American Craft Beer The Best Craft Beer, Breweries, Bars, Brewpubs, Beer Stores, And Restaurants Serving Serious Beer.

Remember the time when a craft beer brewer became a billionaire? How about when craft beer was the subject of a snarky Super Bowl commercial? It's obvious that the industry has experienced astronomical growth in the last couple years - as well as growing pains. Nationally, branding litigation has made headlines, and locally, pay for play allegations have made waves. It would be easy to dwell on the negative side effects of the craft boom, but the truth is we've made some wonderful progress.  

Here are three Massachusetts brewers on what's changed since I first interviewed them -- and what's around the corner...

As we lazily drifted through the some of the expected dreck amid Sunday's million dollar Super Bowl commercials we saw cute animal friendships (Budweiser) and a clever juxtaposition of Danny Trejo with the Bradys (Snickers). There were even some shocking choices made, such as Nationwide's depiction of a child's assumed drowning. Yet the Ad that really shocked the public came from that aforementioned purveyor of cute frogs; those masters of distraction, Anheiser-Busch's Budweiser.

I'll admit that I probably put a little too much confidence in the magic that is Peyton Manning and his band of Broncos. In my mind, the Super Bowl was just a formality and we were already the champs. Then things took an immediate harsh turn and my optimism slowly gave way to crushing disappointment throughout the remainder of the game. But my distress was short-lived, as I quickly realized that there are still many reasons to love and celebrate the Broncos. With a Colorado craft beer in hand for inspiration, I was easily able to come up with a few reasons to look forward to next season with the same all-encompassing excitement as always.

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 with so much going down lately, all that's changed. So here's some of what's happened in the world of craft beer news while you were enjoying your Super Bowl parties.

Hey it's Friday and yes, we understand that it's Super Bowl Weekend and we'll get to that. But what about the rest of this weekend...You want to have some fun, right? That's where we come in! We're all about the fun (football and non-football) and we've got you covered. Plus we've got a special Super Bowl beer pick for you too.....So welcome to this week's Super Bowl XLVII edition of our Weekend Picks!

In honor of Super Bowl Sunday, Bailey is cooking up some awesome Belgian Beer Ribs. Despite the fact that she is struggling to figure out what team and/or sport she should be cheering for, we think her ribs deserve some serious MVP points. So, grab your favorite Belgian, a rack of ribs, and go for it!

Hey it's Wednesday and it's Rumor Mill Time.....Craft Beer will be heading south for this weekend's Super Bowl XLVII and will be throwing its own "coming out" party in New Orleans. And Rumor Mill hears that broadcasting legend Dan Patrick's going to be there too! We'll be giving you everything that we know so far, plus we've got some fast-breaking craft beer news from La-La Land as well as from our friends at Green Flash. We also have a hot new craft beer release that you've got to get your hands on! So fasten your seatbelts everybody, because ....THIS WEEK'S RUMOR MILL IS ON!

Bud Light’s new ad is set the 1979 hit song "Good Times" by Chic. Wishful thinking some analysts think in the wake of Bud Light’s brief partnership with a now infamous Trans influencer. Here’s the deal..

Festive foods take on new meaning when made with serious beer. Especially classics like macaroni & cheese with the right IPA.

With all the heat that nation’s largest brewer has been taking over the Bud Light Trans controversy, a little Anheuser-Busch news that’s  a little more “entertaining” might be welcome.