Hey it’s Wednesday and it’s Rumor Mill Time…There’s more news coming in from Dogfish Head about their Grateful Dead collaboration beer. We’ll be bringing you everything we know so far, plus we’ve got some fast-breaking news from Heavy Seas and an update from our friends at Ballast Point. We’ve also got an awesome new Seattle Beer Week release that you’ll want to chase down. So fasten your seatbelts everybody…THIS WEEK’S RUMOR MILL IS ON!

Heavy Seas to Hit Northern Virginia (Baltimore, MD) – Sounds like Baltimore’s Heavy Seas Beer has its eyes on Northern Virginia. At least that’s what we’re hearing from the Baltimore Sun.Heavy Seas is planning to open its second alehouse later this year in Rosslyn, Virginia. The first Heavy Seas Alehouse opened in 2012 in Baltimore’s Little Italy neighborhood.

What A Long Strange Trip It’s Been (Milton, DE) – Late last year, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery and Grateful Dead, two pioneers who built their followings by connecting directly with beer lovers and music lovers, asked their supporters to help them craft a pale ale called American Beauty. More than 1,500 loyal fans of the brewery and band suggested an ingredient idea and the Dead-inspired story behind it. Thomas Butler provided the winning Dead story and the ingredients that we’ll just tell you are the same as granola – honey, toasted grains, oats, and fruit.In May, Thomas will be joining Sam and Grateful Dead audiovisual archivist David Lemieux in Rehoboth Beach, DE, to brew a test batch of American Beauty with granola. The production batch is expected to hit taps and shelves in October 2013.

Craft Beer Served in Restaurants Gets More Expensive (Leesburg, VA) – According to GuestMetrics, the overall average price for beer in full service restaurants and bars accelerated during the first quarter of 2013, though higher average prices in the craft beer segment was driven by an increased consumer preference for more expensive craft beers. “While beer’s price was up +3.2% during 2012 compared to the prior year, that accelerated to +3.6% during the first quarter of 2013,” said Bill Pecoriello, CEO of GuestMetrics LLC. “Looking specifically at the craft beer segment, its price was up +3.5% in 2012 and accelerated to +3.8% during the first quarter of 2013.”

Ballast Points to the Windy City (Chicago, IL) – San Diego-based Ballast Point Brewing Company is now distributing their beers further inland, but they’re still not far from the water. But this time, we’re talking the Midwest’s Lake Michigan. The much-lauded Southern California brewery is now being distributed in Chicago, according to the Chicago Reader, and is working with Wirtz Beverage Illinois, reports beerpulse.

Remember the Alamo! (San Antonio, TX) – Say hello to Alamo Yeast Labs, a new soon-to-open organization thatintends to provide breweries and homebrewers with quality microbiological products and services that are necessary to the brewing process.Alamo Yeast Labs is one of four companies of its kind in the United States. Most beer-related microbiological companies are located in California and the Northwest region of the United States, generally, where many of the large craft beer companies are located.

A Rumor Mill Release You Want to Look Out For

As part of Seattle Beer Week, the Airways Brewing Company has just released their second annual Seattle Beer Broads collaboration brew. The Seattle Beer Broads is a group of more than 160 local women working in the beer industry that banned together to celebrate their love of craft beer and to educate other women on the historical significance of females in the craft beer industry. This year’s collaborative is a bitter brewed using ESB and Crystal malts and an exotic hop menu. The Beer Broads Spring Bitter is similar to a British Extra Special Bitter (ESB) but with a Northwest flair, and is currently available through pint and growler fills at their Kent, Washington compound. A portion of the proceeds will go toward supporting educational opportunities for women entering the brewing industry.