Summer in Toronto is festival season, and while there's an increasing number of events dedicated to all manner of food and drink, nothing can really compete with an event that explicitly dedicates itself to humankind's greatest invention.

Here are my picks for the top beer events in Toronto this summer.

See also: The top 10 beer festivals near Toronto for 2015

Brewer's Backyard Canada Day
Evergreen Brick Works | July 1, 12pm-5pm
A veteran of summer events, International Man of Beer Mystery Cass Enright has the recipe for success figured out with his "backyard" series of events. This is yet another family-friendly, and free event at The Brick Works, an excellent setting for relaxing and enjoying a few interesting offerings from local brewers like Collective Arts and Oast House.

The Liberty Market Summer Craft Beer Fest
The Liberty Market Building Galleria | July 2, 5pm-10pm
With The Craft Brasserie and two brew pubs moving into the area, it's getting increasingly difficult to hate Liberty Village. Why not use this event--which will feature 19 brewers both local and distant, independent and corporately owned--as your excuse to check out what's new and worth visiting in Toronto's 20-something suburbia in the sky?

The 12 Beers of Summer
The Gladstone Hotel | July 17
Seemingly oddly named given that it will feature 10 breweries and one cider, this new event at The Gladstone is a rarity in that the marketing material seems to encourage attendees to get sloppy--given that the entry is $20 and includes unlimited sampling, I'm not sure folks will need to be told. Warning: may contain karaoke.

Toronto's Festival of Beer
Exhibition Place | July 24, 25, and 26
Featuring over 300 different brands of beer that run the gamut from small and local outfits like Junction Craft and Left Field to purveyors of mass-produced industrial lager like Miller Lite, Budweiser, and Corona, TFOB has it all. Find interesting craft offerings among the "beer girls," fizzy lagers, and pseudo craft schlock and expect thousands of beer drinkers gathering to party, bro (and lining up to pee).

The Roundhouse Craft Beer Festival
Roundhouse Park | August 8, 12pm-7pm; August 9, 12pm-6pm
Offering beers from the Ontario Craft Brewers, this festival at Roundhouse Park is still a relatively casual affair. Expect to find over 30 breweries and tons of local gourmet food trucks serving up food and drink. A bonus, any beer tokens you have from the Winter Craft Beer Fest or last year's summer Roundhouse Craft Beer Fest can be used at this summers' event. A ticket will set you back $20 (or $25 at the door).

The Indie Boat Hop
The Empire Sandy | August 26, 12:30-4, 5:30-9
When some of the best beer makers in the province team up with one of the city's best beer bars, there's only one venue badass enough to host them all: a pirate ship. Indie Alehouse, Bellwoods, Sawdust City, Stone City, Great Lakes, Nickel Brook, and Clifford Brewing will join forces with Bar Hop to set sail on the Empire Sandy on not one but two cruises. Ahoy, palloi.

Toronto Beer Week
Various venues | September 18-26
Toronto Beer Week isn't just one event. Obviously, it's an entire week of events that will feature beer dinners, tap takeovers and more happening across the entire city. We'll have a run down of the whole week closer to the actual date but for now just mark your calendars and get your drinking pants out of storage. Yes, the ones with the elastic waistband.

What did I miss? Add the beer events you're most looking forward to this summer in the comments.

Ben Johnson also writes about beer over on Ben's Beer Blog. Follow him on twitter @Ben_T_Johnson. Photo by Andrew Williamson.