This summer, Pittsburgh got a real treat when Animal Rescue Partners added the city to its list of Beerfest locales, blew into town, and put on a festival to remember. More than 80 different breweries attended the festival, showing their support for the city of Pittsburgh and all of the animals that the festival was set to benefit.

Hey it's Friday, the weekend's almost here, and you are beyond ready for some serious fun. Well good, because that's where we come in. 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 of our weekend beer picks for you - so you'll want to check that out. So welcome to this week's edition of our awesome Weekend Picks.

Ed and Rob (two Los Angeles firemen) tumble and slide down a hole that gives way to a hillside. They descend away from the brush fire until they fall into a ravine. Out of breath and covered in soot, Ed looks at Rob and says, "When we get off work, I'm going to need a nice cold beer." Rob's eyes widen as he experiences an epiphany, "Why not make our own beer, a Fireman's Brew?"

This weekend, the Deep Ellum Brewing Company (DEBC) hosted its 2nd Annual Labor of Love Homebrew Competition featuring more than 40 Dallas/Fort Worth area homebrewers. The homebrewers were required to offer up their own unique recipes using only the products provided by the brewery. Winners walked away with a little fame, recognition, and an artful beer case. The grand winner earned the honor to have their recipe produced by DEBC and served in the brewery's tap room.

Hey it's Wednesday and it's Rumor Mill time already.....News of a special collaboration beer's imminent release was met with riots in the streets yesterday! We'll be bringing you everything we know so far. Plus we've got some really good news from our friends at New Belgium and some quality updates from Odell. We've also got a special new Rumor Mill release that you'll want to chase down. So fasten your seat belts...THIS WEEK'S RUMOR MILL IS ON!

Peanut butter and jelly. Gin and tonic. Turner and Hooch. Just like Laverne and Shirley, great things are made better when combined. The same goes in the beer world, as collaborations not only build up brands, but also help create new and interesting combinations. And AmericanCraftBeer.com has gotten into the spirit, joining forces with Kent, Washington's Airways Brewing to create such a masterpiece, Non-Stop Session IPA.

One of the finest beer festivals in Texas reemerges this weekend in Dallas. The 2^nd Annual Dallas Untapped festival, held this Saturday, September 7, 2013, at Gilley's will once again feature the brightest talent in American craft beer and the indie music scene. The festival also showcases some of the best local food vendors, entrepreneurs, and charities to create a vibrant village of entertainment. Since attending this festival and its sister event in Fort Worth, I have armed myself with a few tricks to ensure that Untapped remains a huge success in my festival repertoire.

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 long Labor Day weekend.

It's barely 55 degrees outside and yet here I am, sitting on the back porch of my favorite dive shivering through a hop-loaded Pale Ale. Fall came early in Boone, North Carolina. With nightly temperatures dropping into the 40s this past week, I had plenty of time to warm up next to the early and awesome releases of some delicious Fall ale's. Three in particular have stood out substantially against the rest. I present to you: the three ales you must try in the next three weeks.