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.

Hypeslam Killing it (Everywhere, USA) – We want to be careful here – we don’t want to be misunderstood and get yelled at again. And we’ve nothing but praise for Bells Brewery – and have spent just as much time chasing down their wildly popular Hopslam as the next guy. And it’s not that it’s not a great beer (although some releases have been clearly better than others). But having seen five different articles in the last 24 hours chronicling this year’s Hopslamania, we’re beginning to feel ground down by all the hype – and that can unfortunately and unfairly taint how one feels about a beer itself, whether it’s Pliny the Elder, a Goose Island “Black Friday” release or this week’s Hopslam phenomenon…just sayin’

A Nice Set of Cans! (Everywhere, USA) – In yet another sign that eventually there will be a day honoring just about everything, ACB’s Creative Director, Jeff Chenualt, tipped us to the fact that last Friday was National Beer Can Appreciation Day and he was pissed that we didn’t do enough to celebrate. So in an effort to both calm him down and to cover our ass, we’d like to direct you to check out this Nice Set of Cans.

David Takes Down Goliath (Missoula, MT) – We recently reported on a dispute between Big Sky Brewing and AB InBev over the Saint Louis-based mega beer company’s use of the phrase “hold my beer and watch this,” which the Montana-based brewery claims it’s been using since 2004. Court documents filed by Big Sky allege that Anheuser-Busch released a series of videos using the phrase in December that they’ve held the trademark on since 2009 and currently use on their cans.And now the Missoulian is reporting that “under an amicable agreement, Big Sky agreed to drop the lawsuit in exchange for Anheuser-Busch taking down popular Bud Light videos posted to YouTube…”

Deschutes Eastward Bound? (Bend, OR) – In a recent article in the Bend Bulletin, Deschutes Brewery’s founder Gary Fish touched on plans for the company’s biggest and most expensive expansion ever, and he alluded that they are “considering other locations – including the East Coast.”

Shocker -Mississippi Legislators May Consider Doing the Right Thing! (Jackson, MS) – In a concerning departure from form, Mississippi lawmakers may enter into a beer battle that pits small breweries against big distributors. The state’s eight craft brewers are seeking legal changes that would allow them to sell their beers at their breweries and, not surprisingly, the state’s distributors feel threatened by that. USA Today is reporting that “Rep. Toby Barker, R-Hattiesburg, said he’s considering filing a bill that would make the changes the small breweries want. He said craft brewing has helped revitalize downtown Hattiesburg.”