It's the most wonderful time of the year. No, not the pre-holiday season, when wreaths and twinkle lights start appearing on the palm trees lining our muggy avenues, but Houston Beer Week!

There is so much going on around town for this year's Houston Beer Week (Nov. 12-18) that it can almost seem overwhelming. Luckily for you people, I've been perusing the calendar to curate my own personal itinerary of not-to-miss events, shared here with you:

Monsters of Beer — This kickoff event to Houston Beer Week has a charitable component so you can guzzle for the good of Live It BIG, a non-profit dedicated to helping small startup charities in town.

The event is bigger and badder this year, located in the East End at Guadalupe Park on South Jensen off Elysian. Saturday, 12 to 6 p.m.; $35 online or $45 at the gate. Tickets here.

Night After Monsters — This rare beer-tasting event, taking place — you guessed it — on the night after Monsters of Beer at the Montrose Whole Foods, will feature more than 30 rare craft beers (many of them never-before available in Houston) and a foodie-forward menu including beer cheese soup, mini beer chili hot dogs, beer bread pudding with stout chocolate sauce and more.

Mikkeller beer's Mikkel Borg Bjersø will make the first of three Houston appearances at the event to discuss his brews and sign bottles. In addition to the samples, limited growlers and rare beer selections will be available for retail purchase. Sunday, 5 to 8 p.m.; $60 with discount code GIVEMEBEER. Tickets here.

Pint Night at BRC with rare Independence beers — BRC's pint night will feature a Stash IPA cask; the single-batch, 9-percent Brewluminati Epanoui saison draft; Extra Special Bitter seasonal draft and Bootlegger Brown draft.

This special HBW pint night also falls on BRC's Indy Pint Night, so you can enjoy BRC's ridiculously delicious burger special too. Monday, 5 to 9 p.m.

Brewing Clinic with Mikkel Bjersø at Petrol Station — That's right. Famed "gypsy" brewmaster Mikkel Bjersø will join Ben Fullelove and DeFalco's Scott Birdwell at Petrol for a brewing clinic. We have no idea what he'll teach us, but we're leaving work early to find out. Tuesday, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Real Ale Night at Poison Girl — Real Ale brewmaster Erik Ogershok will be at Poison Girl on Westheimer to tap Real Ale's WT3F and 15th anniversary Imperial Stout. Tuesday, 5 p.m.

New Belgium Bike-in Movie at Liberty Station — Yeah yeah, we know, Tuesday is a big day. We can't help ourselves!

Bike (or drive) in to Liberty Station for a screening of Three Amigos and a sampling of New Belgium's best, including Belgo IPA, new winter seasonal Snow Day, the first Houston tappings of Prickly Pear Saison and Fresh Hop IPA and canned Fat Tire. Tuesday, 7 p.m. $4 pints.

Medieval Mead Feast at Grand Prize — Grand Prize Bar on Banks is hosting a mead feast with Redstone Meadery. The feast will feature five meads and five courses and has a 25-person maximum (as of Wednesday, there were 10 spots left.) Nov. 16, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.; $75 per person. For tickets contact Kyle at 713-301-0165.

Saint Arnold Bourbon Barrel Imperial Stout at Flying Saucer — Come out to the Flying Saucer downtown for a special tapping of a cask of Saint Arnold's Bourbon Barrel Imperial Stout and chat with brewer Dennis Rhee. Nov. 18, 7 p.m.

For even more HBW goodness, check our our beer dinner roundup of foodie faves as curated by CultureMap food critic Sarah Rufca.