So many beers, So little time...Newbies is your essential map to the "best of the best" and the hottest new craft beers rolling out each week. From Goose Island's homage to Belgium's first female Brewmaster to the latest from Deschutes and Lakewood Brewing - we've all kinds of beers that you'll want to chase down.

It's clear from the smooth operations of Memorial Day weekend's three-day music extravaganza that Boston Calling has hit its stride. The third time around, transitions between Blue Stage and Red Stage performances were flawless (often with a wait time of less than three minutes), the food/beverage lines moved quickly, and the porta-potties were out in force. Acoustics were especially on point for Death Cab, Tigerman WOAH!, and Tegan & Sara--three of the acts I was most excited to catch.

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.

We are just days away from what is, in my opinion, one of the best beer festivals ever in California--Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Fest (FWIBF). For months, I scrimp and save just so I can create the ultimate beer experience revolving around this event for me and my friends. Each year, we rent a house, host bottle shares and barbeques, and top it all off with a visit to the Firestone Walker Brewery.

This will be my third year at FWIBF, and each time I attend, I learn something new to help enhance my beer fest experience. For those headed out to Paso Robles, here are five ways you can win at FWIBF.

Hey it's Friday and you're ready for 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...

Lately, Ft. Lauderdale's Laser Wolf has looked more like a warehouse party than a craft beer bar and everybody who hangs there seems okay with that. On March 1st, the small pub threw down with the Death Jam Posse, a trio of bass rap anarchists whose collaborative single "Death Wolf" was being celebrated with craft beer and unadulterated ratchetness - a mix that would seem unnatural anywhere else in the world - but not there.

So many beers, So little time...Newbies is your essential map to the "best of the best" and the hottest new craft beers rolling out each week. From Grand Teton's newest summertime release to the latest from Saint Arnold and Dominion Brewing - we've all kinds of beers that you'll want to chase down.

So welcome to another edition of Newbies - your ultimate guide to great new craft beers!

Hey it's Wednesday and that means it's Rumor Mill Time....While many breweries are investing their time and efforts in creating lower alcohol session IPAs, Green Flash Brewing is arrogantly bucking the national trend! We'll be bringing you everything we know on this shocking development. Plus we've a roundup of today's best craft brew news, gossip, and innuendo so you can be totally plugged in to everything going down.

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

So many beers- So little time...Newbies is your essential map to the "best of the best" and the hottest new craft beers rolling out each week. From Flying Dog's latest summertime release to the latest from Airways and Stone Brewing - we've all kinds of beers that you'll want to chase down.

So welcome to another edition of Newbies -Your ultimate guide to great new craft beers!

When you hear about the city of Pasadena, you may think of football and the Rose Bowl, or if you like marching bands and elaborate floral designs, you may think of the Rose Parade. Whatever your preference is, Pasadena is more than just roses: it's an amazing city in Southern California that I would love to own a home in if I could drop close to a million dollars for a three-bedroom, two-bath house.

Hey it's Friday! So you might think you know what you're doing this Memorial Day Weekend, though you might have to change your plans, since we've got some great ideas on how to make it even better. From the nation's coolest beer festivals to movies, music, and cutting-edge TV - we've got your back. We've also found a Weekend Beer Pick for you too, because we know you'll be drinking.

Without further ado, here's our awesome Memorial DayWeekend Picks...

American Craft Beer covers the craft beer movement, its news, and its lifestyle. We view the craft beer scene as an entertainment industry that is now very much a part of today's pop-cultural landscape. And it's probably because of our unique approach to the industry that we're constantly receiving offers from different media groups asking us to share with our readers everything from new restaurants, cuisine, hangover cures, and beer-related products to new music, movies, and books....And yes, we get lots and lots of books to review.

Hey, we may not be professionals, but we know you don't have the time or energy to hunt down the newest big game beers on the market. So we have our experts trolling the interwebs, holding an ear to the rail and keeping a wet finger in the wind to catch drift of the best beers blowing into stores as we speak. From Clown Shoe's Crunkle Sam to 10 Barrel's Swill Beer, we've found all sorts of beers you'll want to chase down.

So welcome to another edition of Newbies -Your ultimate guide to great new craft beers!

If ever there were a craft brewer that deserved to be considered a true heritage brewery, Utica, New York's F.X. Matt Brewing Company would be one of a very few. Nestled at the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains, this family-owned business has been brewing beer since 1888. And in spite of that kind of history and presence, many in the craft beer community don't realize that they are a powerhouse and were ranked as the 8^th largest craft brewing company in the US based upon 2012 beer sales volume. Fred Matt is the President and COO of this impressive operation and he foolishly agreed to submit himself to our reckless questions.

