berliner, a gose, an IPA and a double IPA. $70.
Written and photographed by Dan Mims. Readers are encouraged to verify times, locations and prices before attending events.
