It's Craft Beer Week!!!

Where are you sippin'?

Well we are deep into the week of all weeks when it comes to getting your quality beer sippin' on, American Craft Beer Week, which started on May 14 and “ends” this Sunday. (The quotes are for me especially because every week should be a celebration!) 

Anyway, since 2008, even Congress made this the official week for us craft ale and lager hoisters to enjoy the greatest beverage in the world. Particularly in the U.S., craft breweries (also called microbreweries) are kickin’ some serious ass lately because so many more minds are opening up to the suds that are a lot more inventive, experimental, enlightening, and quite frankly, damn effin’ good! Look how craft breweries—who brew less than six million barrels a year, are independently owned, and basically keep it real with the brewing techniques, community awareness, and inventiveness—have been blowing up, courtesy of the Brewers Association:

Anyway, this week has been a blast so far in Atlanta (thanks Square Pub, SOHO, Cypress Street Pint and Plate, and especially The Porter for hosting the next episode of my show, Cruisin’ For A Brewsin’!), but I am sure there are some awesome events going on throughout the U.S. For example, my longtime friend Cameron aka Craft B Cam, a fellow Shaker Heights High School alumnus (go Red Raiders!) who went to this hoppin’ event at a spot I can’t wait to feature called 101 Beers On TheWall in Kent, Ohio, called Hopocolypse. This is right up my alley since they featured two of my favorite India Pale Ales—Sierra Nevada’s Hoptimum, Bell’s Hopslam, and one I never tried (figure that!) by the gangster brewery out of San Diego County, Green Flash, called the Palate Wrecker aka Hamilton’s Ale at an astounding 149 InternationalBittering Units. Anywho, here’s the cool poster they used:

So do yourself a favor: Visit this link courtesy of the Brewers Association for a few of the hundreds of participants nationwide since all 50 states are doing something beer-related (research for more), flock to the nearest one, get your sip on, and continue supporting the craft beer movement! I am planning on hitting up the aforementioned Atlanta speezots, plus the BrickStore, The Fred, Five Seasons, Smith’s Olde Bar (to check out my boy from the UK, Lee MacDougall), the East Atlanta Beer Festival on Saturday, and a few of other spots if possible. For more details, my main man Reid posted some info on his Beer StreetJournal site, too, including tap takeovers. What about you? Let me know where you are heading!

So when it comes to craft beer, Fight the Power!!!!

Much pub love!

Ale

P.S.

Not to be a buzzkill or anything, but make sure you toast to the Queen of Disco, Donna Summer, who just passed. I guess God needed another angel. 

Top beer photo courtesy of http://blog.georgetownvoice.com.