We received a timely communiqué from our friends up in Boulder and according to the Brewers Association, the craft beer biz is continuing its sustained growth in the first half of 2014. And while we're hardly surprised, good news is always welcome - and here's some of what we took away from their press release.

So many beers, So little time... Avery Brewing has just released the strongest beer in their history and the word "massive" doesn't come close to doing it justice! We've that story for you plus other cool new releases from Crazy Mountain and Bison Brewing that you'll absolutely want to chase down!

It's time to introduce a new American word into the Japanese vernacular: kegger (for those of you pulling up a language app, that's kega in Japanese).

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 off enjoying yourselves.

We were hanging with some friends yesterday - Spike Buckowski from Terrapin Beer was in DC and he was down at Bluejacket, brewing a special collaboration beer with Greg Engert and his team. (For the record, they were brewing what Spike and Greg called a "Bretted Peach American IPA" and they hope to showcase the results at Snallygaster 2014.) But the visit got us thinking about beer collaborations - about why they've become so popular and why they are such a big deal in the industry today.

So here are some thoughts (in no particular order) about why craft beer collaborations are so cool and so much fun.

Hey it's Friday...Work's been a bitch this week so you're ready to shut down and have some fun. Well good, because we're all about it and we've got all kinds of ideas for you. From the nation's coolest beer festivals to movies, music, and cutting-edge TV - we've got your back big-time. We've also a Weekend Beer Pick for you too, because we know you'll be drinking.

So welcome to our awesome Weekend Picks...

So many beers, So little time... Firestone Walker is bottling a special late summer seasonal for the first time and you need to know about it...We've that story for you plus other cool new releases from 10 Barrel and Upland Brewing that you'll want to chase down! 

You can always tell when it's time for the Brewer's Festival around Portland when people start sending you texts, e-mails, carrier pigeons, and even owls swoop in with messages from around the valley... which day are you going? There is no better place to be this week.

Hey it's Wednesday and that means it's Rumor Mill Time....It's been a huge week for craft beer news with Stone's announcement that they're expanding into Berlin, which is generating tons of excitement and some dissention. We'll get into that and on to other things that are breaking right now in the world of craft beer. Plus we've an all-important update on what we're drinking this week.

We don't sleep so you can....THIS WEEK'S RUMOR MILL IS ON!

Stone Brewing's recent announcement that they'd be building an international production brewery and an expansive destination restaurant in Berlin sent shockwaves throughout the craft beer industry over the weekend. Many of us expected that something like this would eventually happen - but the fact that this is happening now, that a major American craft brewery will actually be bringing its vision and its brand to Europe in 2015 - feels game-changing in every way.