Brews and bites

If you're the type of person who sees beer as the sixth food group—accompanying fruits and vegetables, grains, proteins, dairy, and fats and sugars—then you'll enjoy Friday night's Art of Beer event at Fusion International Arts Center (501 Arden Way). Tickets—$40 in advance or $50 at the door—include fine food from Tuli Bistro, The Shack, Hook & Ladder Manufacturing Co., Blackbird Kitchen & Bar, Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op, and Cypress Grove Chevre. Plus, enjoy unlimited 4-ounce tastings of beer from two-dozen California breweries, including locals Track 7 Brewing Co., Rubicon Brewing Company, Two Rivers Cider Company and New Helvetia Brewing Co. There'll also be 10 brewmasters on hand to answer questions—including UC Davis brewing-science professor and author of Beer Is Proof God Loves Us, Charlie Bamforth—and art curated by Jim Shepherd (a portion of proceeds from art purchased will benefit charities such as Ales for Autism and Stanford Youth Solutions). For more information, visit http://artofbeer.squarespace.com.