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.

Holiday Beer Events – With Christmas just around the corner and everyone doing holiday things, there are understandably no big craft beer festivals taking place – but there are still lots of smaller, holiday-themed events going on.

Celebrate the Longest Day Of the Year with Hangar 24 (Redlands, CA) – The Winter Solstice signals the point when days begin growing longer again, and Hangar 24 Craft Brewery is planning to make the longest night of the year a celebration you’ll remember. They’ll be hosting three live bands that evening and pouring a special flight of 2013 seasonals all day. They’ll be bringing back their popular Belgian Summer Ale, Oktoberfest Fall Lager, Hullabaloo Winter Ale, a special Dunkelweizen brewed just for the Solstice, and a Nitro Small Stout (for the shortest day of the year).

Holiday Movies – David O. Russell has directed two of our favorite films. The Fighter nailed the struggles of Boston’s working class community, and Silver Linings Playbook was one of 2012’s best movies, so we’re excited about his newest release opening nationally today. American Hustle is a 70s-set, semi-true crime drama with a killer cast and tells the story of brilliant con man Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale), who along with his equally cunning and seductive British partner Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) is forced to work for a wild FBI agent Richie DiMaso. DiMaso, who’s played by Bradley Cooper, pushes them further into the dangerous world of New Jersey powerbrokers and the underworld. Jeremy Renner also stars as a political operator caught up in the action and Jennifer Lawrence plays Rosenfeld’s wild-card wife who might just bring the elaborate sting operation crashing down.

Breakside Decks the Halls with Three New Limited Holiday Releases This Weekend (Milwaukie, OR) – If you’re anything like us at the ACB compound, you’ll be scrambling all weekend trying to get some of your holiday shopping done – and again if you’re like us, you’ll probably need a drink to keep going. Well the Breakside Brewery has got you covered – and they’ll be celebrating the holidays with a special limited-edition bottle release tomorrow at their taproom. So now you can relax and enjoy something special and maybe even get some shopping done while you’re there. This Saturday, Breakside will be releasing 3 new limited-edition barrel-aged beers in bottles – Aquavit Barrel-Aged Braggot, Bourbon Woody, and Beaujolais avec Brett – as well as some new draft beers for your holiday enjoyment.

Our Awesome Holiday Weekend Beer Pick

‘Tis the Season in the Rockies (Boulder, CO) – Some breweries take the holidays seriously and the Upslope Brewing Company‘snewest limited release is all about it. Upslope Christmas Ale is an enormous winter warmer. Brewed bright ruby red using authentic Abbey Ale yeast, this 8.2% ABV winter seasonal is the perfect addition to any holiday gathering and overflowing with good cheer.