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 your weekend.

It's no secret that Americans love their hops and it's driving America's brewers to extremes. In their ongoing effort to keep up with this thirst, craft brewers are now doing everything from quadruple-hopping their brews to serving them through repurposed water filters filled with hops...and still the public's hunger grows. Yet in spite of this hop-fueled madness, there are a couple Maryland-based brewers that are choosing a road less taken. They are brewing hop-less beer.

Hey it's Friday and we're heading into the weekend. We get it. You're over it. You've been killing yourself at work all week and you're in desperate need of fun. That's where we come in! We're all about the fun and we've got you covered. Plus we've got some special weekend beer picks for you too...So welcome to this week's edition of our awesome Weekend Picks!

So many beers, So little time......With so many craft breweries, releasing so many beers, we thought it might help to provide a weekly update on all the new beers that are hitting the streets .....So welcome to this week's edition of Newbies - your guide to great new craft beer releases!  

Where I come from, Valentine's Day is lovingly referred to as Pink Beer Day. And although I fully support my college counterparts who celebrate by mixing pink dye into their bud light, this year I've got a better idea. These beers aren't pink, but they'll put you in the spirit--whatever spirit that may be.

Upon entering the doors of Spinnaker Bay Brewing, you'll immediately be drawn to the brewery's striking mahogany bar. This bar, complete with wood-paneled mirrors and a Prohibition-era panic button hidden under the ledge, was recovered from Chicago's Gingham Hotel in 1929 and is rumored to have hosted the gangsters and celebrities of that age. You'll also find raw brick walls, wooden furniture, and Bert Grant tap handles to complete the brewery's post-Prohibition ambiance.

Hey it's Wednesday and it's Rumor Mill Time...Our friends at the Brewers Association have made a big announcement this week and it affects every state in the country! We'll be giving you everything that we know so far, plus we've got some fast-breaking craft beer news from Larry Bell in Kalamazoo as well as from the Brooklyn Brewery crew. We also have some hot new releases that you've got to get your hands on! So fasten your seatbelts everybody....THIS WEEK'S RUMOR MILL IS ON!

We've all been there, when the waiter comes around and you want to order the "Say-zohn." "Oh... the Sigh-zon?" says the waiter. "Uh... Yes, the... Zey-zun," you reply and point to the menu in an attempt to end the horrible, impromptu Monty Python sketch you just wandered into. Truth is, we don't think anyone really knows how to pronounce this one except the Belgians, and we have it on good authority that they're just making it up as they go along.

What's better than a craft beer tasting involving unlimited pours of 35 beers from 10 of New England's finest breweries, fried catfish covered in spicy remoulade, live jazz, and hidden twenty dollar bills? Pretty much nothing.

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 with so much going down lately - all that's changed. So here's some of what's happened in the world of craft beer news while you were enjoying your weekend.