The cask beer tradition has all the key ingredients for a Seattle obsession. Local. Small batch. Natural. High quality. With the real possibility that things could get a little weird. It's certainly right up my alley, and by the enthusiastic turnout at this year's Washington Cask Beer Festival, I'm clearly not alone.

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 Brewery Ommegang's newest Game of Thrones Red Ale to the latest releases from Firestone Walker and Tröegs Brewing - we've all kinds of beers that you'll want to chase down.

We just received this communiqué from our friends at the Brewers Association (BA) with last year's craft beer sales and volume numbers... As always we appreciate their efforts in putting this together and thought you might enjoy seeing how your favorite brewery did last year.

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.

Did you know that the fermentation process of beer emits quite a bit of CO2? If you're a homebrewer or go on brewery tours often, you know that the bubbling air lock or the bucket next to the giant fermenter at a brewery is helping to manage the CO2 emissions. Breweries often try to exist as sustainably as possible - giving away spent grain to local farmers, heat-exchanging mash tun water, and even installing solar energy panels. But what about the CO2 emissions?

During the year, Portland is famous for it's craft beer mini festivals and it seems like there's another off-the-wall specialty to check out each weekend, easily making someone at the ready to beat back the beast that is alcoholism. This weekend? It's all about the Farmhouse and Wild Ale Festival Saturday and Sunday at Saravzea Bottle Shop and Pasty Tavern.

Hey it's Friday... Spring has sprung and you're ready for some fun. Well good, because we're all about it and we've got all kinds of ideas. 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...

Last Saturday, Old World beer-serving technique met New World brewing creativity at Orange County's first-ever cask beer festival - FirkFest. The inaugural FirkFest took place in the heart of downtown Anaheim, one of the more flourishing cities for craft beer in Orange County.

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 Stone Brewing's 2014 Imperial Russian Stout to the latest releases from Allagash and the Flying Dog Brewery - we've all kinds of beers that you'll want to chase down.

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

Hey it's Wednesday and that means it's Rumor Mill Time....The New York International Beer Competition just announced their 2014 winners and we've got the complete rundown on them for you! Plus we've an update from our friends at New Belgium and some San Francisco Giants news from Anchor Brewing.

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