August in Santa Cruz is made for drinking beer. The nights are long, the weather is perfect, and the amount of tourists still flooding the town encourages staying on your front porch and avoiding the masses with a cold one in hand.

Lucky for us, this week is Santa Cruz County Beer Week, a chance to get a little more social with your hops and barely. Here’s a rundown of the different things happening to honor the ancient ale:

Santa Cruz Beer Week Events

Santa Cruz Ale Works

August 3-9, you can head over to Santa Cruz Ale Works to enjoy a beer and sandwich pairing — aka, a pairing of two of the most perfect things ever invented by humans. SC Ale Works is known for their awesome Hefeweizen, As for the sandwiches? You’ll have to find that own on your own.

150 Dubois St. Ste. E

Santa Cruz, CA 95060

99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall

You can also enjoy Ale Works at 99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall on Wednesday the 7. In fact the downtown pub will feature happy hour pricing on a different local brewery each night from August 5-10 :

Monday: Seabright Brewery

Tuesday: Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing

Wednesday: Santa Cruz Aleworks

Thursday: Sante Adairius

Friday: Uncommon Brewers

110 Walnut Ave.

Santa Cruz, CA ‎95060

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

Beer and greasy food go hand in hand, and August 3-10, the Boardwalk will get in on the fun by serving Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing‘s Casinos IPA, a British-style India Pale Ale named for the Coconut Grove’s history.

400 Beach St.

Santa Cruz, CA 95060

Surfrider Cafe

On Tuesday the 6, Boulder Creek Brewery is taking over the tap at Surfrider Cafe, another downtown eatery. They’ll be pairing their beers with different appetizers, and you might even get to drink with the brewers themselves.

429 Front St.

Santa Cruz, CA ‎95060

Aptos St. BBQ

Another “Tap Takeover” is happening over at Aptos St. BBQ on Wednesday the 7, where Firestone Walker, a Paso Robles-based brewery, will be offered along with 50 other craft brewers’ selections.

8059 Aptos St.

Aptos, CA 95003

Aptos Chamber

Also in Aptos is the benefit for the Aptos Chamber of Commerce on Friday night. Along with beer, wine, food, live music, and tennis with world-ranked players will be featured.

7605 Old Dominion Court

Aptos, CA 95003

California Beer Festival

Finally, there’s the California Beer Festival. The annual celebration at Aptos Village Park will serve up 70 different beers on tap, food from a variety of local sources, and live entertainment, including a Michael Jackson cover band. Proceeds will benefit the Gen Giammanco Foundation, so go ahead and drink up! For forty-five dollars a ticket, it’s not a bad deal, but be sure to buy your ticket beforehand.

Aptos Village Park

100 Aptos Creek Rd.

Aptos, CA 95003

Saturday, August 10, 2013: 12:30 pm – 5:00 pm

You can drink beer any week out of the year, but only this week will you have so many opportunities to celebrate local craft brewing. Don’t settle for a pint — grab the whole stein.

Santa Cruz Beer Festival tickets can be purchased at either the Soquel or 41st ave. Whole Foods, or online.

Image Credit: www.santacruzcountybeerweek.com