Yikes, April is flying by… and clearly nothing is slowing down anytime soon. But no worries, Rumor Mill is always on the case, keeping you plugged in to all the craft beer news that matters. Plus we’ve an all-important update on what we’ve been drinking lately and you absolutely don’t want to miss that.

A Beer Gadget That Make Sense (Palisades Park, NJ) – April being Alcohol Awareness Month, and 88,000 deaths are annually attributed to excessive alcohol use. Teen alcohol use alone kills 4,700 people each year. That’s one reason why we thought it would be a good time to mention a product we were sent last year and don’t laugh, it’s a breathalyzer. Alco Revo is a compact, state-of-the-art monitor that unlike so many breathalyzers never has to be sent in, can always be manually re-calibrated and returned to day-one accuracy. This matters when you’re working the drinking circuit, as we do here at ACB. If you’ve never been behind the wheel, and wondered if you’ve had too much to drink to drive safely, YOU’RE LYING – and the Alco Revo is an affordable alternative to a DWI (or worse).

Book It! (Boulder, CO) – The Brewer’s Association’s Dick Cantwell just wrote a new book along with New Belgium’s Peter Brouckaert, that sounds interesting. Wood & Beer: A Brewer’s Guide takes on the fascinating subject of wood and beer and the amazing things that can happen when the two come together.

Words To Drink By (Milton, DE) – “I hate the concept of the Reinheitsgebot, but I am essentially happy it exists.”

Sam Calagione – Dogfish Head

Reinheitsgebot Rebellion (Germany) – Germany’s Reinheitsgebot, or “purity commandment” is reportedly one of “the world’s oldest food safety laws on the planet. It states, quite simply, that only water, hops, barley, and yeast are permitted in the production of beer.” But now Bavarian brewers like Tilman, are shaking things up. Looks like Germany in the midst of a rebellion and you can read more about it HERE.

What We’ve Been Drinking Lately (Washington, DC) – We’d like to thank all of the American craft breweries who’ve shipped us beer from time to time. It’s always great to sample the brews that we write about and it helps us have a better feel for what’s happening out there. Last night we hit up something we just received from our friends at Upslope. Brewed with snowmelt, malt, and Southern Hemisphere hops Upslope Imperial IPA is a massive 10% India Pale Ale that more than lives up to its robust reputation.

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