Though this year’s Dine Out Vancouver Festival includes almost 300 restaurant participants, there are more ways to experience the culinary fête than just eating out.

Case in point: the myriad of booze-themed events happening around the city beginning January 15. Because there’s no better complement to a great meal than a great alcoholic beverage, right?

Here are nine of Dine Out Vancouver’s booziest events, where you can indulge your love for beer, wine, and more.

Craft Beer and Food Pairing Tour (January 15, 21, 22, 28, 29)

Wine isn’t the only imbibe made for food pairing. Learn how to expertly pair your meals with craft beer—while getting an inside look at Vancouver’s booming craft beer industry—through a jaunt with Vancouver Brewery Tours.

A knowledgeable guide will take you through three of the city’s most popular breweries, Postmark Brewing, Main Street Brewing, and Big Rock Urban Brewery, where you can sip plenty of craft beer samples alongside specially prepared dishes that are designed to complement the suds.

Those with a sweet tooth to satisfy can also sign up for a Craft Beer and Sweets Pairing Tour, where you'll visit Brassneck Brewing, Strange Fellows Brewing, and Big Rock Urban Brewery while nibbling on artisan treats from Cartems Donuterie, Thomas Haas Fine Chocolates & Patisserie, and more.

Tickets are $75, and they’re going quick. For more information or to purchase tickets, click here.

Winter Beer Hall (January 16)

The inaugural Winter Beer Hall at Big Rock Urban Brewery and Eatery (310 West 4th Avenue) is a must-attend for craft beer connoisseurs.  

The brewery has partnered with five other local craft beer-makers—Real Cask Brewing, Main Street Brewing, Bridge Brewing, Doan’s Craft Brewing, and Storm Brewing—to create five unique casks and a three-course dinner.

Live music will complete the cheery, beer hall vibe, where you can drink the night away.

Tickets start at $40. For more information or to purchase tickets, click here.

Brewmaster’s Breakfast (January 17)

It’s a breakfast buffet of champions. Think unlimited spent grain pancakes, beer kielbasa, and hopped hollandaise—all infused with a selection of Big Rock Urban Brewery’s tastiest brews.

Once you’ve filled your plate, hit the bar for a pint of the Dine Out Van Fest Ale—a limited-edition, food-friendly English mild—or another locally made variety.

Kids are welcome to the event, which takes place at Big Rock Urban Brewery and Eatery (310 West 4th Avenue).

Tickets start at $20. For more information or to purchase tickets, click here.

Cocktail Masterclasses (January 17, 20, 23, 24, 30)

If you’re looking to brush up on your mixology skills—or just curious about the spirits that sit behind your favourite bar—check out the first-ever Cocktail Masterclass series.

Led by veteran mixologist Lauren Mote at Uva Wine and Cocktail Bar (900 Seymour Street), each of the five seminars will include a welcome cocktail reception, cocktail tastings, and a one-hour workshop on a particular topic: cognac, agave and maguey spirits, grapes, bitters, or single malts.

Small, spirits-inspired plates from Cibo Trattoria’s executive chef, Faizal Kassam, will also be served, and attendees will leave with a Bittered Sling gift pack loaded with the artisan bitters company’s six most popular flavours.

Tickets to each masterclass are $70 (plus tax). For more information or to purchase tickets, click here.

How It’s Made: A Brewery, Distillery, and Winery Tour (January 17, 21, 24, 28, 31)

This in-depth tour is for the drinker who doesn’t discriminate: it covers three of Vancouver’s leading producers in craft beer, spirits, and wine in under three hours.

An expert guide from Off the Eaten Track will lead you through Odd Society Spirits, Vancouver Urban Winery, and Big Rock Urban Brewery, where you’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at how your favourite alcohols are produced.

Make sure you come thirsty—the tour includes samples of craft vodka, gin, three B.C. wines, and two local ales, plus further sustenance from Big Rock Urban Eatery.

Tickets for the tour are $70. For more information or to purchase tickets, click here.

A Distiller’s Dinner (January 24)

Award-winning vegan and vegetarian restaurant the Acorn is collaborating with East Van distillery Odd Society Spirits to create a five-course tasting menu complete with creative cocktail pairings.

The meal will highlight the Acorn’s signature use of locally sourced, seasonal ingredients, and the cocktails—which will use Odd Society’s one-of-a-kind craft spirits—will be made to complement each dish accordingly.

The event takes place at the Acorn (3995 Main Street). Tickets are $99. For more information or to purchase tickets, click here.

Craft Pizza Meets Craft Beer (January 25, 27)

Prepare for a night of craft-beer-guzzling and pizza-making at this three-course dinner hosted by Vancouver’s Rocky Mountain Flatbread Company.

The January 25 event takes place at Rocky Mountain’s Main Street eatery (4186 Main Street) and will include sampler flights from R&B Brewing, while the January 27 edition will feature beers from Persephone Brewing at the company’s Kitsilano location (1876 West 1st Avenue).

Between appetizer and dessert, guests will create their own artisan pizza to enjoy in-house.

Tickets are $30. For more information or to purchase tickets, click here.

Feast with the Fish (January 27)

Not only is this four-course dinner perfect for beer lovers—each dish comes expertly paired with an offering from Red Truck Beer Company—it’s also pretty damn cool.

The event takes place after-hours at the Vancouver Aquarium, where you’ll be surrounded by giant glass tanks of reef sharks, sea turtles, and other marine animals. You’ll also be able to check out the aquarium’s galleries and exhibits sans the crowds.

Created by the Vancouver Aquarium’s executive chef, Tim Bedford, the seafood-heavy dinner includes Humboldt squid calamari and lingcod and salmon tacos.

Tickets are $100. For more information or to purchase tickets, click here.

The Grape Debate: To Age or to Drink? (January 29)

As any wine lover will tell you, it takes an incredible amount of self-restraint to leave a fresh bottle of vino corked. Some may taste better with age, but do the benefits of putting a wine aside distract from its original purpose of being consumed?

A panel of wine industry pros—including winemakers from Le Vieux Pin Winery, Sandhill Winery, and Red Rooster Winery—will tackle this topic at the University of British Columbia’s Robert H. Lee Alumni Centre (6163 University Boulevard), where they’ll debate whether B.C. wineries should produce vinos made for ageing or drinking immediately.

The debate will conclude with a grand tasting, where attendees can enjoy a selection of B.C. VQA wines.

Tickets to the event start at $40. For more information or to purchase tickets, click here.