Fret not, Southern beer drinkers: While the region's craft beer scene has gone and grown up, its fans (if a newly released documentary is any indication) show no signs of maturing.

"Beer Y'all," billed as "rock-and-roll road trip across North Carolina," follows a scruffy septet of wannabe homebrewers on a nine-day pilgrimage to 27 microbreweries across the state. Like any great epic, the film has a hero (the guy in Allegheny County who lets the travelers crash on his couch); obstacles (drunken ping-pong); encounters with inscrutable seers (brewmasters who mumble about keg conditioning) and a moral that inspired the industry crowd at last night's world premiere screening to hoist their pitchers in appreciation: Beer shouldn't be taken too seriously.

While the dudes filmmakers marvel politely at the tanks their hosts show off, they have little patience for academic discussions of wort and hops. They'd rather get drunk and watch "Lethal Weapon 2." They like to nap. It takes 48 minutes before anyone in the film mentions how the ales taste, which leaves plenty of time for backyard volleyball playin', lazy guitar pickin' and mongrel dog scratchin'. That's Southern beer, y'all.

"Beer Y'all" will be screening in parts of the Tarheel State this summer.

Beer: It's not just for drinking anymore.

Sure, North Carolina's better known for pulled pork than beer, but Black Mountain's Pisgah Brewing Company crafts liquid delicacies more divine than any swine. Since 2005, this Asheville-area microbrewery (named after a local mountain) has fashioned small-batch organic wonders, like the crisp pale ale; the smooth, obsidian-hued porter; and, to your sobriety's enduring detriment, the Solstice.

The Solstice (sold in corked 750 ml champagne bottles) is a Tripel, a Belgian ale so-called because brewers employ triple the normal malt. This makes Tripels serious knockouts, with alcohol percentages that sky into double digits-sipping (Solstice is 9.5 percent). While inelegant Tripels recall jet fuel, the best, like Solstice, finesse the boozy jolt, creating a complex potion that's dangerously delicious.

T-shirt season has arrived at last, and with it the eagerness to trade belly-warming barleywines for more sprightly sippers: namely hoppy India pale ales, whose floral flavors and aromas recall lush spring blooms. Sure, burly, nap-inducing IPAs like Dogfish Head's 120 Minute or Russian River's Pliny the Elder garner megawatt attention, but IPAs need not be monstrously potent to be monstrously delicious.

This principle is fully understood by Bend, Oregon's decades-old Deschutes Brewery. Its newest spring-summer seasonal, the Red Chair IPA (available in draft or 22-ounce bottles), demonstrates the flavorful results of restraint. Named after a favorite lift at Oregon ski resort Mount Bachelor, the Red Chair pours radiant copper, releasing a heady perfume of citrus, black tea and fresh baked biscuits.

Still, Red's no gnarly mouth-puckerer.

Your favorite beer may have just gotten a makeover. To those wandering the suds store in vain searching for those classic pyramid-sporting, Tintin-esque brews, listen up: Pyramid Hefeweizen will henceforth be known as Haywire Hefeweizen (above left), and Pyramid Apricot Ale is now Audacious Apricot Ale. Pyramid Breweries, America's 11th largest brewing company and fifth largest craft brewer, just announced this "revitalized brand positioning," and we're pretty surprised by the assertive redesign.

We're not alone. "Do they make beer or energy drinks?" quipped one BeerAdvocate user. Others, however, are more blasé: At Charlotte, N.C.'s Flying Saucer Draught Emporium, which stocks over 200 beers, general manager Daniel Parks remarked, "I don't think it will change [sales] one bit."

Typically reserved brewers have been shaking it up a bit of late: Sierra Nevada named a new year-round brew Torpedo IPA, a step up from their unadorned line of Pale Ale, Porter, Stout and Wheat. In Pyramid's case, this may be due to a recent buyout by flamboyantly designed Magic Hat's parent company, Independent Brewers United. (Pyramid did not return several requests for comment). To us, Haywire and Audacious sound like sheer marketing, uh, audacity.

Will you miss the Pyramids of the past the way we will?

A weekly look at the draft selection in beer-friendly bars across the country.

