The Bay bubbles over for Beer Week

Hop hounds, malt mavens and all other beer geeks rejoice! SF Beer Week is upon us!

Today marks the kickoff of a week so fabulously drenched in brew that you literally need ten full days to celebrate it.

SF Beer Week has grown into one of the West Coast’s largest gatherings since its debut in 2009, drawing over 10,000 attendees to Bay Area bars and restaurants. The sold out Opening Celebration Event at the Concourse Pavilion should prove to be the toast of the town, with 68 notable NorCal breweries pouring classic brews and special editions that you’d be hard pressed to find anywhere else.

Over 300 scheduled activities will be held at 140-plus locations throughout the SF Bay Area in the next 240 hours, including exclusive tastings, seminars, brew master meet and greets, and special menus pairings.

If you’re wondering how to keep track of all these sudsy soirees while you’re out getting faded, there’s an app for that.

This year, small batch connoisseurs will be treated by newly minted nanobrewers, the latest sensation to hit the beer industry. Defined by the production of less than four U.S. beer barrels per year, nano beer will be on tap right next to well-known and loved local favorites from Anchor Brewing, Gordon Biersch, and Speakeasy.

Beer Week 2012 goes out with a major bang next Sunday at the warehouse of Berkeley’s own Trumer Brauerei, where Celebrator Beer News magazine will throw its annual anniversary blowout Brew-fest.

With more than 30 breweries in attendance, live music, and some seriously raved-about BBQ on hand, this event is all set to be a great last hurrah, as well as an opportunity to gather and reflect on all the sweet indulgences you’ve had the fortunate opportunity to experience over the last 10 days. Depending on how much of Beer Week you actually remember at that point, of course.