Hey it’s Wednesday and it’s Rumor Mill Time…..Brewery Ommegang has gotten into bed with HBO’s “Game of Thrones” crew and have just debuted their fantasy & craft beer mash-up at SXSW down in Austin. We’ll be giving you everything that we know so far, plus we’ve got some fast-breaking craft beer news from our friends at Upslope, as well as from the boys in Boulder. We’ve also got a hot new release that you will definitely want to run down! So fasten your seatbelts everybody….THIS WEEK’S RUMOR MILL IS ON!

Craft Beer’s Exports Show Record Growth (Boulder, CO) – The Brewers Association is reporting that the American craft beer industry set a new record for exports in 2012. Craft beer export volume grew an astounding 72% in 2012 with Canada as its top market.Sweden and the United Kingdom remained the next two largest markets and the Asia-Pacific region increased substantially. Shipments to Japan jumped 57% by volume and American breweries saw strong gains in Australia, China, Hong Kong, and emerging markets such as Thailand. Japan, Australia, and China are now the industry’s fourth, fifth, and sixth largest export markets, respectively.

Let The Games Begin (Cooperstown, NY) – Worlds collided in Texas last weekend as Brewery Ommegang’s much-anticipated beer based on HBO’s The Game of Thrones, Iron Throne Blonde Ale, debuted at the SXSW festival in Austin. Ommegang’s fantasy-themed Blonde debuted at an art show put on by the Alamo Drafthouse and the beer itself is expected to start rolling out into the market in the next few weeks. “Iron Throne” is one of multiple beers to be released under a deal with HBO Global Licensing.Games of Thrones – Season 3 begins on March 31.

A Kinder Boulder (Boulder, CO) – The city of Boulder granted a business incentive to Upslope Brewing Co. authorizing up to $50,000 in rebates on certain taxes and fees paid by the burgeoning craft brewer, according to ColoradoDaily.com. Upslope, which opened in 2008, is currently building a 17,000-square-foot brewery and taproom, and production has already started at the new 30-barrel brewhouse.

Dan Patrick’s Secret Shout Outs (Milford, CT) – If you’re a fan of the Dan Patrick Show or even a fan of him from his days manning the uber popular 90’s SportsCenter highlights show, you know he’s a man of many hats – sports guru, perfect hair aficionado & craft beer lover. When he teamed up with Red Hook to develop his own beer, Audible Ale, he did one more thing that paid homage to his legions of fans. Underneath the bottle caps, you’ll find “Shea in Irving” or “Chris in Syracuse” because DP put his regular callers under the bottle caps, along with some of the shows catchphrases (think “Bang Biscuit”). Next time you grab one, check the cap before tossing it and see what shout out you got.

No Blues for Oskar’s Brews (Longmont, CO) – Colorado-based Oskar Blues Brewery continues to build on its 52% growth in 2012 by posting a 42% increase through February 2013 and launching the state of Michigan in the first week of March. Oskar Blues’ continued growth is a result of a new Brevard, NC brewery and taproom that began providing fresh and local beer to Oskar Blues East Coast markets in January.

Great Lakes Goes Jersey Shore (Cleveland, OH) – Great Lakes Brewing Company has announced plans to expand distribution throughout the state of New Jersey. In April, Great Lakes Brewing will enter Central New Jersey with Shore Point Distributing and Northern New Jersey with Kohler. Great Lakes currently serves Southern New Jersey, and this two-phase rollout will fill gaps throughout the state, so it’s all good!