We’ll pick up where we left off, with our food-themed and craft-beer-loving agendas for the next few days. First, the beer:

Wednesday, November 11

Downtown Johnny Brown’s dives head first into beer week with an incredible lineup of 16 barrel aged beers on tap–including Victory at Sea, 07/07/07, Curieux, and Butte XXI–plus bottles including barrel-aged Consecration. Barrel Aged Beer Night starts at 5pm.

Also, where better to taste Green Flash’s Hop Less Gruit than at Hamiltons, whose owners helped Chuck Silva brew the beer? Cask will be tapped at 5, to coincide with a simultaneous tapping at Magnolia Pub in SF.

Up in North County, Stone is hosting an event right up our alley: Craft Beer 101. Bring your unsuspecting friends for an evening of hands-on learning that includes samples of Palate Wrecker, Hopsickle, Speedway Stout, and Stone-Maui’s Coconut Porter. $20, 7 – 9 pm.

Still up for late night? Catch Tomme Arthur after his Lost Abbey dinner at the Ritual Tavern (see below) at Toronado, from 10 pm ’till close.

Ok, finally moving on to Thursday, November 12. Looks like a lot of folks want to start the day early today. Toronado will have Alpine Duet on cask at 11:30; Stone is hosting a brunch with Peter Zien at noon, and then tapping 10 years of Double Bastard at 2:30. As for us, we’re holding out until the evening hour, because we’re more excited about this night than any other.

Starting at 5pm, Fritz Maytag, will be at Toronado with a lineup of Anchorsteam–Fritz Maytag!  Also, Thursday makes a good night to venture down to Imperial Beach and check out South Bay Drugs, as the craft-beer loving store will be hosting a beer-and-pizza night that looks hard to pass up. $20 buys you all you can eat pizza plus a tastings from a stellar lineup of bottled and draft specialty beers. At La Bella Pizza in Chula Vista.

Tonight, however, our heart lies with the start of craft-beer-geekery in San Diego. We’ll be paying homage to that forever-remembered beer bar in Mission Beach by eating sweet potato fries; listening to the ‘mats, and sipping on pints of Black Lie. Oh, and we swear we’ll have just one.

Now for our picks for a foodie’s agenda for the rest of the week:

Wednesday, November 11 is a day of tough choices. Ritual Tavern is hosting a three-course prix fixe featuring rare Lost Abbey beers and a special menu of mussels (paired with Duck Duck Guze), roast quail (Red Barn Ale), and pumpkin and apple pie (2008 Gift of the Magi).  Reservations only, one seating (6:30), $60 per person. Oh, and did we mention Tomme Arthur will be there to walk you through the courses?

Also Wednesday is JSix’s Alesmith dinner, with guest chefs Jan Burnbaum, Jamie Bissonette, and James Ferran, hailing from SF, Boston, and Market in Del Mar, respectively. Four beers, four courses, and Peter Zien, of course. $89 per person (including tax and tip), unless you’re a veteran; then it’s 20% less.

If that’s out of your price range, hit up Phil’s BBQ for the second night of barbeque & beer fest, featuring Coronado, Alpine, and Airdale beers. $25 buys six tasters of both barbeque and beer. Pre-purchased tickets required.

Thursday, Nov. 12. We think it’s going to be a madhouse, but we’re pretty excited about the Green Flash progressive dinner in North Park starting at 5. Blind Lady, Jayne’s Gastropub, Ritual Tavern, and The Linkery will all be offering beer and small-plate pairings for $8, with the idea that you can hit up several locations for a meandering meal. A free shuttle will run up and down 30th street and Adams Ave. to expedite travelling.

That said, we will be at Hamiltons on Thursday for the long awaited Liars Club Redux. What can we say–we’ve been craving a Liar’s Club BLTA on jalepeno cheese bread for over two years, and we’re not going to let this opportunity pass. (Update: BLTAs didn’t make the menu, but the sweet potato fries did!)

If the thought of Liar’s Club food doesn’t get you giddy, there’s a much more elegant beer dinner happening Thursday at the Lodge at Torrey Pines, an awesome-looking Lost Abbey Art Show at J-Six, and some pretty cool Alesmith-inspired tapas at Neighborhood.

