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.

Above The Clouds (Washington, DC) – Dave Coleman and Mike McGarvey, the founders of 3 Stars Brewing Company, hosted a media sampling this weekend to introduce a new beer and they were kind enough to have us down. Above The Clouds is their new year-round offering and it’s killer. Brewed with Amarillo, Topaz, and Galaxy hops and fermented with a Belgian Saison yeast, this 6.3% ABV Farmhouse Pale Ale is rich, complex, and more than worth your time…Thanks for having us down guys…you nailed it!

Der Bier Jesus (Berlin, Germany) – That’s what the Berliner Kurier is calling Stone’s Greg Koch and we might start calling him that too. Stone is set to shake things up over there when they open their new brewery complex in Berlin in 2015 and introduce “the Motherland” to their iconic beers.

Hunapu Madness (Tampa, FL) – No one covers Florida’s craft beer scene better than death-metal goddess and ACB’s own Jeanna Malines, whose been recklessly drinking her way through Tampa Beer Week since last Wednesday. Look for Jenna to be naming names and dishing dirt on last week’s good, bad, and ugly, including what went down at Cigar City’s infamous Hunapu’s Day.

Day of the Dead on Arrival? (St. Louis, MO) – In spite of AB InBev’s confident craft beer kiss-off that aired during the Super Bowl, the company continues to lose market-share and is introducing a new tequila-infused beer in hopes of stemming the tide. According to Fast Company, Oculto is a blue agave-flavored lager that they hope will win back some of the millennials’ they’ve been losing with its mash-up of liquor and beer- and its edgy Mexican “Day of the Dead” branding. So what do you think? Will this beer have its “Day of the Dead” or will it be “Dead on Arrival?”

Beer Week Alert! (Miami, FL) – As part of our ongoing effort to help you plan where you need to be drinking each and every week, Quick Hits runs regular “Beer Week Alerts.” One of our favorites, Colorado Craft Beer Week is coming down the pike and it runs from March 21^st–29^th. But that’s not all. The 6^th annual Charlotte Craft Beer Week is also coming up – It kicks off on March 21^st and rages on through the 28th.

Got Something You Think We Need To Know About? Send Your Press Releases to: pr@AmericanCraftBeer.com