We take pride in our beer festivals here in the Midwest, and the Windy City is no exception. This past weekend over 6,000 people showed up to sample from over 100 breweries at Chicago's third annual Beer Hoptacular. After selling out their first two years, the event relocated to Riverfront Theatre and held three separate sessions over two days in order to accommodate more breweries and more beer-lovers. This still proved to be inadequate though- Beer Hoptacular sold out again on Saturday.

Festivals. Festivals. Festivals. There are so many festivals! Some with barrels, some at race tracks, and one to help with Hurricane Sandy relief efforts. So which should you do? The Weekend Picks.

At ACB, we are all about how a small group of individuals can start-up on a shoestring budget and make a big difference in the way our culture is perceived. In our effort to seek out those who support and promote the craft beer community, we circle back to a project we profiled in March - a craft beer documentary in the making called "Crafting A Nation - One Craft Beer at a Time."

Welcome to our next installment of "I'm Drinking WHAT!?", a series that gives you a brief overview of some of the ingredients that go into the craft beer you're drinking.

After a morning of watching other people run 26.2 miles in the Richmond Marathon, it was time to take a nap and then head over to the Taste the Local West Broad Village Festival.

Dear Mr. Queenan,

Can I call you Joe? I'm assuming so since you seem like a very intelligent man and someone that I probably would enjoy speaking with over a pint. Unfortunately it seems that where we would want to have that pint or what exactly would be in the pint would be different places/beverages.

It's Wednesday and its Rumor Mill Time! It's another week down and another roundup of news. We are always on the lookout for new and interesting things that find their way into the rumor mill, and this week we have something for everyone: new brewers, new beers, hockey, sushi, and amendment 64. As we said...something for everyone. Now, sort of like what Bull said in Robin Hood Prince of Thieves: "to the beer!"

Boo! Did I scare you? Probably not, however what is scary is Budweiser's attempt to keep control of its market share and take some of their beer drinkers back from craft beer.

Shopping just got a whole lot more attractive. You can now drink craft beer while you get your groceries at Whole Foods in Washington, DC. You've never gone through the frozen foods section until you've done it while sipping a pint of Deviant Dale's IPA.

When it comes to craft beer and Halloween, Atlanta Beer Festivals knows how to throw one heckuva party in the form of their Boos and Brews. Sweetwater Brewery, already a no-brainer destination for serious beer, was decked out for Halloween to greet many of Atlanta's finest revelers.