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 enjoying your weekend.

Elysian Visits Oddland (Seattle, WA) – Elysian Brewing and Seattle artist Jim Woodring are planning a trip to Oddland, an intermittent series of beers in which the artist is an active participant.Here’s how the whole thing works: Head Brewer Dick Cantwell and his crew get an idea, which they run by Woodring, who sketches his two cents’ worth and sends it on back. Then the recipe is tweaked, the ingredients secured, suggestions made as to visual format, and they’re off to Oddland. Fantagraphics Books is the go-between once again as a long-standing custodian of Woodring’s work and the hookup between Elysian and Charles Burns, the artist whose panels and covers from his book Black Hole adorned the labels for the Apocalypse series. The Oddland Peppercorn Saison will be the first release in this series and we can’t wait to experience it!

Dock Street Revisits The Four Seasons with O.P. Yum (Philadelphia, PA) – Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia and Dock Street Brewing have just announced a second year of collaborations for their limited-release “Beer Four All Seasons” series. The 2013 collaboration kicks off with the spring brew, Oats Pomegranate Yum, or O.P. Yum, the first of four seasonal beers available exclusively at Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia.

Raise A Glass! (Longmont, CO) – Colorado-based Left Hand Brewing Company is celebrating their 7th consecutive year of double-digit growth and their 2nd year as a Top 50 craft brewery. They grew by 34.5% in 2012 and show no signs of slowing down anytime soon.The brewery is on path to produce 60,000+ barrels in 2013 with $2.3 million estimated for continued expansion efforts, which includebreaking ground on a 15,000 sq. ft. addition to their brewery.

Yankee Stadium Not Exactly “Craft Beer Destination” (Bronx, NY) – A beer stand at Yankee Stadium created a bit of a stir that has led to it being renamed. Rather than featuring some of New York’s fine craft breweries, the stadium’s offerings at the “Craft Beer Destination” stand included Blue Moon, Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy, Crispin and Batch 19, all part of beer giant MillerCoors’ family and none of which have any particular ties to the New York region. The story began when Amada Rykoff noted that, as part of the Big Beer conglomerate, these beers weren’t truly “craft” as defined by the Brewers Association. Yielding to the uproar that arose when various news outlets picked up on Rykoff’s report, the stand has now been renamed Beer Mixology Destination, which still sucks, but then again “what are you going to do.”

Bigger Foothills Coming (Winston-Salem, NC) – Hey, all kinds of good things are happening at Foothills. First off, they’re getting bigger: 15 months after moving to a new 50,000 square foot brewing facility, Winston-Salem’s Foothills Brewing is once again expanding by installing the first of four 200-barrel fermentation vessels that will increase the company’s production capacity by 72%. And with those additional resources, they will continue to expand their reach beyond their North Carolina base into South Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee.