February is almost over and it’s been a tumultuous start to the year. But no worries – Rumor Mill is on the case, making sure that you are always 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.

New Belgium’s Gigantic Tour De Fat (Asheville, NC) – New Belgium’s fermentation vessels and bright beer tanks destined for their new North Carolina-based operation are scheduled to arrive in mid-March and it’s going to be a big deal. This ginormous shipment departed from Bürgstadt, Germany, in January and arrived to the Port of Charleston, SC, in early February. The oversized vessels require rolling road closures and the NC Department of Transportation approved routing and police escort as they arrive at their new home.

NASCAR and CANS (Longmont, CO / Brevard, NC) – Oskar Blues Brewery and Charlotte Motor Speedway are bringing craft beer back to the NASCAR center of the universe in 2015. Fast cars and all-American craft beer have teamed up once again for this historic partnership that got its start in early 2013.

Doing Studio Time (Eugene, OR) – We’ve long said that the craft beer movement was the new rock-n-roll, so it’s no surprise that Ninkasi is opening their new in-house recording studio. With its official opening, the brewery will be able to actively support local artists by offering them free studio and recording time. This March, they’ll be releasing their first musical offering from Ninkasi Studios – the “Dawn of the Red Compilation EP.” They’ve partnered with five artists to each craft a track around the lyrics “Dawn of the Red” (based off the return of Dawn of the Red IRA) and we can’t wait to hear it. The new studio was spearheaded by ACB fav, James Book, Ninkasi’s Director of Brand & Experiential marketing, (and a former major label recording artist himself) so we know it’s going to be a killer operation!

Saranac Pours Their Soul Into It (Utica, NY) – Saranac will be rolling out a new marketing campaign soon with a focus on telling their story, utilizing the tagline, “Pour your soul into it.” The campaign looks to the company’s 126-year multi-generational heritage while staying true to what drives the craft beer industry… passion.

Mexico In The Bronx (Bronx NY) – Our buddy Chris Gallant up at the Bronx Brewery will be throwing a party at their brewery to celebrate the release of two new barrel-aged beers: Mezcal Barrel Aged Black Pale and Tequila Barrel Aged Pale Ale this Saturday, Feb 28^th and it all begins at 2 pm. You can hang with their brewers, drink serious beer, and even enjoy food from their local taqueria. So if you’re up in NYC celebrating New York City Beer Week – you absolutely need to drop by!

What We’ve Been Drinking Lately (Washington, DC) – We’d like to thank all of the breweries who ship us beer from time to time. It’s always great to sample the brews that we write about and it helps to give us a better feel for what’s happening out there. Last night, we hit up a special collaboration we just received from Pennsylvania-based Thump Keg Brewing. Brewed using Peligroso Tequila’s signature Mexican plant, Thump Keg Agave Amber Ale is a 5.4% ABV beer that balances the malt-forward smoothness of an American Amber with the complexity of Mexican Agave – Bueno!

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