Hey it’s Wednesday and that means it’s Rumor Mill Time…One of craft beer’s better writers will be dropping by the Dogfish Head compound this week! We’ll be bringing you what we know so far. Plus we’ve some updates from our friends at New Belgium and some good, good news from Rogue. We’ve also got a special new Rumor Mill release that you’ll want to chase down. So fasten your seat belts…THIS WEEK’S RUMOR MILL IS ON!

Take The Complete Beer Course at Dogfish Head Tomorrow (Milton, DE) – Our old buddy Joshua M. Bernstein will be making his first appearance promoting his newest book, The Complete Beer Course at the Dogfish Head Brewery tomorrow. Joshua is a beer journalist and critic that has made his mark over the past decade by contributing to New York, Saveur, Details, The New York Times, Time Out New York, BonAppetit.com, and Gourmet.com. He also once allowed us to subject him to a 5 Stupid Questions and he didn’t return our calls for almost a year. So Josh will be dropping by the brewery at 4:30 PM this Thursday (8/29) to sign some books, drink some beer, and hang out during the brewery’s Vintage & Vinyl Happy Hour. He’s a great writer and a good guy, so if you’re in the area tomorrow you should definitely drop by.

Brewer Dies at Stone (Escondido, CA) – So unfortunate. The following is a statement that was released by Stone:

“It is with a very heavy heart that we communicate a tragedy involving one of our valued friends and Team Stone colleagues. We are deeply saddened that one of our own passed away from complications resulting from a forklift accident at our Escondido brewery on Saturday, August 24. Our deepest condolences go out to the team member’s family. Out of respect for the team member’s loved ones, we are not releasing the individual’s name at this time.”

Brand New Vibe Coming to New Belgium (Fort Collins, CO)– New Belgium Brewing will reveal a whole new look and feel in 2014 with a portfolio-wide packaging refresh due to hit markets in January. The new design reimagines New Belgium’s iconic imagery from the past 22 years through a modern lens. The artwork will progress through many of the themes celebrated in New Belgium’s labels over the years, which have been hand-painted by founder Kim Jordan’s neighbor, Ann Fitch, since the brewery’s beginnings. The new design, created by Hatch Design of San Francisco featuring illustrations by artist Leah Giberson, will appear on all brands and packages. The only place to officially see the redesigned labels as they are revealed is in the Exclusive Content section of New Belgium’s mobile app. Users can download the app for free by searching “Beer Mode” in the App Store or Google Play.

A Guinness World Record? (East Lansing, MI) – Well maybe if she had been drinking Guinness she might have qualified – but she wasn’t – so probably not. Jen Elmer from Grand Rapids was the only participant at HopCat East Lansing’s 100-tap Shorts Brewing takeover to successfully sample them all. And in doing so, she has earned the distinction of being the only person in the history of the world to try 100 different beers from the same brewery in the same day. Not surprisingly, Ms. Elmer was unavailable for comment.

Fires Delay Harvest at Rogue (Tygh Valley, OR) – In spite of two days of rain and the most active wildfire season in a century, Rogue Farms has just wrapped up their malting barley harvest with only limited delays. The Blackburn fire scorched 6700 acres north, but thankfully spared Rogue’s farm – home to 200 acres of malting barley, 50 acres of hops, and 35 acres of rye, as well as pumpkins, bees, jalapenos and hazelnuts.

A Rumor Mill Release You Want to Look Out For

Austin’s Hops and Grain Brewing Company doesn’t just brew the obvious styles and if you’ve never had an Altbier, this is an excellent place to start. Dark yet drinkable and brewed using old-world techniques, Hops & Grain’s 5% ABV ALT-eration is a brilliant American take on a classic style.