So many craft beers, so little time…With so many craft breweries, releasing so many beers, we thought it might help to provide a weekly update on all the new beers that are hitting the streets …..So welcome to this week’s edition of Newbies – your guide to great new craft beer releases!

AleSmith Gets Heavy (San Diego, Ca) – Today’s a big day for the AleSmith Brewing Company as they’re putting their Barrel-Aged Wee Heavy 2012 on sale this morning. This is a Barrel-Aged version of their classic Scotch-Style Ale that has matured in premium bourbon barrels for over a year and it sounds awesome! Starting today, you will be able to purchase up to four bottles online via Brown Paper Tickets. Bottles can be picked up starting Friday, December 14th at the AleSmith Tasting Room. Obviously this is something you want to move on immediately. Good luck everyone!

Odell Milks It for All It’s Worth (Fort Collins, CO) – In January, Odell Brewing Company will be releasing a new offering of their popular Lugene Chocolate Milk Stout. This full-bodied stout is brewed with milk sugar and milk chocolate and named for Odell’s longtime friend and farmer, Lugene Sas, who’s been feeding his dairy cows the brewery’s spent grain for over a decade. Lugene Chocolate Milk Stout will be available in four packs beginning in January and that’s a good thing.

Elysian’s Got Two Newbies to Look Out For (Seattle, WA) – Elysian Brewing Co. just announced two Q1 releases and they both sound interesting.

Savant IPA is making its second appearance in the Elysian Manic IPA series, but under a smart new name. Savant is a hop-fest! It’s fiercely bittered with Northwest Chinook and drenched with New Zealand Nelson Sauvin hops and weighs in at a sessionable 6.25% ABV. Look for the Savant to start appearing around mid-January in 22 oz. bottles and on draft.

The Elysian crew is also bringing back their beloved Bete Blanche Belgian-style Tripel in February – so be ready for that. Conceived and brewed in the tradition of the great blonde ales of Belgium, Bete Blanche is smooth and approachable, and weighs in at 7.4% ABV.

Flying Dog’s Newest Single Hop Arrives Alone! (Frederick, MD) – It’s been a good year for Flying Dog Brewery. They’ve been doing all kinds of cool things. One of our favorites is their Single Hop Imperial IPA series. The series started with draft-only releases but 2012 marked the first time that their Single Hop’s were packaged in standalone 6-packs. Previous releases have included IPA’s brewed using Chinook, El Dorado, Citra (our favorite,) and Nelson Sauvin hops. November’s release uses only the Centennial hop and we’re excited to try it! Single Hop Centennial Imperial IPA is a big beer and clocks in at 10% ABV. It’s out there now, but it won’t be for long as these single hop releases disappear fast.