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 yourselves.

Black Market Beer Sales Shutdown At EBay (Montpelier, VT) – Thanks to the efforts of Russian River’s Natalie Cilurzo, EBay will prohibit and actively police their site to ensure that containers of alcohol (whether they’re collectable or not) are no longer sold through them. This response takes dead aim at the illegal practice of black market beer sales where rare and in-demand beers are sometimes sold at exorbitant prices. ACB has long been opposed to the illegal practice and we applaud Natalie Cilurzo’s initiative and EBay’s responsiveness in dealing with the issue of Black Market Beer.

Border Crossing (Boston, MA) – Samuel Adams has announced they will soon be bringing their special “Sam Cans” north of the border to Canada following the successful launch in the United States earlier this year. The “Sam Cans,” as they’ve playfully been named, are the result of two years of ergonomic and sensory research and testing. Their flagship Boston Lager will hit shelves in Canada this month.

Highland Gets a New Look (Ashville, NC) – With the city of Asheville and its environs fast becoming a national hub for craft beer, Highland Brewing will soon be adopting new imaging in an effort to further distinguish its heritage brand in the now-crowded marketplace. The Asheville Citizen-Times is reporting that the “brewery will also have a different look in coming weeks, as it rolls out some bold new packaging. The new cartons and boxes will be difficult to miss on store shelves, and with so much competition, that’s more important than ever.”

12,000 Fans Unable to Buy Tickets to Popular Craft Beer Festival (Comstock Park, MI) – Things like this are only going to get more common – we predict. Tickets to the wildly popular 2014 Michigan Brewers Guild Winter Beer Festival went on sale on Dec 4^th and the fact that the event sold out in just three hours is hardly the headline. The real headline is how many craft beer fans were denied access – a staggering 12,000 potential patrons – according to mlive.com.

Alamo Rising (San Antonio, TX) – Alamo Beer Company has just broken ground on what will be San Antonio’s largest craft brewery. The brewery is expected to eventually produce up to 40,000 barrels of beer within its first 5 to 7 years of operation. The development will also include a beer garden and administrative offices and is expected to be completed and open for business by fall of 2014.

Cannons Shipments Escalate (San Diego, CA) – The Mission Brewery has certainly upped the industry ante as the first craft brewer to release their beers in quart cans that they’ve affectionately dubbed their ‘cannons.’ The brewery first released these pioneering cans in early October in California and Colorado and they’ve been so successful that the company will soon be shipping them into Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, and Florida.

Ale Syndicate adds Head Brewer to its Team (Chicago, IL) – While the build-out of its brewery and taproom continues, Chicago’s Ale Syndicate is making moves to ensure the quality of its beer keeps up with its Windy City peers. Bryan Shimkos, formerly of Rock Bottom, Flossmoor Station, and Half Acre, has signed on as Ale Syndicate’s head brewer. A Siebel Institute graduate, multiple medal winner, and a renowned “mad scientist,” Shimkos looks to build on the brewery’s already popular lineup of beers, including Richie Imperial Porter and Sunday Session Ale. Look for Shimkos and Ale Syndicate to make a big splash on the Chicago craft beer scene in 2014.