The fine folks at Monday Night Brewing extended a generous invitation to American Craft Beer along with other beer industry folks to tour their brand spanking new facility before opening it to the public.

This has been an exhausting week, and it is up to us all to kick back and relax this weekend. And craft beer is there for you! With festivals galore and some excellent movies coming out, it's time for us to band together as a country and celebrate: The Weekend Picks.

2012 Atlanta Beer Week kicked off with the Decatur Beer Festival and this year was a festival to beat all. Not only did ACB get to attend some pre-beer week events, such as the Brewers’ Ball at Sweetwater Brewing and the Brewers’ Brunch at The Square Pub, but we got our fill of great beer and some newcomers to the Atlanta Market and Decatur Festival that we really enjoyed.

Atlanta Beer Week kicks-off tomorrow afternoon with the Decatur Craft Beer Festival and goes through the 27th with a whole week of great events, special beer releases, and lots of celebrity guests. Check here for American Craft Beer's picks for what's hot during the week long event!

This last Saturday, I had the oh-so fortunate opportunity to soak in Atlanta's great weather alongside a few thousand other craft beer enthusiasts at the 2012 HOToberfest in the Old Fourth Ward Historic Park.  One glance at this year's HOToberfest's beer list and there is no arguing that this festival is Atlanta's, if not the Southeast's premiere craft beer festival. 

Hey it’s Friday and we’re heading into our first October weekend. We’re hoping that you haven’t put away you Lederhosen or shelved your Stein because Oktoberfest celebrations are still going on big-time. And if you thought it was all over last weekend - you were wrong. Because it’s not over till we say it over! So welcome to the second edition of Oktoberfest Weekend Picks.

Southern culture continues to permeate the Atlanta craft beer scene in a way that we have yet to see in any other part of the country. Each brewer, event, and organization has a philosophy and feel unlike anything we have seen. This week, we visited with Jonathan Baker of Monday Night Brewing in Atlanta and were once again blown away by craft beer innovation and character in the south.

Brand new local craft brewers, southern craft beers, and some unexpected twists made the Great Atlanta Beer Festival a huge success this last weekend despite the rain. Check out American Craft Beer’s coverage of the event and find out about some more great craft beer events coming to Atlanta.

The second annual Great Atlanta Beer Festival is this weekend and will be highlighting the fast growing family of Atlanta craft brewers as well as the old favorites from around the world. Of particular interest to AmericanCraftBeer.com, is the debut as of a brand new Atlanta craft beer who just shipped their first batch to market a week ago. All that and a hot new Nashville band...you better check this out.

SweetWater Brewing Company of Hotlanta is picking up speed on their expansive upgrade to their brewing capacity. The makers of 420 Pale Ale and their Brewer's Select Dank Tank Series are in the midst of bringing their beer to a larger portion of the South East. Their renovation schedule has a timeline to finish this fall but the brewery is consistently updating its fan base with teaser photos and announcements.