When one thinks of breweries, it's likely that images of massive steel tanks surrounded by endless hops and malted barley come to mind, accompanied by a brewer or two with shaved heads, long beards, and the occasional hop tattoo. But Stone Brewing likes to do things differently....

Hey it's Friday... and you're ready for some fun. Well good, because we're all about it and we've got all kinds of ideas for you. From the nation's coolest beer festivals to movies, music and cutting edge TV - we've got your back big-time.  Plus we've a weekend beer pick for you too, because we know you'll be drinking!

So welcome to our awesome Weekend Picks...

Labels are the unsung heroes of the drinking world; they allow breweries to advertise their wares as the craft beer segment becomes more competitive. We've got some great local talent slapping noteworthy art on bottles, which begs the question: who's behind these masterpieces?

For the past five years I've been trying to time up a pilgrimage to not only visit my fraternity brothers for our annual (infamous) Super Bowl party, but to finally visit Russian River for their Pliny the Younger release, all coinciding with my birthday. Well, I finally did it and by all accounts it was an epic voyage to 10 breweries that reaffirmed my love for California. 

So many beers- So little time... Winter has started to thaw a bit, and now we're beginning to see some early springtime offerings ...We've also some great new releases from Summit and Wicked Weed that you may need to chase down as well.

American Craft Beer delivers craft beer news and lifestyle 24/7. And maybe that's why we're constantly being hit up by different media groups asking us to share with our readers everything from hangover cures and beer-related products, to new music, movies, and books....And yes, we get lots and lots of books to review.

And we've three completely different kinds of beer books for you this week...

Yikes it's February already... and clearly nothing is slowing down anytime soon. But no worries, Rumor Mill is always on the case, keeping you plugged in to all the craft beer news that matters. Plus we've an all-important update on what we've been drinking lately and you absolutely don't want to miss that.

It's true, outside appearances influence people's perceptions of how things or people are on the inside. This is why having the right beer label is crucial for the success of the beer. And here are five that I like...

NYC Beer Week 2016 returns this Friday for 10 days (Feb 19th-28th) of serious beer fun. This year's celebration will feature over 400 fantastic events - and I've picked eight that you absolutely don't want to miss...

So many beers- So little time... Winter is not forever and now we're beginning to see some early springtime offerings ...We've also some very interesting new releases from Renegade and Odell that you may need to chase down as well.