Talking Head - Beer hoppenings

Next weekend offers a wealth of beer events for your education, recreation and edification. Here is your planning guide.

Holy Fermentation! If you want a basic introduction to Belgian abbey-style ales, sign up for the “Holy Trinity” beer dinner at Octane on Fri., July 18. Proving that good things come in threes, this event starts with the holy trinity of beer, food and music and builds from there. The three beers featured include a Belgian single (Wittekerke), dubbel (Westmalle) and tripel (St. Feuillien), forming yet another holy trio. Each beer will be accompanied by an appetizer and dessert from Carmen Cappello of JCL Global Culinary and Larisa Slaughter of Hellcat’s Gourmet Goodies, making each course its own inspired threesome. Smooth grooves accompany the beer and food to round out the theme. The cost per person is $35. Click here for the full menu and to make a reservation.

Allagash Beer Dinner: The spot-on, Belgian-inspired brews from Maine’s Allagash Brewing Company will be paired with five courses of intriguing dishes from Decatur’s 5th Earl Market on Sat., July 19, 7-9 p.m. Among the courses are babyback ribs and warm purple potato salad served with the excellent Allagash Musette Wee Heavy, and a breakfast of fried duck eggs, ostrich sausage, potato-and-Parmesan fritters, and sauce charon served with Allagash Hugh Malone. The full menu can be seen here. Contact Brian Falcon for tickets, or call the store at 404-377-5477.

Venezuelan Beaver Cheese? With a wink, wink, nudge, nudge to Monty Python’s Cheese Shop Sketch, 5 Seasons Prado will be partnering with Muss and Turner’s for a witty, irreverent exploration of cheesy comestibles and fermented malt libations. The festivities take place Sun., July 20, at 5:30 in the Biergarten at the Prado. Tickets are $20. Call the restaurant at 404-255-5911 for reservations. And don’t forget that Crawford Moran continues to host his monthly beer-and-cheese pairings on the third Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m. at the 5 Seasons North in Alpharetta. This month’s tasting falls on Wed., July 16. Call 770-521-5551 for details.

And last but certainly not least ...

Beer and Boobs: Two great things that go great together. On Sat., July 19, from 8-11 p.m. join the Busted Hearts team of the Atlanta 2-Day Walk for Breast Cancer at Sweetwater Brewing Company for beer tasting, brewery tours, live music and a whole lot of fun. Entertainment will be provided by Delta Company & 3052 reggae band, with proceeds benefiting the Busted Hearts team of the Atlanta 2-Day Walk for Breast Cancer. Tickets are $20 in advance and can be purchased via Paypal at www.beer4boobs.com. Tickets at the door will be $25. Check the website for more details.