Season's Greetings from all of us at American Craft Beer! 

We so appreciate all of you who've have joined us this year and we're thankful you're here. Have a wonderful time doing whatever you're doing today and know that we'll be back in action and "all about it" tomorrow...

Tom Bobak - Founder & Editor-In-Chief 

White IPA

I'm dreaming of a white IPA 
Just like the ones I used to know 
Where the pint glass glistens 
And children listen 
To my stories as I start to glow

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Randolph the Red-toned Amber Ale 

You know Fat Tire and Boont and Evil Dead and Alaskan,
Red Rocket and Hop Back and Cinder Cone and Levitation,
But do you recall? 
The most famous Amber Ale of all? 

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Joy to the Beer!

Trippel, Trippel, Trippel

I have a little trippel
I made it out of malt
And when it's dry and ready
Then trippel I shall gulp!

(continued inside)

Some people hate Christmas carols. Some people love them so much that they'll sing carols until the former slits their wrists. Drinking songs have been popular throughout history in countries such as Germany, Ireland, and Sweden. They were even a hit in the US in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries when ol' timers sang about practically everything. Here at ACB, we're reviving the drinking song tradition by pairing up craft beer with some of your favorite (or most hated) Christmas carols. Whatever your stance is on these Yuletide songs, you'll be sure to love them when they're about craft beer.  

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 power-pounding eggnog.

So, it's been a beer-soaked nine months since I moved to San Francisco from brew-boomtown Denver. But even at my liver-punishing drinking pace, I haven't technically been able to taste everything NorCal has to offer. (If you'd like to help me on my quest, feel free to buy me a pint next time you see me around town!) As I've explored the Bay Area beerscape, there have been so many standouts. In no particular order, here are three of my personal faves.

Hey it's Friday and the weekend's almost here. Things are getting festive and you're ready for some serious fun. Well good, because we are on it! From the nation's coolest beer festivals to movies, music, and cutting-edge TV, we've got your back big-time. Plus we've got a special Holiday WeekendBeer Pick that you'll want to share. So welcome to our special Holiday Edition of Weekend Picks.

North Texas saw an explosion of new breweries this year, and with so many new beers, it was difficult choosing only three. These beers represent the growing talent in our metroplex and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to enjoy a pint or two at these three breweries.

War is coming, Bay Area denizens.

And, if the tech journal bombast proves true, we're in for a bare-knuckled showdown of epic proportions. No, we aren't being invaded or, to the best of my knowledge, on the brink of a zombie apocalypse. The gathering firestorm headed our way is over bread, milk, and eggs.

Ahh, December in Boston -- a time for tourist hordes at Fanueil Hall, wrapping presents in front of the On Demand yule log, and lobbing angry tweets at the MBTA. If there's one thing to look forward to amidst the icy streets and T delays, it's a tasty pint at the end of the tunnel. And if there's one thing I've learned in the past year, it's this: we have so many to choose from. In no particular order, here are three beers that I'll reflect on fondly when I think of 2013.

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, and this week we're all about the cold-weather seasonals. From DC Brau's Model Citizen to Ninkasi's Dawn of the Red, we've got all kinds of new releases you're going to 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....Don't miss your chance to make history with the new Game of Thrones beer. We'll be bringing you everything we know so far, plus we've got some huge news from the Goose Island camp and some updates on Stone's popular Enjoy By series. But that's not all... we've also got a special Rumor Mill winter release you'll want to chase down before the holidays. So fasten your seat belts everybody because....THIS WEEK'S RUMOR MILL IS ON!

San Diego? Los Angeles? Hold up! Orange County is where it's at for craft beer. We've got 3 million thirsty people with outdoor temps easily in the mid-70s almost all year long - Orange County is made for craft beer. The OC is the best for award-winning brews and friendly tasting rooms dripping with good vibes. The best of craft beer can all be found behind the Orange Curtain.

For anyone looking to sip some tasty brews and immerse themselves into the Orange County beer culture, here are my top 3 beers that made 2013 great.

2013 has been kind to me. New breweries flood Wisconsin, beer fests abound, and I squeezed in a trip to Europe (my beer mecca) and Turks and Caicos (their beer wasn't bad!). Through thousands of tastes, sips, and chugs, I've painstakingly extracted my favorites. And although I love Madison, I do my best to be fair to the rest of the Midwest in my selections. Alright, no I don't. Here we go - the best of 2013!

