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.

What do you get when you cross a mechanical engineer and craft brewing? a) A robot with beer taps? b) A Dr. Seuss-like beer-making machine called a Brewhoomaloo? c) An introvert with a Mr. Beer kit? Trick question. It's actually none of the above. What you get is the head brewer and owner of Valiant Brewing Company, Brian Schroepfer.

Hey, it's Friday and if you're like us, you've had it with winter and spring can't come quick enough. Bottom line - you're in desperate need of fun this weekend. That's where we come in! We've got all kinds of suggestions and we've got your back big-time. Plus, we've got a special "March Madness" beer pick that you're going to want to chase down...So welcome to this week's edition of our awesome Weekend Picks!

This is one for the geeking-out books. As a huge fan of Backlash Brewery's beer, aesthetic, and blog, I was thrilled to sit down with founder Helder Pimentel at one of his favorite haunts, Eastern Standard, and get his take on new brews, epic fails, and lessons learned. 

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!  

I don't know about you, but it seems about every few months I hear of a new brewery opening in the New England area ...and that is only in New England. It's almost as if you need an Excel spreadsheet just to keep track of all these new additions. Just in the Boston area, I know of six breweries that have opened since 2011 and in 2013. All of this growth got me thinking - can the craft beer industry really sustain all of this intense growth?

Hey it's Wednesday and it's Rumor Mill Time.....The Oskar Blues World Domination Tour just keeps rolling and they've got their eyes on a brand new prize. We'll be giving you everything that we know so far, plus we've got some fast-breaking craft beer news from the Mississippi State House, as well as from the boys in Durango. Plus we've got a hot new spring release that you will definitely want to run down! So fasten your seatbelts everybody....THIS WEEK'S RUMOR MILL IS ON!

A few weeks ago, I introduced Reuben's Brews to the ACB community by calling out the fact that the brewery's first commercial batch was a Roggenbier...which begs the question, what the hell is a Roggenbier? I'm here to answer that question with the fifth installment in our new series on beer styles. Thanks for the inspiration, Reuben's!

Like any good dinner host, DC area brewers are breaking out the fine china and sprucing up their places in preparation for the industry's descent upon the Nation's Capital for this year's Craft Brewers Conference. It's a big deal for the region's craft brewers, and they're making every effort to be welcoming. From brewing special CBC beers to gearing up for technical seminars, all manner of preparations are underway to make the event memorable and to showcase the area's players.

(Boulder, CO) - The Brewers Association just issued a press release with data on American craft beer's 2012 growth and it's mind-boggling! In a year when the total U.S. beer market grew by one percent, craft brewers saw a 15 percent rise in volume and a 17 percent increase in dollar growth, representing a total barrel increase of almost 1.8 million.