UPDATED: Events not to miss during Asheville Beer Week

First, let's face the sad fact. You will never get to all the events happening during Asheville Beer Week, May 23-31. Even for the most serious, die-hard craft brew drinkers, some hard choices will have to be made.

But an amazing selection of events is coming up, and we've picked 10 fun parties to consider.

Get the whole list at

http://ashevillebeerweek.com

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At beer dinners, festivals and tastings, be sure not to overdo it, or arrange safe passage back home from a cab or a designated driver. And raise a toast to Asheville's nationally famous beer community, which now produces hundreds of handmade craft brews every day.

The numero uno event not to miss:

Fifth annual Beer City Festival, 1-6 p.m. May 31. Roger McGuire Green at Pack Square Park, downtown. The daylong downtown drinking bash involves some 30 craft breweries, most from the mountains, but including such out of town favorites as Holy City of Charleston, S.C., and Moon River of Savannah, Ga. Bands for the day include some Asheville bands, like Jamar Woods, The Broadcast and The Swayback Sisters; plus out-of-towners like The Resolvers (who describe themselves as "a ganja-tinged hurricane wind from the deep lungs of a giant Rastaman ripping out the end of a scorching-hot brass horn.") Tickets are $45 at http://beercityfestival.com. Better to buy now, because there is no guarantee that any will be sold at the gate.

Then there's also:

The North Carolina Belgian Beer Festival, 6-11:30 p.m. May 23 at the new Thirsty Monk at Reynolds Village in north Asheville. This one has Belgian-style brews made by Tar Heel breweries. Tickets are $15, or pay $50 and get a pass that includes the Thirstyfest festival too. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/thirstyfest-combo-pass-tickets-11455727389

The Just Brew It homebrew beer festival, 2-5 p.m. May 24, outside Wedge Brewing, 125-B Roberts St. in the River Arts District. There's only one way to attend this homebrew celebration and that's to become a member of Just Economics of WNC. Only 600 memberships are being sold, and the deadline to purchase is 11:59 p.m. on May 23 at http://justeconomicswnc.org/just-brew-it. Memberships are $20, $30 and $50.

Catawba's 15th Anniversary Luau & King Coconut Release Party, 2-10 p.m May 24 at the Catawba Brewing tasting room, 92 Brooks St. in Billtmore Village. To celebrate the brewery's 15th anniversary and the release of its popular coconut porter, Catawba will host this party complete with roasted big and music by Con Tiki.

Westside Festival, 1:30-5 p.m. May 25 in the parking lot at, Urban Orchard Cider Co. and Bar, 210 Haywood Road in West Asheville. This one celebrates West Asheville's breweries (Altamont, Oysterhouse, Wedge Brewing, and New Belgium) plus cider from Urban Orchard and Black Mountain CiderWorks and Kombucha Ales from Lenny Boy's Kombucha. Tickets are $23 at http://westsidefest.com

A Night with Anderson Valley Brewing, 6-11:30 p.m. May 27, Jack of the Wood, 95 Ave. Come enjoy some of the best beer produced by this California brewery, paired with small bites.

Thirstyfest: The Not so Big BIG Beer Festival, 6-10 p.m. May 28. UPDATE: This fest was planned for the site of the future Thirsty Monk brewery, 92 Thompson St., along the Swannanoa River. But the brewery said Friday that it will instead move Thirstyfest to the Millroom at 66 Asheland Avenue in downtown Asheville. More than 40 rare beers from 20 acclaimed breweries will be savored. They include the 2010 Burton Baton from Dogfish Head and Silent Night from Mother Earth. Tickets are $35 at www.thirstyfest.com

Funk Asheville: A Gathering of Wild and Sour Beers, 7-10 p.m. May 30, at the Wicked Weed Funkatorium barrel house, 147 Coxe Ave. Asheville loves beers that are outside the box and this showcase delivers plenty of them from 24 breweries, some of them local but many from out of this area. Tickets are $80 for this benefit for Pints for Prostate. Order online at etix or stop by Wicked Weed.

Hop Domination at Asheville Brewing, May 28, Asheville Brewing, 77 Coxe Ave. For weeks now, Asheville Brewing has been releasing a series of single hop beers and asking its customers to identify the hop. Now they will be re-released on the same day.

Carolina Cinemas and Oskar Blues Can Film Festival, 7-9 p.m May 28 at the Carolina Cinemas, 1640 Hendersonville Road. It's a night of locally produced short films, with the audience voting on the best.

Flora Fonta 10 tap feature, noon-11:30 p.m. May 30, Thirsty Monk, at the corner of Coxe and Patton avenues. A rare chance to enjoy the outstanding beers from this Morganton-based brewery.