Bites & benders

It ain't easy...
If Cheetos just aren't cutting it for you, get to Pastoral for the Cheese 101 class, where you'll stuff yourself with samples while learning to tell your cheddar from your chèvre. The class will break down cheese types, pasteurization and specifics about cheese-making here and abroad. $40 includes class and a 15 percent discount good for anything in the store that night.
Tuesday 8, 7:30pm. 2945 N Broadway between Oakdale and Wellington Aves (773-472-4781).

Dirty drinking
Terroir is really just a fancy word for the dirt in which wine grapes are grown. If that's grape-Greek to you, don't miss Kafka's Earthy First Friday. You'll taste pinot noirs, Côtes du Rhônes and Spanish reds that owe their flavors to the ground they came from. $10 gets you unlimited tastings of six different wines.
Friday 4, 7–9pm. 3325 N Halsted St between Aldine Ave and Buckingham Pl (773-975-9463).

Pour Real
This is the night real ales go head to head—Chicago Beer Society's "Night of the Living Ales." English-style beers (warm and uncarbonated, mmm) from Chicago breweries and beyond will compete to be the Champion Real Ale of Chicago.
Saturday 5, 6:30–10:30pm. Goose Island Wrigleyville, 3535 N Clark St between Cornelia Ave and Eddie St (773-832-9040). $25 for members, $30 for nonmembers. R.S.V.P. at www.chibeer.org.