Yikes. We’re having trouble thinking beyond the Liar’s Club. We’ll be back later this week with Part 3 of our agendas!

Bus it. San Diego isn’t known for its public transportation, and the transit system is indeed spotty in a few areas. But some of the most efficient bus routes happen to run right by many of the key beer week locations. If you’re heading to events at Blind Lady, Toronado, Small Bar, Hamiltons, and even O’Briens, try hopping on one of these bus routes:

The 2 line. San Diego’s hippest bus line (it even has it’s own blog), the 2 line runs up and down 30th Street, aka the “Nation’s best beer boulevard.” The route runs through four neighborhoods: Downtown, South Park, North Park, and Normal Heights, and has stops within feet of Hamilton’s, Whistle Stop, the Linkery, True North, Toronado, Ritual Tavern, and Jaynes Gastropub. Heck, beer week doesn’t even seem complete without a ride on the 2 line.

The 7. This is the key bus to keep in mind for the SD Brewer’s Guild festival, as it is the only bus that runs past the World Beat Center in Balboa Park. Pick it up downtown and take it to Hillcrest, North Park, or City Heights.

The 11. The 11 is like the 2-line’s hipster-aspiring younger brother. The route runs from east of downtown, through downtown, up Banker’s Hill, through Hillcrest, and over to Normal Heights along Adams Avenue. It swings by several key beer week locations, including Neighborhood, Downtown Johnny Brown’s, Small Bar, and Blind Lady. Give it a whirl this week!

The 27. The 27 is O’Brien’s magic number. This route drops you off within a block of the Kearny Mesa bar, and is a pretty key resource if you’re trying to visit without driving. The 27 runs to and from PB to the Kearny Mesa transit center, which means you can transfer to it if you are taking the 120 from downtown. We use it often–it’s not the fastest ride but it is handy now and again.

If you’re heading to other locations, don’t give up on public transit without at least looking to see if the bus or coaster can take you close by. The trip planner on sdcommute.com is pretty reliable, and google maps offers public transit directions for San Diego — which is especially handy with a mobile phone.

Cab it. The locations participating in beer week are pretty spread out, so why chance driving after a few beers? Here are just a few cab companies and their numbers to print and keep in your wallet this week:

Yellow Cab — If you’re calling from a 619, 858, or 760 area code. just dial 444-4444. In a loud bar? You don’t even have to go outside to call – Yellow Cab has a texting service. Simply text your address and city to 777222. You can also arrange a cab 24 hours ahead of time through their website.

Johnny Cab. The blogging cab company… that also guarantees a cab in half an hour or less from when you call. Make online reservations 24 hours in advance or call them at 619-275-5500.

Orange Cab accepts plastic, which is a huge plus if you’ve spent all your cash on beer or merch at the bar. They also allow you to call for van cabs–key if you are with more than four. Call them at 619-223-5555 or 619-291-3333.

Shuttle It. If you’re with a large party and know your agenda for the day, arrange your transportation ahead of time through these shuttle companies:

Wherever Shuttle. Wherever Shuttle is a biofuel-powered shuttle company, with all of their vehicles (including a hummer limo) running on vegetable oil. Veggie oil-powered beer week transportation? Yes please. Call them at 619-599-3225.

Brewery Tours of San Diego. Specializing in, well, brewery tours, this company is a must-call if you are thinking of heading out to some of the breweries during the week.

EZ Ride Shuttle EZ Ride Shuttle runs charter shuttle services that can be arranged ahead of time. Call them at 800-777-0585 or 619-297-7463 to set things up.

Buy a designated driver. “The Drunk Driver” is a company that specializes in driving you and your friends to and from bars. Advance reservations required, but somehow you get to BYOB  in the van… call em’ at 619.847.0102.

Lastly, get a limo. Seriously. When’s the last time you called a limo? With enough people splitting the bill, they are more reasonable than you think. And they’re often available at the last minute–as long as it’s not prom season. Not that you need another reason to make beer week memorable, but we guarantee this will make beer week memorable.

Ok kids, that’s lots of options for getting to and fro your beer destinations safely. So go forth and enjoy your craft beer…responsibly!