Dear liver: Good luck, and I'm sorry.
Germany vs. USA: World Cup of Beer
Still smarting over the US soccer team's loss to Germany in last summer's World Cup? Get ready for a rematch, of sorts, this Saturday, February 7. Schroeder's is hosting Germany vs USA: World Cup of Beer from 5 to 10pm. Local German-style beers will be pitted against their real German counterparts in a cross-cultural competition where you decide whose beer is best. Battle flights of two ($10) and four ($20) brews allow you to create your own brackets (think Gaffel Kolsch vs. Magnolia Brewery's Kolsch). And the best part is, no one will question your calls. 240 Front Street, San Francisco
Homestead Hosts Trappist Beer Buffet
Perhaps you prefer your beers a dozen at a time. If so, you'll appreciate the buffet-style beer tasting being laid out by The Trappist this Sunday, February 8, at Homestead Restaurant in Oakland. From 4:30 to 9pm, guests can graze their way through 12 to 15 different brews, priced (mostly) at $3 to $7 per 4-ounce pour. Expect Farmhouse and Trappist Ales, sours and saisons, lagers and wheat beers, IPAs and stouts. Homestead will be serving small plates of classic pub food meant to be shared at communal-style tables, arranged to evoke the sense of a beer hall. 4029 Piedmont Ave., Oakland
Cooking Class + Beer Dinner
Scala's Bistro and 21st Amendment Brewery are teaming up during SF Beer Week to host a cooking class and beer dinner on Tuesday, February 10, from 6 to 9pm. Participants will get hands-on practice making a four-course menu in Scala's kitchen under the instruction of Executive Chef Larry Finn, Pastry Chef Kimberly Bugler, and special guest Chef David Bazirgan from Dirty Habit. Students will make foie gras torchon, scallop and citrus salad, braised pork shoulder with creamy polenta, and warm chocolate cake with sriracha beer nuts. Each course will be paired with a 21st Amendment brew, including Sneak Attack Saison, Brew Free or Die IPA, Back in Black IPA, and Kilt by Wildfire Scotch Ale. Tickets are available online, and the $75 price includes the three-hour class and the beer pairing dinner. 432 Powell Street, San Francisco
Sips with Soul at 1300 on Fillmore
February is also Black History Month, and this Tuesday, 1300 on Fillmore will host "Sips with Soul," convening the top African American Winemakers from 5:30 to 8:30pm. They'll be serving their wine with a side of live music and soulful hors d'oeuvres prepared by Chef David Lawrence. The $125 ticket price includes more wine than you can possibly taste from the likes of Esterlina, Sharp Cellars, Black Coyote, Vision Cellars, Rideau Vineyards, Longevity Wines, McBride Sisters, Brown Estate, Stover Oaks, Marke Wines, Indigene Cellars, Sosabe, and L'Objet Noir. Limited tickets are available online and are expected to sell out. 1300 Fillmore, San Francisco
Boxing Room Kicks off Carnival Season with New Bar
Just in time for Carnival Season (Mardi Gras is February 17), Boxing Room is expanding its repertoire with a full bar, a new cocktail program, and a remodeled space featuring wooden display shelves for spirits bottles, wrought iron details, and a hand-carved wooden alligator. Already known for classic New Orleans fare such as etouffee, gumbo, jambalaya and beignets, the Hayes Valley restaurant's new cocktail menu includes New Orleans classics like the Drive-Thru Daiquiri, French '75, Milk Punch, Ramos Gin Fizz, and a Pimm's Cup, served in a frosted Collins glass. The special house shot will be sarsparilla whiskey served ice cold off the blast chiller in a miniature root beer mug. Boxing Room will be closed for renovations until Friday, when they reopen for dinner service at 5pm. 399 Grove Street
Send drinking suggestions to renee@grassrootspr.com.
