This is the best time of year for local beer lovers: We’re currently celebrating American Craft Beer Week, which means specials at bars across the area. Then the first weekend of June brings the annual Savor craft beer festival to the National Building Museum. Since just about every major American brewer is in town for that event, beer-centric bars host a tidal wave of tastings and events.

American Craft Beer Week is a little more low-key than Savor Week, but there’s plenty of good stuff out there. If I was only able to hit a handful events over the next few days, this would be my itinerary.

Tuesday

Rustico is holding two nights of parties with special drafts, starting Tuesday in Alexandria. Special tappings include Flying Dog Imperial IPA Single Hop Simcoe, Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Harvest Ale and Samuel Adams East-West Kolsch, beginning at 6 p.m. (If you can’t make it, a similar lineup will be available at the restaurant’s Ballston branch on Wednesday.)

Every time a bar hosts a Great Lakes tapping event in D.C., Cleveland ex-pats turn out by the hundreds. Expect ChurchKey to be busier than usual at a Christmas in May tapping of Great Lakes Christmas Ale. As an added present, the bar is introducing D.C.’s first keg of Great Lakes Grand Cru, a strong Belgian ale. (The usual Great Lakes lineup of Commodore Perry IPA, Burning River Pale Ale, Holy Moses White Ale and Dortmunder Gold Lager will also be on draft.) Taps open at 6 p.m.

Wednesday

Dupont’s Scion Restaurant has quietly become one of the city’s most reliable destinations for beer dinners. This week, they’re hosting a five-course Sierra Nevada Rare Beer Dinner with five brews from Chico. Four are selections from the limited edition 30th Anniversary series: Charlie, Fred and Ken’s Bock; Jack and Ken’s Ale (a strong barleywine); Our Brewer’s Reserve: Oak Aged Ale; and Fritz and Ken’s Ale (a hefty imperial stout); plus the Ovila Abbey Dubbel from the brewery’s new Ovila abbey ale series. They’re paired with osso bucco ravioli, Moroccan lamb stew and other treats. All-inclusive tickets are $55, and include the chance to win a pair of tickets to Savor. Dinner starts at 7, and reservations are required. See scionrestaurant.com for a full menu and more information.

The Capitol City Brewing Company near Union Station is the oldest continuously operating brewpub in D.C. It’s set to close later this year, but there’s still time to say goodbye. Between 6 and 9 p.m., the brewers are setting up three casks on the front patio, where they’ll pour $3 pints of beer, while cooks grill up $5 burgers.

Back at Churchkey, there’s an evening honoring Harrisburg’s Troegs brewery. You may have tried the tasty Nugget Nectar or the hoppy Pale Ale, but the 10 Troegs beers on draft will include two recent beers from the experimental Scratch Series, which are usually only available in the brewery’s taphouse, an aged keg of the strong, spicy 2010 Mad Elf Christmas ale, and the seasonal Flying Mouflan. The party begins at 6, and purchases include logo glassware while supplies last.

Thursday

So, enjoying the run of DC Brau beers? All three -- Public Pale Ale, Corruption IPA and Penn Quarter Porter -- will be available at Smith Commons between 7 and 10 p.m. as part of the No Taxation Without Fermentation party. Brewery founders Brandon Skall and Jeff Hancock will be hanging out with the guys from dcbeer.com to talk about the creation of the brewery and how it went from an idea to dozens of local bars. Check the bottom of your DC Brau can to see if you’ve won a prize, including a pair of tickets to Savor.

The Dogfish Head Alehouses are hosting multiple parties this week -- Fairfax is giving away koozies with your first purchase on Wednesday night -- but the most interesting one looks to be in Falls Church on Thursday night. Happy hour is extended from 4 to 9 p.m., the kitchen dishes up $1 tacos from 9 p.m. to close, and the Laissez Foure jazz band performs from 8 to 11 p.m. But the real reason to go is the appearance of Randall the Enamel Animal -- a crazy invention filled with fresh hop leaves that is attached to draft lines. As beer flows out, it’s infused with fresh hop oils on the way to your glass, giving you one of the most intense hop experiences any beer lover could have.