We blame the industry for this… It used to be that when we wrapped up our Weekend Picks on Friday, we could coast through the weekend. There was little need to check in for updates – things were pretty much done. But clearly all that’s changed.

So here’s some of what’s happened in the world of craft beer while you were off enjoying yourselves.

New Collaboration Celebrates Pot and Smells Like Freedom (DC / Colorado) – The trend towards legalizing marijuana is growing and Colorado, Alaska, Oregon, and now DC have all passed laws allowing for its recreational use. And to celebrate this growing freedom, two brewers (each based in “free-weed” zones) collaborated on creating a pot-aroma IPA. The time seemed right for Colorado-based Oskar Blues and the District’s DC Brau to finally brew something and a weed-themed IPA was the obvious move. Smells Like Freedom IPA was brewed in both Colorado and DC – and we shouldn’t have to suggest what to pair it with.

Sapporo Gets Crafty (Asia) – If this sounds familiar, that’s because it is. Sapporo Breweries Ltd announced last Wednesday that they’ll be launching a new brand to bolster their declining market share (yep it’s happening over there too) and attract some consumers back by cashing in on the worldwide movement to craft beer. According to Japan Times, Sapporo “has launched a new company called Japan Premium Brew Co. to market the new brand, called (ironically, we think) Craft Label.”

Filler Up! (Everywhere, USA) – 35 states now allow for growler sales at gas station convenience stores and more states want in on this growing trend, according to USA Today. Draft beer taps at gas stations, where customers can fill up their growlers at the same time that they’re filling up their car, are now wildly popular throughout the country. And it’s growing – states like Florida, Iowa, and Missouri want in on the game and “are considering laws to allow the practice.”

Craft Beer Surges in Great Britain (UK) – Craft Beer is exploding in the United Kingdom…It’s why we now have an ACB correspondent over there and why London is a Top-3 city for us. The Guardian is reporting that the “number of craft breweries has tripled since the millennium to more than 1,400,” despite the total beer market shrinking by around a quarter during that time. London only had two breweries in 2006, but now has more than 70, and we expect that number to double in the next five years!

Two Out-Of-Towners To Land in Windy City (Chicago, IL) – As if Chicago’s burgeoning local craft beer market still has room for any more newcomers – especially those from different parts of the country – two out-of-state breweries are coming to Chi-town. Crain’s is reporting that Atlanta’s SweetWater Brewing will launch in Chicago this week and that “San Francisco-based 21st Amendment Brewery plans to have its full lineup of year-round and seasonal beers hit bars and retailers on April 1^st.”

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