Beer: Dawn of the barrel age

There's a little room in the basement of the Town Hall Brewery with a sign on the door that reads "Quiet! Beer Sleeping." Well, it's that time of year again for specialty brews to come out of hibernation. Starting Monday, it's Barrel-Aged Week at the Minneapolis brewpub. Brewer Mike Hoops will release six rare beers, each having slept for months in bourbon and whiskey barrels. Each day, a different beer will be released on tap, such as Barrel Monkey (a double IPA aged in Buffalo Trace barrels) or the mighty Czar Jack (an imperial stout in Jack Daniel's barrels). New this year: The brews will not be sold in growlers. Instead, customers can buy them in 750 ml bottles ($16), which Hoops says is better for the beer. To buy a bottle you'll need a ticket, available now at the bar. There will be between 100 and 200 bottles of each barrel-aged beer.

New School

West Coast hip-hop might never sound the same again. A new breed of hip-hop star is quietly creeping up out of Dr. Dre's long G-Funk shadow. Many of the topics are still the same -- weed, girls, guns. But the sound and the style is totally DIY. Schoolboy Q, who plays the Varsity Theater on Saturday, is one of L.A.'s new flag bearers. Along with the red-hot Kendrick Lamar, he's part of the Black Hippy crew (which about says it all). After releasing his acclaimed new album, "Habits & Contradictions," the nimble lyricist is on the road. Opening are two of the Twin Cities' great up-and-coming acts: The Tribe and Big Cats! and Audio Perm.

Soul of Chanhassen

Furthering its quest to convince suburban nightlife seekers that it's more than a dinner theater, the Chanhassen Dinner Theatres is handing over one of its stages to the Soul Tight Committee on Friday night. The popular 10-piece cover band is a hit with fans of '70s R&B, usually packing dance floors. Leading them on stage is Michelle Carter, who's no stranger to Chanhassen. She played Mary Magdalene in last year's production of "Jesus Christ Superstar."