Hey it’s Wednesday and that means it’s Rumor Mill Time….The NBWA and the Brewers Association have released a list of some of this county’s best craft beer distributors and one of them will be honored at this year’s Great American Beer Festival in Denver. We’ll get into that and on to other things that are breaking right now in the world of craft beer. Plus we’ve an all-important update on what we’ve been drinking lately.

We don’t sleep so you can….THIS WEEK’S RUMOR MILL IS ON!

Cheers for Choice! (Boulder, CO) – Brewers Association wunderkind and Chief Economist Bart Watson recently addressed an article in the popular press that suggested that the growing number of craft beer choices might not be good for beer drinkers – that more options could be confusing for consumers. He’s not worried – nor should you be – and you can read his reasons why here.

Lakefront Planning for Bigger Things (Milwaukee, WI) – Lakefront Brewery has accepted an offer to buy property adjacent to its existing brewery to groom as a potential expansion site that they’ll build on as soon as it is financially feasible. Increased demand for their products is driving this expansion. Lakefront now brews 40,000 barrels per year, with production having nearly doubled in the past two years alone. The second brewing location will allow Lakefront to expand its production and distribution and will provide an additional 40 full-time jobs to Wisconsin over the next several years.

99 Cans of Beer on the Wall (Austin, TX) – An award-winning Texas-based brewery has created the perfect way to play “99 Bottles of Beer” using cans – and we like it! Austin Beerworks is offering a case of 99 cans of Peacemaker Anytime Ale (which won a silver medal at the 2011 GABF) for 99 bucks. This package weighs 82 pounds and is seven feet long – so be sure to bring a friend along when you do that beer run.

More Craft Beer Distributor of the Year Nominees than Ever Before! (Alexandria, VA) -The National Beer Wholesalers Association and the Brewers Association have just announced the nominees for the Eighth Annual Craft Beer Distributor of the Year Award. The award recognizes an American beer distributor who goes above and beyond in their efforts to actively market, sell, and promote craft beer. It’s the biggest list of nominees ever and that speaks to the emergence of craft beer as a pop-cultural and economic force in America.The award will be presented jointly on October 4^th at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colorado.

What We’ve Been Drinking (Washington, DC) – We’d like to thank all of the American craft breweries who have shared their wares with us in the past and those of you who have shipped us beer from time to time. It’s great to be able to sample the brews that we write about and it helps us have a better feel for what’s happening out there. Over the weekend, we opened a growler that was sent our way by our friends at Magic Hat and it was awesome! Magic Hat Barrel-Aged Meat Whistle Imperial Stout was aged for more than a year, and at 10.5% ABV, it was surprisingly smooth and un-boozy tasting.