A lot of attention has been (rightfully!) paid to Portland, Oregon over the past few years. From the outstanding parody (?) series Portlandia to the current "fairy tale without vampires" series Grimm, Portland provides an excellent backdrop of scenic beauty and cultural treasure. Part of what makes Portland so curious for outsiders is that it's tucked up in the Northwest corner of the United States where its citizens are free to experiment, play, and create. For a long time the rich craft brewing scene has been part of that culture and now there is a way to take it all in, by bike, in a new book titled Hop In The Saddle that combines pedals and pints.

Although the old Rainier Brewery closed its doors in 1999, the facility has not yet seen the end of its brewing days. In 2010, the Emerald City Beer Company moved in with a beer lab and tasting room built directly into the old Rainier cold room. Though the Emerald City Beer Company made some renovations to the space (such as adding a bar and covering the cork lining on the walls), the historical significance is not lost as you take a tour of the facility. The tasting room is built upon an old loading dock, and you can view the old Rainier lagering tanks through a window in the (new) brewery.

So many craft beers, so little time. With so many craft breweries, releasing so many beers, we thought it might help to provide a weekly update on all the new beers hitting the streets...So welcome to this week's edition of Newbies - your guide to great new releases!

We take pride in our beer festivals here in the Midwest, and the Windy City is no exception. This past weekend over 6,000 people showed up to sample from over 100 breweries at Chicago's third annual Beer Hoptacular. After selling out their first two years, the event relocated to Riverfront Theatre and held three separate sessions over two days in order to accommodate more breweries and more beer-lovers. This still proved to be inadequate though- Beer Hoptacular sold out again on Saturday.

Festivals. Festivals. Festivals. There are so many festivals! Some with barrels, some at race tracks, and one to help with Hurricane Sandy relief efforts. So which should you do? The Weekend Picks.

At ACB, we are all about how a small group of individuals can start-up on a shoestring budget and make a big difference in the way our culture is perceived. In our effort to seek out those who support and promote the craft beer community, we circle back to a project we profiled in March - a craft beer documentary in the making called "Crafting A Nation - One Craft Beer at a Time."

Welcome to our next installment of "I'm Drinking WHAT!?", a series that gives you a brief overview of some of the ingredients that go into the craft beer you're drinking.

After a morning of watching other people run 26.2 miles in the Richmond Marathon, it was time to take a nap and then head over to the Taste the Local West Broad Village Festival.

Dear Mr. Queenan,

Can I call you Joe? I'm assuming so since you seem like a very intelligent man and someone that I probably would enjoy speaking with over a pint. Unfortunately it seems that where we would want to have that pint or what exactly would be in the pint would be different places/beverages.

It's Wednesday and its Rumor Mill Time! It's another week down and another roundup of news. We are always on the lookout for new and interesting things that find their way into the rumor mill, and this week we have something for everyone: new brewers, new beers, hockey, sushi, and amendment 64. As we said...something for everyone. Now, sort of like what Bull said in Robin Hood Prince of Thieves: "to the beer!"