Need an excuse to visit Athens and drink beer? You got a week full of them.

The 11th annual Ohio Brew Week kicks off Friday in the hometown of Ohio University. More than 40 Ohio craft breweries will bring over 200 of their beers to the week-long festival. It runs July 15 through July 23.

The suds start flowing at the Rock 'n Roast on Friday with Elevator Brewing Co. beer and barbeque made by the Ohio University Inn. Things are capped on July 23 at Last Call, a block party during which Athens streets are shut down and overtaken by 25 breweries, food vendors and other entertainment.

There will also be a hops conference of sorts where experts will talk about how to grow, harvest and select hops, plus a question and answers session with a roundtable of Ohio hop growers.

Information on events scheduled throughout the week, and there are many, can be found at ohiobrewweek.com.