Wow!! Almost 600 of you responded to our survey! We are in the process of digesting the veritable treasure trove of helpful information you supplied us with, and look forward to future programming the reflects a lot of your input. As for the grand prize - congratulations to Kenneth Berger, who will be attending an upcoming Producer Dinner on us.

Thank you again for your time and thoughtfulness,
The 18 Reasons Team

Thursday, November 18th, 6-8PM, Drop-In
18th Hour: Holiday Beer Tasting with Sarah Bouldin!
$10 for 18 Reasons members; $15 for the general public

You're a beer person, but everyone pours wines at Thanksgiving. What do you do? Rebel! Pour beer! But what kind of beer? We're here for you. Bi-Rite's beer guru Sarah Bouldin is hand picking the line-up for tonight's tasting of brews to go with turkey, gravy, Yorkshire pudding, pumpkin pie, figgy pudding, and other seasonal feast foods. Pour an IPA next to that pinot. You can do it. (In fact, one could argue that tradition demands it - those Pilgrims were beer drinkers.)

Friday, November 19th, 7-9PM, Drop-In
Pisco Tasting and DIY Cocktail Pairing Party
$10 for 18 Reasons members; $15 for the general public
(includes all drinks and food)

Just in time for the coming cocktail party season, join us for an unusual and experimental tasting of the delicious spirit behind classic San Francisco cocktails like the Pisco Punch and Pisco Sour. This is a three part experience; first, we'll sample an exciting... range of piscos from local importers Timothy Childs and Shelley Alger of Vinas De Oro/ClearGrape. At the next station, we will set up a tasting test that lets you compare how different flavors affect your perception of taste and aroma (Think that Quebranta Pisco has notes of toast and dried fruits? Now try it with a roasted hazelnut!) Last, we'll discuss the opportunities in pairing food and spirits and showcase some unusual tastes to inspire your holiday parties.

**Timothy Childs is a serial tastemaker/entrepreneur and co-founder of ClearGrape, America's leading premium Peruvian Pisco importer (Vinas de Oro brand) from Peru. He is also co-publisher of The Pisco Book, a forthcoming comprehensive guide to the history and culture of pisco. Previously, he founded TCHO, a local premium chocolate manufacturer**

Monday, November 22nd, 7-9PM, Ticketed
The Wisdom of Gratitude: A Dinner Conversation
$15 for 18 Reasons members; $20 for the general public
Tickets: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/137393

A time of thanks is upon us, and before we get swept up in the cranberry sauce, stuffing, and pies ahead, we want to take an evening to learn and talk about gratitude. Over a simple vegetarian supper we will hear about the value of giving thanks from thinkers in a range of fields.

Tuesday, November 30th, 7-9PM, RSVP required
Lecture: Richard Heinberg and the Post Carbon Institute
$10 for everyone at the door.
This will be a popular event, so RSVP today. Please add the number "18" to your last name to denote that you are RSVP-ing via 18 Reasons.

Join 18 Reasons, The Lexicon of Sustainability, and the Post Carbon Institute for a lecture and conversation with Richard Heinberg. Richard is widely regarded as one of the world's most effective communicators of the need to transition away from fossil fuels, and at 18 Reasons will to talk about the role agriculture plays in the transition. Known for his wry, unflinching approach based on facts and realism, Richard exposes the tenuousness of our current way of life and offers a vision for a truly sustainable future. Desserts will be provided to sweeten the deal.

About our co-host: The Post Carbon Institute provides individuals, communities, businesses, and governments with the resources needed to understand and respond to the interrelated economic, energy, and environmental crises that define the 21st century.

Wednesday, December 1st, 6-9PM, Drop-In
A Tiny Holiday Bazaar and a Big Art Opening
Free entry

18 Reasons welcomes you to celebrate the opening of Maria Schoettler's exhibition A Year of What's to Grow and our first ever holiday bazaar! A Year of What's to Grow features the stunningly beautiful original paintings from Maria's calendars of seasonal fruits, vegetables, and California native plants.

Since calendars are perfect holiday gifts, we decided to invite a small selection of other local artisans so that you can not only grab a calendar, but also a lovely homemade marmalade, a home canning kit, and other food-based items for the gardeners and food lovers on your list. Big bonus: one vendor sells beautiful cloth gift wrap and we are working on the feasibility of a wrapping station. This will be a tiny little affair for our tiny space, but we will have vendors of high-quality products for every budget.

Thursday, December 2nd, 7-9PM, Drop-In
Jam it! Salon with Karen Solomon
Free

It's a DIY SHOW, TASTE, and this month: GIFT EXCHANGE! Join us for our 5th gathering of the DIY food crafting community, co-hosted by cookbook author Karen Solomon of Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It. If you've ever made your own condiments, crafted your own candies, brewed your own beverages, boiled your own bagels, or fermented your own anything, come show off the splendor you've created. Meet other like-minded home crafters, share tips, resources, techniques, and help inspire the community looking to think outside the mass-produced confines of aisle six. This salon only, bring one jar/box/package of self-preserved goodness to sample and one to exchange with someone else. Holiday shopping has never been so easy!

