WEDNESDAY:Brews Cruise
Taste five of Kelso of Brooklyn’s current beers like you’ve never tasted them before: aboard the 80-foot yacht Manhattan as it tours the New York Harbor. This two-hour beer-and-hor d’oeuvres-pairing cruise, which departs from Chelsea Piers at 6:30pm, is one of three the Brooklyn brewery is hosting this month and next. Get tickets.

Dance for the Soul
Renowned choreographer William Forsythe returns to BAM with his latest work, Decreation, as part of the 2009 Next Wave Festival. The piece, billed as an exploration of “love, jealousy, and the soul,” runs through Saturday; Forsythe himself will speak following the performance on Thursday.

THURSDAY: Song & Scotch
When did it become the norm to down watery beer and weak drinks at gigs? Tonight at Union Hall, Heather Greene does her best to dispel the myth that good music can only be paired with bad booze. Like most under-the-radar musicians, the sweet local singer-songwriter holds down a day job; unlike most starving artists, hers is as a brand ambassador for Glenfiddich Scotch. Tonight’s performance will blend lyrical tunes from her new release, Sweet Otherwise, with tastings of Glenfiddich-based cocktails.

The Amazing Adventures of Michael
Michael Chabon, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author beloved for such novels as The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay and Wonder Boys, reads from his new book, a collection of interlinked autobiographical essays titled Manhood and Amateurs: The Pleasures and Regrets of a Husband, Father, and Son, at the Central branch of the Brooklyn Public Library at 7pm.

Oktoburlesk
Know what’s missing from almost every Brooklyn Oktoberfest? St. Pauly’s Girls. The Bell House isn’t providing them, but along with Grammy-nominated polka star Alex Meisen and cookoff champs serving their best-in-place brats, the girls of Wasabassco Burlesque will turn up the heat on the typical German suds fest. Arrive between 7:30 and 8:30 for free Absolut cocktails. You should be in the clear so long as you drink them before the huge steins of German beer.

Four-Stringed Festival
Pity the poor ukulele: the redheaded stepchild of the string instruments has long been the butt of jokes, seen as an instrument fit only for luaus and Tiny Tim. Quietly, however, the simple uke has been the subject of a curious renaissance. Tonight, at Red Hook’s Jalopy Theatre, some of the rising stars of the close-knit ukulele scene will be performing in honor of the Paris Uke Fest. All the performers bring a unique take on the four-stringed wonder, from Les Chauds Lapins’ homage to French pop from the 1920s-40s to Michael Wagner’s puppy-dog-cute tunes with unbeatable technical precision.

FRIDAY: Super Films
For “Attack of the 50ft Reels,” the latest installment of the Super 8 film series Flicker NYC, each participating filmmaker shot his or her movie on a single 50-foot reel of Super 8 film. The filmmakers will see the processed results for the first time, along with everyone else, when they’re screened Friday at the Brooklyn Lyceum. The evening starts at 7:30pm.

SATURDAY: Reel Tasty
The Greenpoint supper club Reel Tasty Brooklyn pairs eats with cinema al fresco. This week, their last outdoor dinner features the movie Goodfellas and their take on Italian classics. After drinks and appetizers on the deck, the movie is projected two stories tall during dinner. Only 16 spots are open, and they held reservations for BB readers, so book fast!

Day of DIYing
Go to the Brooklyn Skillshare today, and never buy another stick of butter! The daylong DIY fest at Gowanus Studio Space will teach participants to make it themselves, along with a litany of other creative skills like kombucha brewing, animal balloon twisting, bike repair, and screenprinting. Suggested admission is $10, which includes breakfast and lunch, and no signup is required–but get there early to get into the classes you want.

Hot for Spaetzle
The Diamond is throwing a little Van Halen into the typical polka mix at their Roth-toberfest, an Oktoberfest and David Lee Roth birthday celebration in one. Wear a long blond wig and get a free beer, throw darts at the Sammy Hagar dartboard, and indulge in sausages, spaetzle and rare German beers.

WEEKEND: Racket on the Courts
Couldn’t get tickets to the US Open? Though there’s no guarantee of an on-the-court meltdown, this weekend’s fundraising tournament should provide more laughs (and certainly more drinks) than the pro game. From 8am on, both days will be filled with matches played by locals; the fees paid by the players go towards the refurbishment of the run-down McCarren Tennis Courts. On Saturday night from 8-10pm, the courts will host a free party with a DJ set by the Ohio Party; all profits from the cash bar will also go towards the renovation of the courts, so drink up guilt-free.

Hidden Brooklyn
The annual Open House New York weekend is one of the coolest free events in the city. Every year, some of the most interesting locations in New York–from abandoned subway tunnels and factories to Art Deco lofts and former bathhouses–throw open their doors and host talks and tours in rarely seen places. Some of the Brooklyn highlights include flashlight-led tours through the Atlantic Avenue tunnel, explorations into the stacks and rare books of the Brooklyn Public Library, and a tour of the Pieter Claesen Wyckoff House, the oldest house in New York; on Saturday, a site-specific dance performance will be taking place in the creepy-beautiful grounds of Green-Wood Cemetery.

Imaginary City
Taking their inspiration from Italo Calvino’s Invisible Cities, Brooklyn-based ensemble So Percussion performs a tribute to the American city at BAM next week, Oct. 14-17. The four members–who work with mega, experimental composers like Steve Reich–will play a treasure’s trove of instruments like the glockenspiel and vibraphone to the backdrop of video artist Jenise Treuting’s meditation on the metropolis. Tickets begin at $20 but we have one free pair to give away to a random subscriber. Just email us with the subject “Beat this City” and we’ll notify the winner by Friday. Congrats Julie Barber!

Sent by Chrysanthe, Casey, Nina, and Nicole. Photos courtesy Heather Greene and WallyG on Flickr.