Craft brewers continue to jump on the trend of putting their beer in cans. Now Bell's Brewery, a well-respected operation out of Kalamazoo, Mich., is adding a canning line. Unfortunately here in Ohio -- other than Anheuser Busch InBev and MillerCoors, of course -- no brewers are canning their beer. Black Box Brewing had pledged back in late 2009 to start canning but the economy and its new relationship with Crooked River -- bottles only -- downed that effort. Maumee Bay Brewing in Toledo, the maker of Buckeye Beer, also has been looking into canning its beer. Click here for the Bell's story by the Grand Rapids Press.

There's a new, goofy way to get your beer glass filled at the baseball stadium -- from the bottom up. The Bottoms Up dispensing system actually fills plastic glasses through a hole in the bottom of the glass. Confusing? Yes. But apparently it reduces spillage and foam. Click here to read a story by the St. Louis Post Dispatch about the system being introduced at Busch Stadium.

Scene magazine has published its annual "Best of Cleveland" edition. Great Lakes Brewing picked up two honors: "Best Sustainability Champion" for its social and environmental efforts, and "Best Beer" for Christmas Ale. The Buckeye Beer Engine in Lakewood has the "Best Beer Selection." To check out all the "bests," click here.

Marc Bona, the beer scribe for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, writes today about a retro beer stand this year at Progressive Field where the Cleveland Indians play. Most stadiums upped their beer selections years ago. But "Your Dad's Beer" in section 119 will feature the likes of Pabst, Blatz, Genesee and Stroh's. Marc also writes that craft beer fans need not fret because the stadium also sells plenty of Ohio-made brews. To read his column, click here.

The same day that Anheuser-Busch InBev announced that it's buying Chicago craft brewer Goose Island, SABMiller Chief Executive Officer Graham Mackay predicted that there will be even more consolidation in the beer industry. Click here to read the Bloomberg story.

The Church Brew Works is one of the most gorgeous brewpubs that I've ever visited. Why? Well, it's inside a former Catholic church and it's hard not to stand with your mouth agape staring at the stained glass windows and church architecture. Here's a travel story that I wrote for the Akron Beacon Journal about the brewery. Click here.

Anheuser-Busch InBev has had a minority ownership share of Goose Island since 2006. But now the make of Budweiser is buying the well-respected Chicago brewery for $38.8 million. Check out some of the media coverage: Wall Street Journal story here, St. Louis Post Dispatch story here and Chicago Tribune story here.

A little while ago, I wrote a story for the Akron Beacon Journal about the Whole Foods grocery chain selling draft beer at its stores, including the ones in University Heights and Woodmere in suburban Cleveland. Now, the chain is adding beer and wine bars that specialize in local products, according to USAToday. Click here to read the story.

The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad will hold another "Ales on Rails" beer tasting trip at 7 p.m. March 25. The two-hour ride through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park will focus on red ales and stouts. The cost is $45 for coach seats, $65 for first-class seats and $80 for executive class seats. People will board at the Boston Mills station in Peninsula.

The Indianapolis Star published a story this week talking about how the variety of craft beer available today has led to the rise of new titles such as "certified beer server" and "master cicerone." Just as wine has sommeliers to guide folks, the beer industry is seeing a growth in beer "guides." Click here to read the story.

A New York man showed up drunk and carrying an opened can of Busch at his court hearing for a drunken-driving charge. He also had a bag with four more cans unopened. The full story is here.

The 2011 Samuel Adams LongShot series -- which features beers made by homebrewers and a Samuel Adams employee each year -- has hit store shelves. The winning beers are Friar Hop Ale by Richard Roper of Georgia, Blackened Hops by Rodney Kibzey of Illinois and Honey B's Lavender Ale by Samuel Adams sales team member Caitlin DeClercq. A six-pack retails for $9.99. Click here to learn more about the LongShot contest.

Granite City Food & Brewery, a chain of brewpubs based in St. Louis Park, Minn., is going to start bottling three of its beers. It doesn't look like they will be available in Ohio, though. Granite City has an operation in Maumee outside of Toledo. A company news release says the beers -- Northern Lager, Duke of Wellington and Brother Benedict's Bock -- will be available in bottles in Minnesota, Kansas, North Dakota, South Dakota and Iowa. Click here to read the news release.

Craft beer sales were strong again last year. Small and independent craft brewers saw volume increase 11 percent and retail sales dollars increase 12 percent over 2009, according to the Brewers Association in Boulder, Colo. The number of U.S. breweries also are increasing. Last year, there were 1,759 operating breweries, up 8 percent from the previous year. Craft brewers produced nearly 10 million barrels, about 1 million more barrels than 2009. "Beer lovers increased their appreciation for American craft brewers and their beers in 2010," association Director Paul Gatza said in a prepared statement. "Craft brewers' stories resonate with Americans who are choosing small, independent companies making delicious beers in more than 100 different styles." To read more, click here.

Cellar Rats Brewery, located at the Debonne Vineyards in Madison, is expanding its brewery and its beer footprint, and will begin offering four beers in bottles this year. The brewery, which previously has offered its beer only on draft, has earned a solid reputation, said Joel Sandrey, the sales and marketing director. "Now it’s time to take the next step and put it in bottles and to retail," he said. The brewery will sell its Rat Tail Ale at stores, with the stout, India pale ale and wheat beers being available initially only at the brewery. They've also revamped their rat logo. Click here to see one of the new labels.

