Hey it’s Wednesday and that means it’s Rumor Mill Time…It appears that Big Beer will be heading back to the Big Ten soon! We’ll be bringing you what we know so far. Plus we’ve some updates from our friends at Smuttynose and billions of good things to share about Boston Beer’s Jim Koch. We’ve also got a special new Rumor Mill release that you’ll want to chase down. So fasten your seat belts…THIS WEEK’S RUMOR MILL IS ON!

How to Brew Billions (Boston, MA) – James Koch is much more than an innovator and craft beer pioneer – he now has a net worth above $1 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. According to Businessweek, his “wealth has been fueled largely by demand for his company’s 70-plus offerings and by an equally robust thirst for Boston Beer shares, which are up tenfold since 2009 and have risen almost 70 percent this year.”

Big Beer on Campus (Urbana-Champaign, IL) – It appears that Anheuser-Busch InBev will be going back to school and they’ll be doing it by way of a university. The global beer giant has announced a partnership with U of I’s Research Park, and will open the Bud Lab, a state-of-the-art data analytics center, beginning next month. The company remains mum as to future tailgating initiatives but we’ll be monitoring this possibility closely.

Westward Ho! (Portsmouth, NH) – Smuttynose Brewing Company has announced their new partnership with West Side Distributing (the largest beer distributor in Michigan) who will bring New Hampshire’s leading craft brewer’s brews to the Wolverine State starting in October. The deal with West Side makes Michigan the 23rd state (plus Washington, DC) where Smuttynose beers are available and we’re pretty damned excited about that!

Godzilla Creator Unleashes Litigious Fury! (New Orleans, LA) – Law360 is reporting that Japanese entertainment company Toho Co. Ltd. hit New Orleans Lager & Ale Brewing Co. LLC with a lawsuit in Louisiana federal court Friday, saying NOLA’s “Mechahopzilla” beer violates Toho’s copyrights. Mechagodzilla is evidently Godzilla’s mechanized counterpart (everyone knows that, right?) and the suit challenges Nola’s uses of that character’s copyrighted image.

CB Gets Crafty (Honeoye Falls, NY) – Mike Alcorn, founder of Custom Brew Crafters, has announced that the company will soon be changing its name to CB Craft Brewers. The new name reflects the company’s roots in creating locally brewed custom craft beers and their expansion of bottle and draft craft beer under the CB brand in New York State. “The CB brand represents sixteen years of quality and experience,” says Mike. “Custom brewing is still an important part of our business, but continued growth depends on the success of our CB brand, both bottle and draught.”

A Rumor Mill Release You Want to Look Out For

Durango, Colorado’s Ska Brewing will begin the second year of its Seasonal Stout program, which features a different canned stout released near the equinox or solstice of each of the four seasons, with the return of a favorite. Autumnal Molé Stout is brewed with cocoa nibs, spices, and three different varieties of chile peppers. This unapologetic hottie checks in at a “last all night” 5.8% ABV – so plan on spending some time together.