The Ten Best Events to Drink at During Good Beer Week 2015

The vixens from the Fox and cowboys from Cavalier want you to clue-in and come hunting. It’s one of the longest running events, not to mention most popular. Be prepared for challenges as you search for great beer and collect points while roaming the streets of Collingwood. You’ll work up a thirst, but the lads from Cavalier will reward your efforts with a drop or two at the end.

Admit it, you’re the sort who skins your empty beer bottles. Friends say you’re frustrated, but we know you just need an outlet to unleash your inner artist. Learn how to put your idle hands to use by making ‘beer-rariums’ and turning bottle lids into earrings, while you spend the afternoon sampling beers with lady brewer Miryam Piechocinski, founder of the brand-new Kettle Green Brewery.

Rockwell and Sons are switching their usual meaty suspects for a lush multi-course of vegetables. It’s a chance to treat your favourite fussy eater to lunch where Garage Project Brewery will be nailing the beers to accompany this meat-free delight. These New Zealand lads are renown for their experimental brewing so don’t be surprised if you find toasted coriander, smoked chipotle and raw cacao nibs are part of the drinking, and not the eating.

Put down your milkshakes and cue-up because the brewers from Red Hill are joining the sharks from the Red Triangle for an evening of sharp round-robin shooting. You can choose to pot a ball or two while rubbing shoulders with professional players, or just happily sink a few hand-selected Red Hill beers while you heckle the night away.

A warehouse wilderness awaits those who want to fill their night with surfing flicks. Don’t forget to grab a Stone & Wood beer from Clyde (the star of the films) before plunking in front of the projector. Live music will be playing during intermissions and a food truck parked nearby, ready to refuel bellies. Altogether, that sure sounds like one swell evening.

Nine pinball machines, six nights and a collection of rare Mountain Goat seasonals — this is what you’ll find at the Peacock Inn Hotel for their free mini-tournaments from. Players can jump into an oversized shirt with a stranger or blindfold a friend and hurtle instructions at their trusting side from 12pm for six days during the festival. We’re no doctors, but the only way to work out that carpal tunnel strain is to knit that brow of yours and keep playing, right?

No heavy hearts or heavy looks here — during Good Beer Week, Little Creatures turns into a school worth running to. If you or your pals are new to craft beer and would like to un-bamboozle your hops from your malts, then head to Good Beer College. With nine events running from Friday to Sunday, there are also masterclasses and history of beer sessions for those looking to cram harder.

Bartenders and brewers have collided to recreate the flavours and aromas similar to iconic beers from around the world. These beer-inspired cocktails have been made without a dash of beer in sight. Seriously, there’s no beer. Join one of their 90-minute sittings, and be prepared to be as stirred and shaken as you sip away on their yeast-free fabrications.

Knowledge is fun. And so is watching the dude on the tellie, who’s standing behind the antique in question. We can’t promise you could be that guy, but we can guarantee some fascinating history and valuations. Thunder Road will be keeping you thirst-free, so dust off those old beer bottles and brewing memorabilia you’ve been hoarding and get yourself a free assessment.

The monster team from Kaiju will be matching their full-flavoured ales to a British inspired five-course degustation menu. Just think, their IPAs could be washing down your beef Wellingtons while David Bowie is spinning out on the vinyl. It’s enough to get you as heady as the brews. Let’s dance, Kaiju.