Hey it'sWednesdayand it's Rumor Mill time...Wisconsin's getting some new brews to pair with all that great cheese, breweries defy the wrath of God in the form of natural disasters, and the South gets cooler. Cigar City is also stepping up to the plate to brew with Louisville Sluggers for a good cause. We've also got an awesome new release that you'll want to chase down.

So fasten your seat belts everybody... THIS WEEK'S RUMOR MILL IS ON!

1. Why do so many brewers have beards?
2. If beer didn't produce a high you enjoyed - would you drink it?
3. Does an excellent distribution team trump the quality of the beer -or vice versa?

So many beers, so little time...Newbies is your essential map to the "best of the best" and the hottest new craft beers rolling out each week. From a rock-and-roll Stone Brewing collaboration to the latest release in the Bridgeport Hop Czar Series, we've all kinds of beers that you'll want to chase down.

So welcome to another edition of Newbies -Your ultimate guide to great new craft beers!

Hey even though we act like it, we admit, we don't know everything. And one thing that's cool to know more about is the kind of beer that you're drinking. Each beer style has a back-story - a reason that they came about - and we'll be bringing you what we know, in the first of this ongoing series.

So (drum roll please...) on to "What the Hell Is a Kölsch?" 

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.

Hey it's Friday! So you might think you know what you're doing this weekend, though you might have to change your plans, since we've got some great ideas on how to make it even better. From the nation's coolest beer festivals to movies, music, and cutting-edge TV - we've got your back. We've also found a Weekend Beer Pick for you too, because we know you'll be drinking.

Was someone trying to tell us something?

We've reviewed books before at American Craft Beer.com and must have done something right, because on occasion publishers will advance us copies of books on beer to review. We recently received the 2nd edition of Beer For Dummies by Marty Nachel with Steve Ettlinger, and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

Hey, we may not be professionals, but we know you don't have the time or energy to hunt down the newest big game beers on the market. So we have our experts trolling the interwebs, holding an ear to the rail, and keeping a wet finger in the wind to catch drift of the best new beers blowing into stores as we speak. From Ommegang's Third Game of Thrones release to Breckenridge's Denver Comic Con Beer, we've found all sorts of beers you'll want to chase down.

So welcome to another edition of Newbies -Your ultimate guide to great new craft beers!

When Thor Cheston got into the restaurant business back in 2003, he did so with the hope that he would one day open his own brewery and restaurant. This past December, he saw this intention come to fruition in the form of the Right Proper Brewing Company, located right next door to the Howard Theatre in the historic Shaw neighborhood of Washington, DC.

Much like its obsessively sought-after namesake, this year's Dark Lord Day (DLD) deftly demonstrated that the festival is continually improving with age. Just when you think that there's nothing Three Floyds can do to make their annual event more enjoyable, they go and blow your expectations to unidentifiable bits. And they accomplish this while attendance numbers grow exponentially each year (8,000+ lucky souls entered the gates this year).

Hey it's Wednesday and it's Rumor Mill time... American troops and their families get a helping hand from a Saint. A big baby Buddha is turning 1 and the AHA 2014 Conference Beer is named. We also have some much needed good news for GWAR fans!

So fasten your seat belts everybody... THIS WEEK'S RUMOR MILL IS ON!

So many beers, So little time...Newbies is your essential map to the "best of the best" and the hottest new craft beers rolling out each week. From Ninkasi's Summer Style IPA to Mother's Brewing Summer Seasonal Sandy - we have some of the best summer releases that will get you ready for that favorite time of year.

So welcome to another edition of Newbies -Your ultimate guide to great new craft beers!

Last Thursday marked the official start of 2014's Seattle Beer Week - ten glorious days packed with events, tastings, gatherings, and special releases too numerous for any sane person to attend them all. Thankfully, your humble Seattle correspondent has cherry-picked just a few fantastic experiences you'll want to add to your calendar.

Hey even though we act like it, we admit we don't know everything. And one thing that's cool to know more about is the kind of beer that you're drinking. Every craft beer style has its own backstory, a hometown, and a reason why it came about. It's all part of a beer's DNA and we think that matters.

So welcome to the latest in our ongoing series (drum roll please...) "What the Hell Is a Helles?"

Cinco de Mayo got crafty on a recent weekend in Orange County with the first annual Sabroso Craft Beer & Taco Festival. Organized by Brew Ha Ha Productions, the well-known craft beer producers of OC Brew Ha Ha and OC Brew Ho Ho, the Mexican-themed festival was ablaze literally by the pre-summer California heat and the tequila and pepper-infused craft beers.

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.