Hey it’s Friday, the weekend’s almost here, and you’re ready for some serious fun. Well good, because that’s where we come in.  From the nation’s coolest beer festivals to movies, music and cutting-edge TV shows – we’ve got your back big-time. Plus we’ve got a weekend beer pick for you that you’ll want to chase down. So welcome to this week’s edition of our awesome Weekend Picks.

The Mother of All American Beer Festivals is On! (Denver, CO) – The Mile High City is ground-zero for the nation’s biggest and most important beer festival and Denver’s teeming with craft beer Industry’s biggest players. The Great American Beer Festival is the three-day, four session festival that sold out almost immediately many months back – and if you were lucky enough to secure tickets, you’re in for quite a weekend. This year’s festival is featuring more than 3000 beer from this country’s most exciting breweries. In addition to the actual festival (which kicked off last night at the Colorado Convention Center), there are craft beer events taking place all over the city. And don’t forget that this is not just an amazing festival – it’s also a competition where some 4,000 beers from more than 450 breweries will be competing for gold, silver, and bronze medals in more than 80 style categories. You should know that the American Craft Beer crew has already arrived in town and begun drinking – and we hope to meet up with all our “dangerous hopheads” while we’re here, and promise to be on our best behavior!

On the Big Screen I – If you’ve not taken us up on last week’s movie recommendation – we’re pissed at you. Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney is shaping up to be just about the best reviewed movie of the year and should not be missed. This is the first movie since James Cameron’s Avatar that demands to be seen on the big screen (preferably IMAX) and in 3-D.

On the Big Screen II – If you took our suggestion in last week’s weekend picks and are afraid to follow it up with another new movie for fear of being let down, you’re in luck because another buzz-worthy flick is opening this weekend. Captain Phillips stars Tom Hanks in heroic nonfiction mode and may be the kind of award-nominated drama that causes people to remember just how effective he can be as a leading man. Directed by Paul Greengrass, this political thriller tells the true story of Captain Richard Phillips and the hijacking of his ship by Somali pirates in 2009 – the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in 200 years.

Like Things Rare? (Denver, CO) – The Denver Rare Beer Tasting is being presented by our friends at All About Beer magazine and is the quintessential rare beer event that will give the folks at GABF the chance to experience a true boutique-style tasting. Expect things to get extremely rare tomorrow afternoon (10/11) as 42 breweries serve up their most-prized rarities at the McNichols Civic Center Building on 144 W. Colfax St. in Denver. This is the fifth year for this very special event that benefits Pints for Prostates – a very worthy organization.