Your palate’s guide to San Diego Beer Week 2017

For every palate, there is a beer — and a San Diego Beer Week event.

For the ninth straight year, the San Diego Brewers Guild has organized a 10-day mission to the heart of craft beer. The 2017 journey begins Friday and continues through Nov. 12 with an overwhelming 500-plus events.

Where to start? Consult your taste buds and the flavor guide prepared by my colleague, Daniel Wheaton. Then match your preferred beer styles to our suggested events.

CRAZY FOR CRISP

For: Fans of wheats, pilsners, Mexican lagers.

Try: “Boat to Belly,” Puesto’s pairing of three just-caught fish tacos with three AleSmith beers, including its new Mexican-style lager, Sublime.

Puesto: 789 W. Harbor Drive, San Diego. Saturday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

SOUR PUSSES

For: Explorers of tart-tastic wild ales and sour fruit beers.

Try (1.): “Spontaneous Sour Saturday.” While this collection of 15 sour beers is on tap at Stone Liberty Station, none were made at Stone. Instead, this all-star lineup features Avery, Craftsman, Jolly Pumpkin, plus local favorites from Lost Abbey, Modern Times and Toolbox.

Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens — Liberty Station: 2816 Historic Decatur Drive, San Diego. Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Try (2.): “Feral Fridays,” when Societe pours four- and 10-ounce glasses of its limited edition wild and sour ales.

Societe: 8262 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., noon to 10 p.m. Friday and Nov. 10.

HOP HEAVEN

For: Lovers of pale ales and IPAs, brews of bracing bitterness.

Try: “San Diego Blind IPA Battle.” The staff at Urge Gastropub has selected their favorite local IPAs. Taste these unidentified beauties, then vote on your favorite.

Urge Gastropub: 16761 Bernardo Center Dr., San Diego. Wednesday, 5 to 10 p.m.

BEERIVORES

For: People who drink it all — ales, lagers, sours, IPAs, even warm cans of Old Milwaukee.

Try: One or all of these three:

1. The VIP Brewer Takeover, 6 to 9 p.m. Friday.

2. The San Diego Brewers Association Festival, Saturday 2 to 5 p.m. (Both Takeover and Fest are on the Broadway pier, 1000 North Harbor Drive, San Diego.)

3. The Beer Garden, a beer-and-food extravaganza, noon to 3 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 12, at the Lodge at Torrey Pines, 11480 N. Torrey Pines Road, San Diego.

WILD AT HEART

For: Beer drinkers who love the — surprise! — new, the — surprise! — unexpected, the — surprise! — surprising.

Try: “Collabapalooza.” This new Beer Week event features 30-plus local breweries, each having paired with one or more others to create unique collaboration beers. The $40 entry fee comes with unlimited pours.

The Observatory North Park: 2891 University Ave., San Diego. Nov. 11, noon to 4 p.m.

MALT MANIACS

For: Those who like their beers grainy, toasty and roasty.

Try: The legendary whiskey-barrel-aged stouts of FiftyFifty, Truckee’s cult brewery, while chatting with the owner, Alicia Barr, during a rare visit to San Diego.

Rip Current North Park: 4101 30th St., San Diego, 2 to 8 p.m. Sunday.

COMPLEX CREATURES

For: Bold souls, eager to venture beyond the ordinary.

Try (1.): Flights of Benchmark’s Table Beer, customised for the occasion — you’ll find lactic versions, tea versions and single hop versions. Each flight is $5.

Benchmark: 6190 Fairmount Ave., San Diego, 2 to 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Try (2): Abnormal Beer, one of the area’s most creative breweries, will pluck rare brews from the cellar of its home base, The Cork and Craft. (Bonus: this restaurant’s wine list is excellent, or so wine fanciers tell me.)

The Cork and Craft: 16990 Via Tazon, Suite 123, San Diego. 2 to 8 p.m. Nov. 9.

WE COULDN’T RESIST, BONUS CATEGORY 1

Try: Beer Choir. A $12 fee gets you one drink ticket at AleSmith, and copy of the Beer Choir Hymnal.

AleSmith: 9990 AleSmith Court, San Diego, 7 p.m. Monday.

WE COULDN’T RESIST, BONUS CATEGORY 2

Try: Former Charger Nick Hardwick will supple live commentary at Nason’s Beer Hall, as his Purdue Boilermakers renew Big Ten rivalry with the Fighting Illini.

Nason’s Beer Hall: 570 J St., San Diego, 9 a.m. Saturday.

Twitter: @peterroweut

peter.rowe@sduniontribune.com