Hey it's Friday and we're heading into the weekend. With the Christmas holiday having just taken place and with New Year's Eve barely a week away, you want to keep the good times rolling and we're here to help you with that! We're all about the fun and we've got you covered. Plus we've got some special seasonal weekend beer picks for you too!

So welcome to our Weekend Picks!

They're more scared than they're letting on....And with all the data coming out lately, they damn well should be.

The bad news for Big Beer keeps coming -you've been reading it everywhere. Sales of craft beer continue to soar. According to the Boulder-based Brewers Association, sales in the first half of 2012 rose 14 percent over the same period in 2011. Production's up by 12 percent! Guest Metrics, a proprietary database that tracks transactions from restaurants and bars has just released a report that reveals that "Anheuser-Busch InBev, MillerCoors, and Heineken USA all lost share to craft beers in on-premise during 2012." That's a two share on-premise loss to craft beer. Big beer can't be loving that!

It's tough starting a new craft beer business. Upfront costs can be challenging and state and local regulations daunting.....So when legislators actually do the right thing and enact laws that really help - they deserve their props. And we're giving them to the statesmen of New Hampshire who've recently made things a whole lot easier for nano-breweries!

Here in Madison we welcomed 15 inches of snow today by way of 35 mph winds. On days like today, there is little Sconnies can do but crack open a brew and let Mother Nature do her thing. Luckily I had some of my favorite craft brews and crafty friends on hand to keep me company. We pride ourselves in our winter knowledge up here, and we've come up with what we believe to be the choice beers this side of the snowpocalypse. Whatever you're up to this holiday season, we've got the beer for you.

I have something to admit. I love Christmas. Like really crazy, dance-in-the-snow, listen-to-only-Christmas-music, watch-every-christmas-special, over-the-top-wrapping-paper, tiny-Christmas-tree-for-my-tiny-apartment kind of love. Being from western New York, I grew up with "Lake Effect Snow" being one of the most dreaded sentences in the English language, but I always got excited about it. I like to wear gloves and fun hats and make snowmen, and more than anything, I love all the hot, heart-warming beverages that come with the holidays. Hot coco, hot toddies, and mulled cider always make me smile. 

'Twas the beer before Christmas, as I sat in the pub,
All the regulars were leaving, looking for grub.
They slid from their stools to the floor with great care,
In hopes that a hot dog soon would be theirs...

In previous installments, we have talked to you about Organic beer, Sustainable beer, and of course the ever-controversial Pumpkin beer, and now it's time to get jolly. It's now time to discuss one of the best things to come out of the Christmas season since Santa Claus starting cloning his indentured servants: winter warmers.

Hey it's Friday and we're heading into the weekend. With today being the "End of Times" (as predicted by the Mayan calendar), you're probably busy saying good-bye to loved ones and haven't given much thought to what might happen if we all do end up surviving. That's where we come in! We're your back-up plan and we've got some ideas...Plus we've got some "devastating" apocalyptic weekend beer picks for you too!

So welcome to the "End of Times" edition of our Weekend Picks!

Everyone likes a good drinking game, but most can agree that craft brews are not necessarily the smartest choice for hours of beer pong, flip cup, and waterfall. However, before you sigh heavily and reach for that can of carbonated swill, stop and read this article! Christmas is here, craft beer aficionados, and it comes in the form of Pint Craft. This craft beer card game, the brainchild of Ann Arbor entrepreneur Nick Helmholdt, will revolutionize the way you and your fellow craft beer fanatics compete.

With the holidays just around the corner, we thought it might be a good time to highlight some of this season's more interesting gift ideas for the craft beer lover on your list. So we turned to our American Craft Beer correspondents for suggestions, and we got so many great ideas back that we are adding one final gift guide! If you missed our first two installments, you should check them out: Holiday Guide Part 1 & Holiday Guide Part 2