The workers at the Anheuser-Busch InBev brewery in Columbus are smiling big. The company has named the plant its best brewery in North America. The Columbus brewery, which beat out 17 other breweries for that honor, is now waiting to hear where it will place in the company's global competition. The Columbus plant is up against five other regional winners. Breweries are judged on various criteria, including quality, productivity, safety, environment and management. "It is a very comprehensive and quantitative process," plant manager Kevin Lee said. He said he's holding off on celebrating the North American award until finding out the global results. But Columbus workers will definitely have a celebration.

Hoppin' Frog Brewery in Akron will release its Hop Dam Triple IPA for 2011 on Friday and Saturday at the brewery. Owner Fred Karm describes the beer this way: "Hop Dam has great flavor because it is hopped in every possible opportunity throughout the brewing process to make an assaulting yet satisfying Triple IPA beer.  It has many of the great American hops used as dry-hops, whirlpool hops, finishing hops, flavor hops, bitterness hops, first-wort hops, and even mash hops!!"

Freelance journalist Joe Stange raises the question about whether American beer is getting too pretentious in a new article in Draft Magazine.

He writes: "Maybe you don’t see it. I guess there’s a chance that you’re among the geekiest of the geeks, and that you personally will never get tired of triple-imperial-barrel-aged whatsits or pairing kvass with caviar and Kandinsky, or whatever. If that’s the case, I’m jealous. Everyone else: Isn’t it all getting a bit precious? A bit pretentious? A bit much? Or, to put it another way: Has the cool craft beer Fonz finally jumped the proverbial shark? Aren’t we forgetting about the Richie Cunninghams of the world, who just want a flavorful glass of something drinkable—or, preferably, several glasses—in a friendly place at a fair price?"

Clipper City Brewing in Baltimore will release a new beer called Plank I, an English ale aged on yellow poplar wood during the second fermentation, according to the Arbutus Times. The beer will be available in 22-ounce bottles in May. Click here for the full story.

Gordon Biersch in Columbus will hold a special party from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. April 7 to tap the first barrel of this year's Maibock. The event, which includes live entertainment and Maibock samples, will support Operation Feed and the Mid-Ohio Foodbank.

Indigo Imp Brewery in Cleveland has released three new beers in a sample pack that should hit stores by the end of March. The beers are: Spring, a Belgian style saison; Fiend, a red rye ale; and 26 Degrees, a tropical stout. For more, go to: www.indigoimpbrewery.com.

Great Lakes Brewing in Cleveland believes in educating folks about beer. The well-respected craft brewery is offering two upcoming classes: one providing an indepth look at India pale ale and pale ale styles on March 31, and another talking about the name behind its Eliot Ness beer on April 21. Great Lakes is teaming up with Fat Head's Brewery and Saloon for the IPA and pale ale class. Check out www.greatlakesbrewing.com/events/727 and www.greatlakesbrewing.com/events/652 for details, including price and times.

More grocery stores are starting to sell draft beer, including some in the Cleveland/Akron area. I wrote about this new trend recently for the Akron Beacon Journal. Here's the story: Draft beer Part One and Draft beer Part Two.

The Ravenna Record-Courier reports today that two businessmen are planning on opening the Black Squirrel Brewing Co. Matthew Stroia of North Canton and an unnamed parter plan on having their beer brewed on contract at two breweries (Sorry, the story doesn't say which ones.) Stroia tells the newspaper that he hopes to have the beer available this summer.

Here's the story: http://www.recordpub.com/news/article/4998547.

The Buckeye Beer Engine in Lakewood -- the brewpub arm of Buckeye Brewing Co. -- celebrates its four-year anniversary on Sunday. To celebrate, the place is offering $2 off burgers and sandwiches after 1 p.m. In an e-mail to beer fans, owner Garin Wright wrote: "It really is amazing how much the beer culture in Cleveland has changed in the last four years. We are proud to be a player in that, proud to be a major influence."

For all things Beer Engine, go to: http://buckeyebeerengine.com/.

Hoppin' Frog Brewery's Frog's Double Hollow Pumpkin Ale took home the "people's choice" award for best beer at the Akron Art Museum's Art and Ale beer tasting on Friday. It shouldn't be that big of a suprise. The beer -- a hefty 8.4 percent alcohol -- won a gold medal at the 2010 Great American Beer Festival. The museum event featured Hoppin' Frog, Elevator Brewing, Indigo Imp, Ohio Brewing, Main Street Grille, Lager Heads, Thirsty Dog and several beers from distributor House of LaRose.

Americans waste plenty of time filling out March Madness brackets this time of year. The Washington Post food section is giving beer drinkers an opportunity to waste time filling out a "Beer Madness" pool. The newspaper has asked beer fans to vote for 64 pre-selected beers that will be narrowed down to one winner. Two Northeast Ohio breweries -- Hoppin' Frog in Akron and Great Lakes in Cleveland -- are represented. Unfortunately, they are going head-to-head in the first round.

To check out all the beers and vote, go here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/artsandliving/foodanddining/features/2011/beer-madness/.

I'm excited to say that my travel book Ohio Breweries, which provides profiles of all the breweries operating in the state, is slated to be published by Stackpole Books in September. The manuscript is currently being edited.

Here's a preview of the book cover: Ohio Breweries cover.

My friend Marc Bona, the beer writer for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, gives up beer for Lent. There's a guy from Iowa who is doing the exact opposite. A newspaper editor there plans to drink nothing but beer and water for the 40 days of Lent. He tells a CBS television station that he wants to connect with Franciscan monks.

Here's the full story: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504784_162-20041680-10391705.html.

The Associated Press reports that U.S. Sen. John Kerry is proposing a tax cut for small breweries. Here's the full story: http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9LRUF200.htm.