American beer used to come in two flavors: cold and warm. But our palates have gone back to school, and today breweries have funkier names than garage bands, and sour beer is something you pay $12 a glass for instead of pouring down the sink. Now that you can pick up a six of watermelon beer at the supermarket, it's also harder to shock people with new flavors. Challenge accepted. Here comes the StrangeBrew BeerFest at the Eureka Theater on Nov. 9 at 6 p.m. ($20-$25). The annual tasting and competition is where breweries, meisters and home brewers get freak-ay with beer Jello shots, beer slushies and all kids of Franken-beer fun.

Sumbitch (a band, not an IPA) will be playing the sort of music you imagine a band with such a name might play, so that'll be a good time. Your ticket goes toward restoring the Eureka Theater and buys you the right to taste and vote for the champion strange brewer. Get a plate of barbecue and satisfy your curiosity by trying it all. Just keep an open palate. This thing might get weird.