Post contributed by beer fan Llalan Fowler.

It’s a hot summer night. You’re in Harvard Square, squeezing your way down a sidewalk crowded with fanny-pack-sporting tourists, panhandlers, and plaid-shorted knots of undergrad boys. Where can you escape to? You don’t want to sit in a loud, excruciatingly air conditioned bar, nor do you want to pretend you’re hungry and order an appetizer just to secure an outdoor table. Life is tough. Time to sit on a park bench and pull out those nips you always carry around for just such a situation.

No! We do not condone illegal drinking situations of any kind, and public intoxication only in moderation. Instead, you might try the recently opened Charlie’s Beer Garden. You can sit outside under an arbor or umbrella and drink with your friends without picking at a plate of chips and dip you don’t want—or, you can order a meal. It’s up to you—but always ask for the beer fries.

While the inside of Charlie’s the First is charming in that way that only restaurants with squeaky, red vinyl booths and neon signs spelling out “Lean Meat” can be, the Beer Garden still has that successful new business smell to it. The red brick patio is spacious, but the best seat in the house just might be a stool under the stars at the bar. There are also sixteen taps of good beer—don’t let the High Life and PBR placards fool you—so you can’t go wrong.

Take advantage of the summer months, though, as you’ll probably need a sweater in the fall—word is those giant heat lamps aren’t earth-friendly, so Charlie’s probably won’t be using them. You can still feel smugly green, however, knowing they also have a compost pile and even water the flowers with rainwater. Use these warm nights to belly up to a bar with the breeze ruffling your hair: it feels a lot like you’re living somewhere south of the 42nd parallel.