Picking three favorite beers from the past year is almost like choosing your favorite child. Come to think of it, I've met a lot of kids who are complete assholes so that's probably not as tough as one would think. However, selecting them from the booming craft beer hotbed that is Chicagoland is no enviable task. From Chicago's far west suburbs down to Indianapolis and up to the chilly regions of Michigan, the market has grown by leaps and bounds in 2013 and shows no signs of slowing down. Oh well, it's a tough job, but someone's gotta do it. Without further ado...

December 5^th marks the anniversary of the day that the United States repealed the 18^th amendment, ending thirteen dark years of Prohibition, and restoring the right for Americans to purchase and consume alcohol once again. Today is a pretty big holiday for us at the American Craft Beer offices. Some of us have been celebrating since 7 am this morning and we suggest that you find some time to as well.

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, and this week, we're all about the seasonals. From Eel River's Onyx Black IPA to Abita's Grapefruit Harvest, we've got all kinds of new releases you're going to 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....Founders is on an enormous roll and we'll be bringing you everything we know so far. Plus we've got some huge news coming out of the Idle Hands and Enlightenment Ales camps. But that's not all... we've also got a special Rumor Mill winter release you'll want to chase down before the holidays. So fasten your seat belts everybody because....THIS WEEK'S RUMOR MILL IS ON!

It's the holiday season so allow me to be sentimental. I live in Dallas (and there is some kick-ass beer here, people - not just Shiner) but during the holidays, my heart and my palate crave some fine Virginia beer. Perhaps it's because that's where I first got into craft beer, perhaps it's because I'm always back in the Commonwealth for Christmas, or perhaps it's because I just want what I can't get regularly - but whatever the reason, there's no denying that Virginia is becoming as big a craft beer powerhouse as it is a wine region. Allow me to share some of my favs...

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 and this week, we're all about the cold-weather seasonals. From Tröegs ¿Impending Descent? to Avery's Grand Maharaja and Mephistopheles Stout, we've got all kinds of new releases you're going to want to chase down.

American Craft Beer is not just my voice but many...We're a community of artists, entrepreneurs, writers, and dangerous hopheads based all over the country and we cover the craft beer scene because we love it. We're currently 17 correspondents deep and every one of them knows more about the craft beer scene in their own individual cities/regions than I could ever hope to. And with the holidays already upon us and 2013 fast coming to a close, I thought it might be fun to ask each of our writers to reflect upon the craft beer scene in their particular parts of the country and to share some of their favorites. And we'll be featuring their selections daily throughout December.

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 enjoying yourselves.

It's no secret that we here at ACB love the ladies! (Especially considering that more than half of our correspondents happen to hail from the fairer sex.) What's up sistas! So when we had the opportunity to start a project with Megan Cheek, Operations Manager at Orlando Brewing, I busted out the pink brew boots to make some Orlando brewing history...and some beer.

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 and this week we're all about the cold-weather seasonals ...From Half Acre's Quakerbridge to  Russian River's Beatification Batch #6 , we've  got all kinds of new seasonals you're going to want to chase down.