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 off enjoying yourselves

Flying Dog Wins Landmark Freedom Of Speech Case (Frederick, MD) – Last Thursday, the US Court of Appeals ruled that the Michigan Liquor Control Commission’s ban of Raging Bitch Belgian-Style IPA violated Flying Dog Brewery’s First Amendment right. This is a landmark case for Freedom of Speech, reaffirming that the power to regulate alcohol does not authorize violation of the First Amendment and that individual officials are not immune from liability. This is great news for Flying Dog (and for all of us).

Yeast Affection (Finland) – “For centuries the same few yeast strains have been used in the production of lager beer, in contrast to ale, whisky, wine and cider, for which there is a wide range of yeast strains available to produce different nuances of flavor,” but a Finnish research company might be changing all that. PHY.org is reporting that VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland LTD has been developing hybrid yeasts that could add new flavor profiles to lagers and accelerate the production process.

Beer Bottles For Babies (Everywhere, USA) – In a move sure to incur the wrath of the “politically correct” masses, Perpetual Kid, an online marketer with a commitment to “entertaining your inner child,” is selling Lil’ Lager Baby Bottles that takes “nursing your baby” to a whole new level.

170-Year-Old Shipwreck Beer Smells Gross (Finland Again) – We can’t say we’re surprised by the findings of the Technical Research Center of Finland who uncorked two bottles of beer recovered from a vessel that sank to the Baltic’s floor in the 1840s and acknowledged that the bottles might not have weathered the many years in ideal conditions (Yah think?). The scientists whose study appeared in the Journal of Agricultural & Food Chemistry noted that the ripe liquid smelled like a mixture of sulfur, burnt rubber, and goat cheese.

Sacred Valley Comes To Lima (Peru) – Cerveceria del Valle Sagrado (Sacred Valley Brewing), located near Ollantaytambo, Peru, is finally making the trek to Lima. And it will be on draft (a craft beer rarity in this region) in three locations! This Thursday, March 12^th, the brewery will be bringing their Red IPA, Pale Ale (plus some surprises) to the Victoria Bar, and it’s going to be a party. Expect some of the best and freshest beer in the Southern Hemisphere – plus a screening of a mini-documentary of how they actually got their beer across 1800 miles of Peru’s dramatic terrain – making this an educational event, right? But most of all, expect the good company of some great guys who are helping shape a budding, and pretty delicious, craft beer scene in Peru.

Beer Week Alert! (Miami, FL) – As part of our ongoing effort to help you plan where you need to be drinking each and every week, Quick Hits runs regular “Beer Week Alerts.” Madison Craft Beer Week is on and runs through March 10 – so you still have more than enough time to saturate yourself.  And Tampa Bay Beer Week kicked off over the weekend – it runs through the 15^th and you need to get in on this.

Got Something You Think We Need To Know About? Send Your Press Releases to: pr@AmericanCraftBeer.com