We were hanging with some friends yesterday - Spike Buckowski from Terrapin Beer was in DC and he was down at Bluejacket, brewing a special collaboration beer with Greg Engert and his team. (For the record, they were brewing what Spike and Greg called a "Bretted Peach American IPA" and they hope to showcase the results at Snallygaster 2014.) But the visit got us thinking about beer collaborations - about why they've become so popular and why they are such a big deal in the industry today.

So here are some thoughts (in no particular order) about why craft beer collaborations are so cool and so much fun.

Hey it's Friday...Work's been a bitch this week so you're ready to shut down and have some fun. Well good, because we're all about it and we've got all kinds of ideas for you. From the nation's coolest beer festivals to movies, music, and cutting-edge TV - we've got your back big-time. We've also a Weekend Beer Pick for you too, because we know you'll be drinking.

So welcome to our awesome Weekend Picks...

So many beers, So little time... Firestone Walker is bottling a special late summer seasonal for the first time and you need to know about it...We've that story for you plus other cool new releases from 10 Barrel and Upland Brewing that you'll want to chase down! 

You can always tell when it's time for the Brewer's Festival around Portland when people start sending you texts, e-mails, carrier pigeons, and even owls swoop in with messages from around the valley... which day are you going? There is no better place to be this week.

Hey it's Wednesday and that means it's Rumor Mill Time....It's been a huge week for craft beer news with Stone's announcement that they're expanding into Berlin, which is generating tons of excitement and some dissention. We'll get into that and on to other things that are breaking right now in the world of craft beer. Plus we've an all-important update on what we're drinking this week.

We don't sleep so you can....THIS WEEK'S RUMOR MILL IS ON!

Stone Brewing's recent announcement that they'd be building an international production brewery and an expansive destination restaurant in Berlin sent shockwaves throughout the craft beer industry over the weekend. Many of us expected that something like this would eventually happen - but the fact that this is happening now, that a major American craft brewery will actually be bringing its vision and its brand to Europe in 2015 - feels game-changing in every way.

So many beers, So little time... West Sixth Brewing is putting their money where your mouth is...We've that story for you plus other cool new releases from Saint Arnold and Lakewood Brewing that you'll want to chase down!

Craft beer news doesn't get much bigger than this! The Stone Brewing Company dropped a bombshell on Saturday when they announced plans to open a production brewery and expansive destination restaurant in Berlin, Germany.

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.

Yesterday, we hit on how beer is full of all kinds of vitamins and important minerals - and about how it's low in those damnable sugars and full of healthful fiber. But who knew that it was also good for your skin, could heighten your sexual prowess in bed, and might even help ward off Alzheimer's disease?

Hey it's Friday...Work's been a bitch this week so you're ready for some serious fun. Well good, because we're all about it and we've got all kinds of ideas for you. From the nation's coolest beer festivals to movies, music, and cutting-edge TV - we've got your back big-time. We've also a Weekend Beer Pick for you too, because we know you'll be drinking.

So welcome to our awesome Weekend Picks...

So many beers, So little time... Narragansett Beer traditionally isn't known for craft beer - but maybe they should be. We've that story for you and other cool new releases from The Commons Brewery and Firestone Walker's Barrelworks that you absolutely need to know about! 

Although it's the darling of the craft beer movement, the IPA style is anything but the new kid on the block and boasts a history as complex and mysterious as its variations available today. So we're going all in on one of the world's most popular styles: the IPA or India Pale Ale.

So welcome to the latest in our ongoing series (drum roll please...) "What the Hell is an IPA?"

Hey it's Wednesday and that means it's Rumor Mill Time....We are officially issuing a GABF Ticket Alert so now if you're not on top of this and don't get to attend the year's best craft beer event - it's your own damn fault! Plus we've a shocker involving Boston Beer's Jim Koch and that all-important update on what we're drinking this week.

We don't sleep so you can....THIS WEEK'S RUMOR MILL IS ON!

