Everyone knows that a beer or two can help loosen you up. Throw yoga into the mix and even the stiffest working stiffs are liable to walk away more pliable. Billed as an “End of Summer Block Party,” this event includes yoga, beer and music. As DJ Yogic Flow spins tunes designed to keep the people moving, attendees are invited to participate in an all-levels yoga group led by two instructors. There will be yoga mats available for rent and food trucks on site for everyone to enjoy after the session. You must be 21 or older to attend.

Yoga + Beer
Sun, 11am, $20+
Hapa’s Brewing Company, San Jose

Spring is in the air—along with the smokey, savory smell of sizzling bacon. The sud-sipping, swine-dining experience returns to the South Bay. This year the Bacon & Beer Classic will feature 22 Bay Area restaurants serving up more than 30 porky pairings for the 100-plus beer and cider offerings. Tickets include unlimited beer and bacon dishes and a mini ceramic souvenir cup. Sips and savory samples from the likes of Firestone, Drakes, North Point, and dozens more. Of course, there will also be music, games and a bacon-eating contest.

Bacon & Beer
Sat, 2pm, $65+
Avaya Stadium, San Jose

A “sour beer walk” sounds like an unpleasant fraternity hazing ritual, but it’s actually a lot of fun. It’s a chance to sample a variety of tart, acidic beers from several breweries. Here’s how it works: You buy a $5 souvenir glass and go on a tasting tour through a number of watering holes in downtown Campbell. Every location will have 10 ounces of sour goodness waiting for you. Participating establishments include the Boiler Maker, Spread Deli & Bottles, Khartoum and Brown Chicken Brown Cow.Sour Walk
Wed, 5pm, $5
Downtown Campbell

Tacos are one of the greatest foods ever created. And beer needs no introduction. These are the facts. Celebrate the best of both worlds at the Bay Area Taco and Beer Festival, which spreads across the San Jose Giants ballpark like a giant tortilla this weekend. The event will be overflowing with craft beer from local and regional breweries, and the price of admission gets you unlimited taco taste tests from all the vendors on hand. It will also feature other types of food, original art for sale, a photo booth for capturing memories and much more.

Tacos & Beer
Sat, 2pm, $33+
San Jose Giants Municipal Stadium

If the recent influx of taprooms opening up all over Silicon Valley proves anything, it’s that hackers love beer just as much as anyone, and that many of them have taken a scientific approach to their sudsing. Enter Geektoberfest, wherein The Tech Museum aims to put beer under the microscope. The event features tastings from a wide range of local and regional craft breweries. The twist is your brew comes with demos and experiments on the biology of beer making. There’s also live music from a German-Swiss accordion band called Zicke-Zacke. Nothing makes craft brew taste better than polka.

Geektoberfest
Thu, 7pm $25
The Tech Museum of Innovation, San Jose

Prost! The sun was shining and the hefeweizen was sweet in downtown Campbell on Saturday for the city’s annual Oktoberfest celebration, and we were there to catch all the fun. Check out these shots from our photographer, Greg Ramar, and see if you can spy yourself or your friends:

The Summer Kraftbrew beer festival on Saturday was a success from almost every angle. The weather was exactly what you’d expect for California in July, sunny and clear. The crowd was pleasant as well, and the beers were exemplary.

Naglee Park Garage owners Chris Esparza and Louis Silva organized the event and invited several downtown businesses to show off their favorite brews. Good Karma, Kelly’s Liquors, Café Frascati, Harry’s Hofbrau, to name a few, all came out to showcase the beers they are most passionate about. Sveral craft-breweries were there, as well, and festival-goers were able to sample some flavors before they are available at most stores.

With so many delicious choices, it was difficult to keep track of all the breweries, styles, and flavors. Luckily, we got a little help from two guys who really know beer: Jeremiah Harada and Dan Barrera, beer buyers for a local upscale market. The two were kind enough to join us at Kraftbrew and share their thoughts about which beers they enjoy most.

PHOTOS: View the complete MetroActive photo gallery.

Jeremiah’s Picks:

Brother Levonian Saison
Ballast Point Brewing Co., San Diego
Style: Saison / Farmhouse Ale; 5.5% ABV
Saisons are lighter Belgian style brews, great for a nice warm day. This one pours with a hazy orange hue, light with good carbonation. Notes of lemon and a nice peppery spice with adry finish.
Similar brews: Saison Dupont (Brasserie Dupont – Belgium) a classic, Le Merle (North Coast Brewing – Mendocino), or Jack D’ Or (Pretty Things – Massachusetts)

1500
Drakes Brewing, San Leandro
Style: American Pale Ale; 5.5% ABV
The 1500 is more hoppier than other pale ales, due to its dry hop. It’s more like a lighter/sessionable IPA, than a pale ale. It pours with a cloudy orange hue. Citrus and piney hops upfront followed by subtle caramel malt; bready but bitter finish.
Similar brews: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Mt. Tam (Marin Brewing Co.), Bass (the originator of Pales)

Tripel
Allagash Brewing Co., Portland, Maine
Style: Belgian Tripel; 9% ABV
Allagash Tripel is continuously rated one of the top domestics brews of its style. It pours with a golden amber and has notes of tropical fruit, banana, Belgian yeast, candy sugar and spice followed by a slightly hoppy finish. Very well balanced and great representation of style.
Similar brews: Bosteel’s Tripel Karmeliet (Belgium), Anderson Valley’s Brother Thelonious (Booneville)

Mort Subite White Lambic
Brouwerij De Keersmaeker, Kobbegem, Belgium
Style: White Lambic; 4.5% ABV
Pouring with a cloudy golden yellow, Subite White Lambic is a good choice for/to impress the ladies. It features peachy/white nectarine notes upfront with a mild tartness and vanilla in the finish. Sweet and fruity.
Similar brews: Anchorage’s Whiteout Wit (Alaska), Dogfish Head’s Festina Peche (Delaware).

Japantown hosted another successful round of SJ Beerwalk on Saturday, this time putting an emphasis on IPA suds. Metro photographer Aron Cooperman was there, camera in hand.

The Japantown Beer Walk sold out early on Saturday, signaling a success for organizers and leaving many people who showed up hoping to purchase tickets on site crying in their beer somewhere else.

Everyone was on their best behavior and sunshine was plentiful during event, featuring California craft-brews and Japanese classics. With 500 people in attendance, the streets of Japantown looked uncommonly busy that Saturday afternoon. Hopefully, the Beer Walk introduced some new folks to the area and crowds will become a regular thing.

Jack’s Bar served as the staging point for the event. ID’s were checked at the door and glasses and maps of participating businesses were given out on the back patio. Upon visiting all the shops offering beers and getting their maps stamped, attendees could enter a raffle. It was like a leisurely Easter egg hunt with delicious beer on every corner.

Venues that hosted the event included a variety of Japantown businesses. From retail locations like Biscuits, Chole’s Closet and Cukui, to Classic Rock (a local jeweler), and Empire 7 Studios (an art gallery).

If you were one of the many who tried fruitlessly to get a ticket the day of the event, don’t fret. Organizers say another Japantown Beer Walk is in the works and tentatively scheduled for this spring.

View the complete gallery.

The Winter KraftBrew Fest brought a capacity crowd and long lines around the block at San Jose’s Landmark Ballroom on Saturday. Attendees tried specialty brews from several Bay Area Breweries and regional brewers that offering 8oz and 4oz samples. Metro photographer Jennifer Anderson was on hand to catch the action.

See the full gallery.