2015 is off to a tumultuous start and many of our craft beer predictions have already come true. That’s why Rumor Mill remains on the case, making sure that you’re always plugged in to all the beer news that matters. Plus we’ve an all-important update on what we’ve been drinking lately and you don’t want to miss that.

Is This Really How You Want To Make Nice? (St. Louis, Mo) – If there ever was a moment that Anheuser-Busch might want to take back, it was the disparaging Budweiser ad that they ran during the Super Bowl that took passing shots at the American craft beer fan. We’re not saying that the craft beer community is above parody – we make fun of ourselves almost daily here at ACB. But that’s not the point. How could this usually market-savvy organization think that putting down the very people that they’ve lost market share to is smart business? Were they trying to win us back by insulting us? And this just after they purchased a craft beer leader like Elysian? We’ve met and hung out with some good people from that organization – and they’ve always been supportive of us and craft beer in general. And we expect that some of them were cringing (as we were) when they saw their company’s Super Bowl putdown on Sunday night. Not the best way to build allegiances or alliances….just sayin’.

A New Look For Great Lakes (Cleveland, OH) – Great lakes Brewing is introducing a whole new look to the labels of its year-round beers this year. The new label artwork was handcrafted by artist Darren Booth, who is known for creating detailed paintings with collage elements. No word as to whether the artist was paid for his efforts in beer.

Now You Can Get Rowdy (Washington, DC) – Our friends at Atlas Brew Works are having a competition for amateur brewers to best mimic the flavor, aroma, and appearance of Atlas’s signature beer, Rowdy. The competition will be held at Atlas’s Ivy City facility in Washington, DC, on Friday, April 10^th, and is open to any amateur brewer who is of legal drinking age and can provide samples for judging on that date. Entrants should contact Atlas by emailing info@atlasbrewworks.com for details and rules.

Working for Truth and the American Craft Beer Way (Washington, DC) – The Brewers Association announced yesterday that Katherine “Katie” Marisic has been named Federal Affairs Manager. Based in DC, Marisic will drive the association’s federal affairs presence on Capitol Hill – so there’s that.

What We’ve Been Drinking Lately (Washington, DC) – We’d like to thank all of the breweries who ship us beer from time to time. It’s always great to sample the brews that we write about and it helps us have a better feel for what’s happening out there. Last night, we tapped something that was given to us while we were visiting Beavertown Brewery in London last week. Beavertown Neck Oil Session IPA is a full-flavored hopbomb with a wonderful nose and at 4.3% ABV, you can drink it all day long! Thanks for having us, Logan and Jeremy – hanging out with you all at the Beavertown Compound was too much fun!

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