So many beers, So little time... Sometimes a brew going south is not the end of the story - sometimes it's just the beginning - and that's exactly what happened at a prominent Utah-based brewery. We've that story for you and other cool new releases from Terrapin Beer and Stone Brewing that you'll want to chase down!

Craft Beer in Japan: the essential guide by Dr. Mark Meli is the current de facto map for would-be explorers of craft beer across the islands of Japan and it's the first of its kind.

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.

The Brewers Association just published an article about the number of breweries currently operating in the United States. And even in the midst of a time of growth like we're currently experiencing, their headline U.S. Brewery Count Tops 3,000still amazes. We've come a long way from the few breweries that existed in the U.S. right after prohibition, and it's incredible. But who the hell knows how this will all end?

Hey it's Friday...Work's been a bitch this week so you're ready for some serious fun. Well good, because we're all about it and we've got all kinds of ideas for you. From the nation's coolest beer festivals to movies, music, and cutting-edge TV - we've got your back big-time. We've also a Weekend Beer Pick for you too, because we know you'll be drinking.

So welcome to our awesome Weekend Picks...

"People are crazy and times are strange
I used to care, but things have changed"

                                     Bob Dylan - Things Have Changed

Admit it - you're no stranger to light beer. Most of us, when pressed, would own up to having consumed our share of light beer back in the day. We also think it's safe to say that most of us are no longer light beer drinkers ...and that's bad, bad news for Big Beer.

So many beers, So little time... One of this year's most-anticipated variety packs has just shipped nationwide and it's like nothing you've ever seen before. We've that story for you and other cool new releases from Odell Brewing and Firestone Walker that you absolutely need to know about! 

So welcome to Newbies -ACB's essential guide to the most awesome new craft beers on the planet.

Hey it's Wednesday and that means it's Rumor Mill Time....If you're planning on taking a vacation coming up and you'll be drinking beer when you do, we've got some travel destinations you'll want to consider. Plus, we've got a roundup of the latest craft news and an all-important update on what we're drinking this week.

We don't sleep so you can....THIS WEEK'S RUMOR MILL IS ON!

A homebrewer for 7 years, Tom Albright took his passion to the next level in 2009. After visiting White Birch Brewing, Candia Road, and Squam Brewing, he was surprised to discover that they were all brewing on small and sometimes homebrewing-sized systems. Realizing that he could also start small, Tom decided to leave his job, follow his passion, and open his own brewery--Out.Haus Ales.

So many beers, So little time... To the shock and dismay of millions of craft beer lovers, a major Midwestern brewery has announced that it will go dark in October! We've got all the breaking news on this surprising and unfortunate story for you. Plus we've some cool new releases from Squatters Craft Beers and Full Sail Brewing that you absolutely need to know about!

So welcome to Newbies -ACB's essential guide to the most awesome new craft beers on the planet.

Double local means being able to enjoy your favorite brews from your home state while living abroad, hanging out at your local neighborhood bar or cafe. For Matt Boucher of Oregon, USA, and his wife, Toshie Boucher of Osaka, Japan, they're taking double local a step further by supplying Oregon artisanal beer to their neighborhood of Imazato, Osaka.

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.

On this Fourth of July, while most citizens of the US of A reflect on the Declaration of Independence from Big Britain, ACB reflects on its own declaration of independence from Big Beer. We hope you can join in and figuratively sign this declaration, because if we don't hang together, we'll all hang separately, with shitty beer in our hands.

We canvassed the American craft beer landscape for you and came up with five patriotic brews that you might want to celebrate your holiday with...

Hey it's Wednesday and even though most of you have already bailed out of work and are well into drinking your way through a long Fourth of July holiday weekend, it's still Rumor Mill Time....The Fourth of July is a big day for beer - we've the good news and the bad news about this popular holiday. Plus we've a roundup of the latest craft news that's coming across the wire and an all-important update on what we've been drinking this week.

We don't sleep so you can....THIS WEEK'S RUMOR MILL IS ON!