Beer me, August

August never gets the love it deserves. Sure, the heat is borderline unbearable, your armpits are at peak sweatiness and you see way more pasty male feet than is desirable, but if you think about it, the timing of August is perfect: Our chihuahua-like eagerness about the arrival of summer has worn off, and the encroaching dread that summer is over hasn't yet settled in. It's a month made for relaxing and enjoying life, if sweatily.

It's also rife with occasions to drink beer in Sacramento—even more than usual, that is. First up, on Thursday, August 13, the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-Op at 1900 Alhambra Boulevard is hosting “Bites and Brews.” Track 7 Brewing Co. is teaming up with chef Dionisio Esperas for an evening of beer tasting and nibbling on crispy salmon-skin sushi, pizza with burrata and heirloom tomatoes, and chorizo-and-potato empanadas. Tickets are $55.

On Friday, August 14, the Sacramento Beer Train (www.sacramentorivertrain.com) pulls out of the station at 400 North Harbor Boulevard in West Sacramento for a three-hour trip, during which riders will sample eight different beers. Tickets range from $25 for a designated driver (so, no brews for you) to $65 for VIPs, which includes a meal and two bonus tastings.

Just over the causeway, the third annual Davis Bike and Brew Fest takes place from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, August 15, at Central Park, 401 C Street in Davis. Tickets range from $10 to $45 and attendees will have access to unlimited samplings from over 60 breweries, plus food trucks and live music from the Stone Foxes. It's a celebration of bikes too, because it's Davis. Be safe out there, and be sure to stay hydrated; August in Sacramento is no joke.