Inevitably July will start acting like July any day now, and it’s going to get hot. A few adult-beverage and food-tasting events in the coming weeks promise to be refreshing diversions. Here’s what’s on tap.

Salute! Grand Tasting

Salute!, Lawrence’s annual wine and food tasting festival to benefit Cottonwood Inc., is next week. The Grand Tasting and Auction is set for 6:30 to 10 p.m. July 13 at the Oread, 1200 Oread Ave. Tickets are $75 per person and include a souvenir wine glass, butler tray and tote bag. Purchase tickets and find more details online at salutewinefest.com.

The event will feature more than 250 wines and food from local restaurants and caterers. Salute! 2012 netted more than $114,000 for Cottonwood, a nonprofit organization that helps people with disabilities.

Salute! Winemaker Dinner

The much-less-expensive Salute! Mass St. Mosey — a $40-per-person wine walk in downtown Lawrence — is sold out (again). But if you can afford it, a more climate-controlled option with fancier fare is the $150-per-person Salute! Winemaker Dinner.

French wine from multiple growing regions highlights this year’s dinner July 12 at the Oread. A reception with hors d’oeuvres and wine begins at 6:30 p.m., and the four-course dinner at 7 p.m. Reservations are required. Purchase tickets and see the full wine list and dinner menu at salutewinefest.com.

Tallgrass Brewery Beer Dinner

Manhattan-brewed beer will boldly breach sports-rivalry lines for Genovese’s annual beer dinner. The five-course Tallgrass Brewery Beer Dinner is scheduled for 6 p.m. July 18 at the restaurant, 941 Massachusetts St. Cost is $49 per person, and reservations can be made by calling 842-0300.

Planned courses include duck confit crostini with 8-Bit Hop-Rocketed American Pale Ale, barbecued pork pizza with Velvet Rooster Belgian-Style Tripel and, for dessert, chocolate Kahlua panna cotta with Buffalo Sweat Oatmeal Cream Stout.

Fun fact — a few years ago Tallgrass abandoned bottles and went all-can, all the time. The “Tallgrass Canifesto” on the company’s website decrees: “Cans seal better than bottles and totally block sunlight, which keeps our beer tasting fresher, longer. Cans are more fun. You can take cans to the pool, concerts, lakes, stadiums, hot tubs, golf courses, and anywhere else you can’t take glass. Last, but not least, the aluminum can is WAY better for the environment than bottles. Cans are 12x lighter than glass, which means it takes less energy to ship the same amount of beer. But the biggest advantage is how easy it is to recycle cans. A recycled aluminum can will be made into another can and back on the shelf in about 60 days.”

Tips welcome!

Try something unusual or know of something interesting going on at a Lawrence restaurant? Send me an email at sshepherd@ljworld.com or contact me on Twitter @KCSSara. For more local food and restaurant news, click here.