Hey it’s Wednesday and that means it’s Rumor Mill Time….A beloved craft beer emporium has closed its doors for good. 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’re drinking this week.

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

Watch Out! (Waltham, MA) – We never like to hear about craft beer businesses failing and closings always hurt, especially when the establishment’s been around as long as the Watch City Brewing Company has. We don’t know exactly what all happened but its doors are now closed for good. Wicked Local Waltham is reporting that the “iconic brewery, at 254 Moody St., shut its doors last month, saying it needed to repair the HVAC unit, but several former employees said it was just an excuse and the AC unit has been broken for nearly a decade.”

It Was 18 Years Ago This Week (Escondido, CA) – The West Coaster SD alerted us to the fact that “18 years ago, on July 26, 1996, Stone Brewing Co. sold the first keg of Stone Pale Ale to Vince Marsaglia of Pizza Port fame. This is a big deal, as there were few craft breweries in San Diego at the time.” Cheers Everyone!

Brooklyn Brewery Looks To Staten Island (Brooklyn, NY) – The Brooklyn Brewery is hoping to build a $70 million, 200,000 square-foot facility on the western shore of Staten Island, according to a report that surfaced in Crain’s, and expects the final site selection “by the end of the year, with the brewery expected to be fully operational by the end of 2017.”

Happy Birthday & More to Allagash (Portland, ME) – Looks like being a part of Sierra Nevada’s Beer Camp variety pack was just the start of the good news for Allagash Brewing Company; according to Bangor Daily News, the brewery plans to expand by 18,000-sq-feet and celebrate their 20^th birthday next year.

What We’re Drinking This Week (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. Just last night, we hit our first beer from Victory Brewing’sHop Ticket Series and we enjoyed it so much that we wish they’d make it available year round. Victory Hop Ticket Session IPA is a crisp and floral 4.5% ABV hop-forward session IPA and it’s one of the best beers that we’ve sampled this summer!