Hey it’s Wednesday and that means it’s Rumor Mill Time….A craft beer billionaire recently sold 4,000 shares of his publically held company. We’ve got the complete skinny on that “eye-raising” liquidation. Plus we’ve a roundup of the latest craft news and 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!

Dallas Newspaper Gets In On the Craft Beer & Music Action (Dallas, TX) – CrowdSource, the event marketing company of The Dallas Morning News, announced this week that it purchased majority ownership of Untapped, the Indie Music and Craft Beer Festival held in Dallas, Fort Worth, and Houston. More than 4,500 craft beer and music fans attended the 2013 Untapped Festival in Dallas, which featured more than 70 breweries and performances from eight bands. The 2014 Untapped Festival in Dallas will be held on November 1^st and coincides with North Texas Craft Beer Week.

A United Goose Island (Chicago, IL) – There’s lots of chatter this week about Goose Island Beer and United Airlines developing closer ties. Chicago Business Journal is reporting that the “Chicago-based airline and the Chicago-based craft brewer said they are hosting an event this Friday at the Goose Island brewery on the city’s near west side to make a special announcement.” Speculation as to the announcement runs the gamut from the possibility that Goose Island’s beers may be added to United’s onboard beverage selection, to the brewery’s brands being featured at United’s newly renovated chain of club lounges, and for many industry watchers, Friday can’t come soon enough.

Insider Trading (Boston, MA) – Sam Adam’s Founder Jim Koch attracted some industry attention last Thursday when he sold 4,000 shares of Boston Beer stock on the open market. WKRB News & Analysis is reporting that “The stock was sold at an average price of $225.71, for a total transaction of $902,840.00.”

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. Kent, Washington-based Airways Brewing recently sent us their newest year-round and we hit it with a vengeance over the weekend. At 6.5% ABV, the smartly balanced Airways Seat Kicker IPAis neither as large nor as edgy as their legendary Sky Hag and features a brilliant mix of Citra, Centennial, Simcoe, Columbus, and Cascade hops added to each 10-barrel batch.

Big Sky Country Hops & History (Bozeman, MT) – We’ve written about Montana’s emerging craft beer scene on many occasions. “Big Sky” brewers are drawing beer tourists from all over the country and the locals are all about it. The Museum of the Rockies has been presenting a series of events combining the region’s history of brewing with craft brew tastings – and we’re not surprised to learn that there’s a huge audience for this kind of educational outreach! The Bozeman Daily is reporting that the museum was hoping for “50 people at the first talk in May and 125 showed up!”