With the holidays soon upon us, we thought it might be helpful to highlight some of this season's more interesting gift ideas for the craft beer lover on your list. So we turned to our American Craft Beer correspondents for suggestions, and they have so many great gift ideas to share that we're keeping them coming in Part 4 of our ongoing Holiday Gift Guide series.

If you missed any of our first three installments, you'll definitely want to check them out too: Holiday Guide Part 1, Holiday Guide Part 2 & Holiday Guide Part 3

In what is seen by many as a sluggish and slowly rebuilding economy, America's craft brewers continue to shine... And our friends at the Brewers Association just sent us the 2012 numbers, which are encouraging, and we thought you might want to check them out.

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 and the weekend's almost here. Things are getting festive and you're ready for some serious fun. Well good, because we are on it! From the nation's coolest beer festivals to movies, music, and cutting-edge TV - we've got your back big-time. So welcome to this week's edition of our awesome Weekend Picks.

With the holidays soon upon us, we thought it might be helpful to highlight some of this season's more interesting gift ideas for the craft beer lover on your list. So we turned to our American Craft Beer correspondents for suggestions, and they have so many great gift ideas to share that we're keeping them coming in part three of our Holiday Gift Guide series.

If you missed our first two installments, you should check them out: Holiday Guide Part 1 & Holiday Guide Part 2.

Just as the bacon-wrapped hot dog made a push to become the official hot dog of LA, it seems like the West Coast IPA is following the same trend in the City of Angels' craft beer scene. More and more California and LA-based breweries are catering to the demand of the IPA by brewing multiple varieties of the craft style. The IPA has become like a trendy steakhouse where carnivores have the blood thirsty urge to try them all because each steak can range in taste and quality. There have been several amazing beers that have been released in LA throughout the year that are not IPAs, but for my three favorite 2013 beers, I'm sticking with this increasingly popular style.

With the holidays just around the corner, we thought it might be a good time to highlight some of this season's more interesting gift ideas for the craft beer lover on your list. So we turned to our American Craft Beer correspondents for suggestions and we got so many great ideas back that we were forced to divide our guide into three parts this year. If you missed our first installment, you should check it out; it's got lots of fun ideas - Holiday Guide Part 1

Now on to Part 2 of this year's Holiday Shopping Guide .....And, oh yeah, HO, HO, HO!

I probably sound like a broken record, but the fact remains true: Nebraska is growing and expanding in the craft beer world. The craft beer scene throughout the state is expanding almost daily it seems, with discussions of new brewery openings becoming a regular topic between craft beer lovers in the state. It's fantastic - it pretty much makes my heart sing with joy! (Hey, if I can't get cheesy around the holidays, then when can I?)

I thought this would be an easy assignment, thinking of my three favorite beers from Nebraska for the year. I thought to myself, "hey, thanks for an early Christmas present, Tom!" But boy was I wrong.

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, and this week, we're all about the cold weather seasonal. From Ska's Hibernal Vinifera Stout to Black Raven Old Birdbrain Barleywine, we've got all kinds of new releases you're going to 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... The Victory Brewing World Domination Tour continues and we'll be bringing you everything we know so far. Plus we've got some huge news coming out of "The Last Frontier," and some updates from the Hop Kitchen bandwagon. But that's not all... we've also got a special Rumor Mill winter release you'll want to chase down before the holidays.

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

With the holidays fast upon us, we thought it might be helpful to highlight some of this seasons more interesting craft beer gift ideas for that beer lover on your list. So we turned to our American Craft Beer correspondents for suggestions and we got so many great ideas back that we were forced to divide our guide into three parts this year.

So welcome to Part 1 of this year's Holiday Shopping Guide....

Being in the beer business, probably the most frequent (and frankly obnoxious) question you hear is "What is your favorite beer"? First of all, there are just too many to choose from! Too many styles, too many breweries, too many great beers! But, who is to say that my favorite beer has even been brewed yet?

We may have just experienced the coldest weekend in recent memory in Dallas, but things are about to heat up as the Dallas Winter Warmer fest rolls into town once again. And the event organizers aren't playing around with the beer list for this one - be prepared for your 5 oz. Belgian snifter to be sufficiently boozed up with some of the best stouts, porters, and barrel-aged beauties around.

Over the past few years, DC breweries have really been coming into their own and are now on an upswing. Still, DC is more of a brewpub-inhabited area. There's a pretty good amount of them, with the likes of Capitol City Brewing Company, Gordon Biersch, and the newest addition to the scene, Bluejacket, all having solid reputations around the city. They all make quality products, no doubt, but I'm going to discuss my favorite beers from straight-up breweries for this article.