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.

Big Government Goes After Big Beer (Washington, DC) – This story broke last Thursday and most likely you’ve already heard some of this, but just in case you haven’t, here’s the deal. The Department of Justice is going to battle with A-B InBev over its proposed purchase of Grupo Modelo. Bottom line is the government (DOJ) doesn’t want big beer, (in this case A-B InBev,) to get any bigger (a little late for that don’t you think?) so they’ve filed an antitrust lawsuit to prevent it. All the parties involved have released statements affirming that their positions are unassailable – so this one is ON! It’s officially “litigation city” and we can’t wait to see how this all plays out.

5 Stupid Questions Alert (Paso Robles, CA) – After a notable absence, American Craft Beer.com’s much-maligned profile series 5 Stupid Questions is returning this Tuesday. Yes, it’s true! We won’t be deterred! So check in with us tomorrow for 5 Stupid Questions with David Walker, co-founder of Central California’s award-winning brewery Firestone Walker.

Bad Juju in the Windy City (Escondido, CA) – We saw an ominous tweet last Friday from Stone Brewing’s Greg Koch and thought it worth sharing:

@StoneGregGreg Koch “Word is a larger craft brewer is dramatically ramping up their playing of unethical/illegal games in Chicago….Bad for the biz, bad for all.”

On Saturday, Greg continued the discussion, which our friends at Beerpulse have aggregated if you want to see all his tweets. It appears that he’s hinting that retail shelf space is being bought by a subset of a large craft brewer (he declined to name names) in an effort to prioritize certain beer brands over others. In the music business, practices like this are called “payola” ….in the craft beer world, we just think of this as “bad juju.”

Breckenridge To Build New Brewery (Denver, CO) – For the third straight year, Breckenridge Brewery has posted better than 20% growth, with 2012 results reaching 30%. This success brings with it some challenges for the Colorado-based brewery as it is quickly reaching capacity at its Denver production location. So in a move that many industry observers see as inevitable, the brewery announced on Friday that 12 beautiful acres along the South Platte River in Littleton, just south of Denver, will be their new home. Plans for the new, world-class brewery include several rustic buildings arranged across the landscape, much like what can be seen on a successful farm. This farmhouse setting will offer the freshest beer and food in a comfortable environment with indoor and outdoor seating. There will also be brewery tours, a general store and growler-to-go station, and a beer garden.

Beer Drinking down in Germany (Frankfurt, DE) – German beer drinking may be going the way of the country’s lederhosen according to a recently released study. The report, which was issued by a government statistics agency, reveals that Germans drank 96.5 million hectoliters (2.55 billion gallons) of beer last year – a 1.8% decrease from the previous year. “We’re surprised and somewhat disappointed by these findings,” said Tom Bobak, Founder & Editor-In-Chief of American Craft Beer.com. “We used to always be able to count on the Germans and on their unflagging ability to consume vast amounts of beer. And for a people who take such tremendous pride in their ability to out-drink most nations,” he continues, “this news has got to hurt.”