Sliced baguette, vegetables for dipping, and basic cutlery will be provided.
Enthusiasm is way more important than experience.

Please RSVP (and tell us what you're bringing) to bolognarose@gmail.com
Please bring your recipe to share with others. We will provide recipe cards and pens.

Friday, December 3rd, 6-8PM, Drop-In
Holiday Wine Blitz #2 Preview Tasting
$10 for everyone

Come taste and pre-order your wines for Bi-Rite Market's Holiday Wine Blitz! The actual blitz is December 9th-12th and for those 4 days you get 20% off all wine purchases of 12 bottles or more (mixed or not). So come give the wines a try before you commit! We tend to sample A LOT of wines, so if you are wine lover, this is a must-do tasting opportunity.

Monday, December 6th, 7-8PM, Ticketed
DIY Holidays: The Cheese Platter
$25 for 18 Reasons members; $35 for the general public
Tickets: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/138229

Bi-Rite cheesemonger Anthea Stolz is here to help you create a gorgeous cheese platter for your holiday entertaining menu. She will instruct you on cheese selections, accoutrement (those are food accessories, to the English speaking), and presentation options. Once we ooh and ahh over the bountiful and beautiful platter Anthea constructs for us, we will get to gobble it all right up while we ask questions.

Tuesday, December 7th, 7-9PM, Ticketed
DIY Holidays: Gifts from the Garden
$15 for 18 Reasons members; $25 for the general public
Tickets: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/138231

In this talk and demonstration by Leslie Bennett and Stefani Bittner of Star Apple Edible + Fine Gardening, you will learn how to take the bounty of your backyard or window sill will garden and turn it into affordable, beautiful, and homemade gifts. After reviewing the basics of herb growing, Leslie and Stefani will lead you through making scented oilve oils, preparing plant cuttings in pretty pots, and mixing drinks with herb infusions. They will also show you some tricks for wrapping and presenting. We will have samples of the olive oil and (non-alcoholic) infusions to taste and everyone will go home with recipe handouts and special gift tag ideas.

About the teachers: Leslie Bennett and Stefani Bittner are Star Apple Edible & Fine Gardening. Together, they offer a unique, sophisticated and effective set of design, fine gardening and farming skills for people who want help creating aesthetically designed, organic edible gardens in and around the San Francisco Bay Area.

Wednesday, December 8th, 7-9PM, Ticketed
A Taste of Spain: Tapas and Wine Tasting Class
$40 for 18 Reasons members; $50 for the general public
Tickets: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/138618

During this two hour tasting and education class with James Stolich, you will learn about the rich history of Spanish small plate cuisine, taste three tapas paired with three Iberian wines, and learn tips for how to add delicious Spanish flair to your holiday party. Note - this is a tasting class, and does not involve hands-on cooking.

James Stolich is the founder of CookwithJames, which launched in 2002 as an "underground supper club." In December 2008 James decided to leave his advertising job and transform CookWithJames into a full-time business. CWJ now offers an array of private chef & catering services including private dinners, cooking classes and catering events.

Thursday, December 9th, 7-9PM, Drop-In
DIY Desserts: Holiday Cookie Exchange
Free with cookie contribution; $5 to just taste

For our third installment of DIY Desserts we are honoring the holiday cookie plate. Gingerbread trees, snowballs, chocolate crinkles, lebkuchen, pfeffernusse . . . wait, sorry, maybe not all of us grew up with Swiss grandparents. But you get the picture. Bring 2 dozen of your one favorite holiday cookie and exchange with the other DIY Desserters to create your own beautiful cookie assortment. Come with your own tin or platter to transport your cookie bounty home. Of course, we will be sampling the cookies as we trade, so bring your sweet tooth, too.

Sunday, December 12th, 1-3PM, Ticketed
DIY Holidays: Non-Disposable Wrapping and Gift Workshop
$15 for 18 Reasons members; $25 for the general public; $10 for children ages 7-18
Tickets: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/138572
Suitable for children ages 7 and older; all adults welcome (with or without children)

At this this hands-on demonstration Molly de Vries will teach you how to wrap gifts in eco-friendly and beautiful cloth that the recipient can use over and over in different ecological ways! The cloth Molly uses is called Furoshiki which is traditionally known in Japan as gift wrapping and can be used a napkin, a grocery bag, or carrying cloth to name a few. In our modern age of looming carbon footprints, Furoshiki helps us be more environmentally friendly. The best combo is to use Furoshiki to wrap a homemade present. So bring a jar of homemade preserves, a fresh loaf of bread, or your favorite holiday cookies in a recycled tin and learn how to make them look stunning wrapped in Furoshiki. The bonus - the wrapping is a gift, too!

Monday, December 13th, 7-9PM, Ticketed

Writing Lab: Start a Food Blog

$20 for 18 Reasons members; $30 for the general public

Tickets: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/138481