Nothing says Wisconsin like beer and cheese. And nothing says beer and cheese like the aptly-named Isthmus Beer and Cheese Festival that took place in Madison last weekend. Even in below-freezing conditions, determined Sconnies cabbed, bussed, biked, and walked to get to their favorite event of the year. So many, in fact, that the event sold out, resulting in "Will sell soul for 1 ticket" signs outside. Worth it.

Hey, we all might have had a misstep or two . . . Just saying.

If you're smart, you no longer go there - but I'd wager that there's no one reading this who's never felt the wrath of a real hangover. A real hangover is not just feeling tired or feeling a little off. A real hangover is brutal - a real hangover sucks. But hangovers can be avoided or at least lessened, and we've got some suggestions.

PORTLAND, OR – A recently completed study estimates the economic impact of the 2012 Oregon Brewers Festival on the local economy at $30 million. This was the second year that Jeff Dense, Professor of Political Science at Eastern Oregon University, and his Politics and Beer class conducted a survey on the grounds of the festival.

Escondido, CA (August 27, 2012) – Stone Brewing Co. has donated $86,373.61 to ReBuild Waterbury and $30,000 to Waterbury Good Neighbor Fund for efforts to restore Waterbury, Vt., a community that was damaged by Tropical Storm Irene in 2011. The proceeds are from the sale of the collaboration beer, The Alchemist / Ninkasi / Stone More Brown Than Black IPA, brewed in December 2011 with Ninkasi Brewing Company in Eugene, Ore. and The Alchemist Pub and Brewery in Waterbury. The beer was sold in 17 states, including Vermont.

Ben Love & Van Havig are the founders of one of Portland's most exciting new craft breweries- Gigantic Brewing. In spite of their start-up's recent success, they are still very much a two man operation. Ben made a name for himself at Hopworks Urban Brewery and Van was last at Rock Bottom Brewing. But now it's all about Gigantic Brewing - and they are both are doing everything- so we appreciated them making time for us when we were in town.

It's been nearly 18 month since the big boys purchased Goose Island. And though the uproar that accompanied that $38.8 million acquisition by Anheuser-Busch might have died down some, the craft beer community still watches Goose Island's evolution with cautious interest and some trepidation.

We were scheduled for a noontime visit with Gigantic Brewing but when we pulled the ACB BeeRV up into their parking lot things seemed quiet – too quiet. The thing about Gigantic is that they are not. In spite of their emerging popularity among Portland's craft breweries, Gigantic is very much a two person operation.

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.

Hey it's Friday and we're heading into the weekend and it looks to be a hot one in more ways than one. We know that you're looking to enjoy some down time. And that's where we come in. It's time to start planning your moves for the weekend and we've got some suggestions. We're all about it and have got you covered. Plus we've got a weekend beer pick for you too! So welcome to this week's Weekend Picks!

Though we've written about The Commons in the past, we'd not as yet had the opportunity to meet with its founder, Mike Wright, or to visit this unique and distinctive mini-brewery, so we we're psyched when we were invited to come through!