Hey it’s Friday, the weekend’s almost here and with fall on its way, you’re ready for a change. Well good, because that’s where we come in. From the nation’s coolest beer festivals to movies, music and cutting-edge TV – we’ve got your back big-time. And we’ve got another of our weekend beer picks for you – so you’ll want to check that out. So welcome to this week’s edition of our awesome Weekend Picks.

Brew Grass Festival – When you’re putting on a music festival in a craft beer city like Asheville, NC, well it can’t just be about the music – enter the 2013 Brew Grass Festival. It will be kicking off tomorrow (9/21) in the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina and this year’s celebration of bluegrass music and serious beer will feature more than 40 American breweries showcasing more than 120 different beers. In addition to tons of great beers, there will be an impressive lineup of national and regional bluegrass musicians that will be performing – so you don’t want to miss this! For more info on this Saturday’s funfest, check out: Brew Grass 2013

On The Big Screen – Like it or not, the movies opening this weekend stand as yet another indication that summer has officially ended. Say good-bye to the big CGI-laden popcorn epics that dominated the summer and say hello to smaller and (god forbid) more adult fall fare like Prisoners, which debuts on the big screen this weekend. Prisoners tells the story of a father (Hugh Jackman) desperate to find his daughter who has been abducted and of a cocky detective assigned to the case (Jake Gyllenhaal) who may (or may not) be helping. ACB favorite Melissa Leo and the great Viola Davis serve to round out a pedigreed cast in a film that some think might deliver more than a few award nominations.

LA Beer Week Improv Gala with a Literal Beer Genius – ACB’s own LA Correspondent, Dave Stratton, is helping produce an event for LA Beer Week and we’d be remiss if we didn’t make it one of our weekend picks. It’s all taking place at the iO West Improv Theater this Saturday 9/21 at 9:00 pm. Lance Rice, from Lance’s Brewery Tour will be the guest monologist in the Armando improvised comedy show where he’ll be sharing his stories and anecdotes from his 40 years of beer history and knowledge. An all-star cast of improvisers will then perform comedic scenes based off of Lance’s monologue. The theaterwill be rotating specialty and rare crafts on their eight handles all night and serving up some select crafts for $4 a pint! Where else are you going to find Ladyface Derailleur, Dude’s Grandma’s Pecan, Noble IPA, or TAPS Brewery Saison (just to name a few) paired with great comedy and stories from such an inspiring man as Lance? Nowhere… so don’t miss this! Tickets are $10 for the Armando show, but there is no cover at the bar. For tickets and location info, check out: iO West

Taking it to the Streets – The 19th Annual San Diego Festival of Beer will be taking over the streets of the city tonight (9/20) to bring you a fun-filled evening where more than 3,000 beer lovers (like yourself) will be enjoying the sounds of some of the region’s best rock music while sampling top-notch brews. And it’s all for a good cause too! This festival benefits the San Diego Professionals Against Cancer (SDPAC), a nonprofit organization dedicated to generating monies for cancer research and patient treatment. For more info on what is billed as “San Diego’s Original Beer Festival,” check out: SD Beer Fest

Our Awesome Weekend Beer Pick

Hangar 24 Craft Brewery has just announced the release of their newest seasonal and we can’t wait to get our hands on some. Oktoberfest Fall Lager is a malt-forward amber brewed in true “Reinheitsgebot fashion” – so we’re in! Look for it now on draft and in 4-packs of 12 oz. bottles.