Much like its obsessively sought-after namesake, this year's Dark Lord Day (DLD) deftly demonstrated that the festival is continually improving with age. Just when you think that there's nothing Three Floyds can do to make their annual event more enjoyable, they go and blow your expectations to unidentifiable bits. And they accomplish this while attendance numbers grow exponentially each year (8,000+ lucky souls entered the gates this year).

Hey it's Wednesday and it's Rumor Mill time... American troops and their families get a helping hand from a Saint. A big baby Buddha is turning 1 and the AHA 2014 Conference Beer is named. We also have some much needed good news for GWAR fans!

So fasten your seat belts everybody... THIS WEEK'S RUMOR MILL IS ON!

So many beers, So little time...Newbies is your essential map to the "best of the best" and the hottest new craft beers rolling out each week. From Ninkasi's Summer Style IPA to Mother's Brewing Summer Seasonal Sandy - we have some of the best summer releases that will get you ready for that favorite time of year.

So welcome to another edition of Newbies -Your ultimate guide to great new craft beers!

Last Thursday marked the official start of 2014's Seattle Beer Week - ten glorious days packed with events, tastings, gatherings, and special releases too numerous for any sane person to attend them all. Thankfully, your humble Seattle correspondent has cherry-picked just a few fantastic experiences you'll want to add to your calendar.

Hey even though we act like it, we admit we don't know everything. And one thing that's cool to know more about is the kind of beer that you're drinking. Every craft beer style has its own backstory, a hometown, and a reason why it came about. It's all part of a beer's DNA and we think that matters.

So welcome to the latest in our ongoing series (drum roll please...) "What the Hell Is a Helles?"

Cinco de Mayo got crafty on a recent weekend in Orange County with the first annual Sabroso Craft Beer & Taco Festival. Organized by Brew Ha Ha Productions, the well-known craft beer producers of OC Brew Ha Ha and OC Brew Ho Ho, the Mexican-themed festival was ablaze literally by the pre-summer California heat and the tequila and pepper-infused craft beers.

We blame the industry for this... It used to be that when we wrapped up our Weekend Picks on Friday, we could coast through the weekend. There was little need to check in for updates - things were pretty much done. But clearly all that's changed.

So here's some of what's happened in the world of craft beer while you were off enjoying yourselves.

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. We've also a Weekend Beer Pick for you too, because we know you'll be drinking.

So welcome to our awesome Weekend Picks...

The SAVOR Salons offered each night are as impressive as they are diverse. And as there are so many to choose from, we decided to highlight each evening's events separately. If you've not checked out Friday Night's Salon Life Highlights - then you need to.

So here are just a few of the many SAVOR Salons happening on Saturday Night that we're excited about...

One of the things that we enjoy about SAVOR, in addition to the beers themselves and the wonderful foods offered to pair with them, are the unique Salon opportunities occurring nightly. These carefully curated Salons allow attendees a quiet respite from the Grand Tasting in the National Building Museum's Great Hall and a private space where they can learn more about brewing techniques and sample "special reserve" beers with some of the industry's masters. So here are just some of the Salons being presented on Friday Night that caught our attention...