Hey it's Wednesday and that means it's Rumor Mill Time...Everyone's heading out to Denver this week for the GABF and the town will be rocking! We'll be bringing you what's shaking so far. Plus we've got some updates from the Grateful Dead crew and our friends at Dogfish Head. We've also got a very, very special new Rumor Mill release that you'll want to chase down. So fasten your seat belts...THIS WEEK'S RUMOR MILL IS ON!

You've had your fair share of beers. You've experimented with different types, crazy ingredients, enjoyed some delectable crafts, and muscled through some repulsive ones. Well if you're like me, in all this time indulging other people's wild concepts, you've come up with a few of your own. Floating somewhere in-between your to-do list and your daydreams, I bet there exists a brilliant craft beer recipe that will blow minds. It's time to share those ideas with the world.

For the majority of people, hops seem to be something they have all heard of, but something they have never really thought about. There seem to be many misconceptions about the bright green flowers, like the thought that they contribute to the alcohol content. I also often hear people claim that they "hate hops," not realizing that hops are subtle and essential components to their favorite beers.

If you've ever been to the Seattle area, you know Big Al Brewing. They are the guys with that really hoppy IPA being poured from a tap with the black and green logo. You know the one - the Big Hoppa IPA. Or you may have seen owner Alejandro Brown with his crew at a local bar cheering for a goal by the Seattle Sounders FC. Either way, their name resonates in the community.

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.

The Great Taste of the Midwest is arguably one of the best events a beer and food lover like myself can hope to attend. Or so I've heard. It takes place each year at a lakeside park less than a mile from my house, yet due to impossibly limited in-person ticket sales, the closest I've gotten to the festivities in my three years as a Madisonian is in an offshore kayak.

Hey it's Friday, the weekend's almost here, and now that Breaking Bad has come to its end, it's time to get on with your life. Well good, because we've got some fun ideas for you. From the nation's coolest beer festivals to movies, music, and cutting-edge TV - we've got your back big-time! And we've got another one of our weekend beer picks for you - so you'll want to check that out too. So welcome to this week's edition of our awesome Weekend Picks.

With summer coming to an end, the window for road trips in 2013 is rapidly closing. Luckily, I was able to take an epic road trip from Michigan back to Colorado, visiting five breweries along the way.

As the old adage goes, "If you want to be good, you need to fit in. If you want to be different, you better be great." Tom Powers, the owner of Union Brewhouse in Weymouth, MA, set out to take the road less traveled and in a sea of fizzy yellow macro lager, decided to shed the chains of normality and open a "no crap on tap" craft beer-focused bar in the South Shore of Massachusetts. 

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!