Achieving the premier beer selection in Anchorage, Alaska, is probably harder than it sounds, and is a huge selling point of Humpy's Great Alaskan Alehouse. "[The bar] was created for beer lovers by beer lovers," chuckles manager Sandoz Maurer, as she recites the mantra that can be found on the pub's Web site. A quick look over the draft selection, however, proves this is no laughing matter: 50 types of brews are displayed including an astounding 18 locals!

Humpy's, a live music venue with a slew of Alaskan artists, is well regarded as a locals' hang but is also a visitor destination, particularly during warmer weather. "Summertime is definitely tourist season," Maurer says.

Tourists and locals alike can check the Web for a draft list updated daily (though it's difficult to find, look under "Daily Specials.") Find the most recent selections after the jump.

Though these suds may reign supreme in Anchorage, how would this bar stack up in your fair city? (No Palin jokes, please!)

To put it mildly, Norway is not known for its beer.

"About 98 percent of the beer consists of light lagers," sighs tall, bearded Kjetil Jikiun, cofounder and brewmaster of Nøgne Ø, one of Norway's scant microbreweries. "Norwegians," he laments, "don't know much about craft beer."

Jikiun is the exception: Since launching Nøgne Ø (naked isle) six years ago, the gregarious, bespectacled Norwegian has begun altering his country's carbonated landscape. He crafts bold, flavorful beers more in line with American microbrews than Norway's watery lagers. "Most bars there just have one beer on tap," he says, holding court in New York City's multi-tap beer bar Jimmy's No. 43. "You just order a beer-no choice needed." But Jikiun, an ex–airline pilot who sampled suds wherever he landed, liked choice. He began homebrewing, looking toward American microbrewers for inspiration. "Everybody I served my homebrews to liked them, so I though there'd be a market," he says of launching Nøgne Ø.

A weekly look at the draft selection at beer-friendly bars across the country.

We all have our vices: Some live for libations while others pine for sweets. In St. Louis these two groups can merge in one ecstatic, sugar-fueled pit of sin at Bailey's Chocolate Bar. A lengthy menu of treats includes dramatic desserts, award-winning cocktails and sometimes the two in one beautiful bite (Irish Cream cheesecake, anyone?).

Beer is another of Chocolate Bar's specialties, as it boasts one of STL's most highly-regarded draft lists. A few selections seem obvious (such as Young's Double Chocolate Stout and Arcadia Cocoa Loco) but the bar also boasts a namesake brew, Bailey's Chocolate Bar Chocolate Ale. Of course, a great beer bar can't just stock stouts, and general manager Gene Bailey says they strive for "good enough variety where everyone can find something they like." Many of the current taps come from one brewery: "We're big fans of the New Belgium [Fat Tire] people," Gene admits. Beyond pure pints, Bailey's happily mingles sugar & suds: The Stout Beer Shake, blending chocolate stout and cinnamon ice cream, is a favorite.

Check out Bailey's Chocolate Bar's complete draft list after the jump, tell us if you've got a favorite chocolate beer and get your indulgence on in person next time you're in St. Louis.

The list of America's top 50 craft brewers is out and while big boys Sam Adams, Sierra Nevada and New Belgium (Fat Tire) are again on top, there is a newcomer to list.

After 20 years of brewing, the Saint Louis Brewery - makers of Schlafly - has joined the ranks of top craft brewers. (If you can find it, try their creamy Oatmeal Stout.)

Released by the Brewers Association, the industry arm of the craft-brew industry, the annual list of craft and overall brewers looked at sales for the year 2008. Compared to 35 last year, 37 of the top brewers are on this year's overall list were small independent companies producing less than 2 millions barrels a year.

Big Sky Brewing Co. from Missoula, Mont., and Mac & Jack's Brewery of Redmond, Wash., joined the overall list where the real Big Boys, including Anheuser-Busch InBev and MillerCoors Brewing Co., hold court.

A little consolidation, of course, helped. The merger of Miller and Coors - Nos. 2 and 3 last year - opened up a slot as did the union of Widmer Brothers and Redhook Craft Brewers into what is now Craft Brewers Alliance, Inc.

As it's one of the few industries growing in this economy - 5.8 percent in 2008 - as we head into happy hour, time to cozy up to the bar and skip the Bud for a local draft.

Each Thursday, we round up a selection of scrumptious links from our friends over at YumSugar. Here's what they've got cooking this week.

Is that kosher? A quiz tests your Passover food knowledge.

'Wich of the week: A scrumptious-looking mint, eggplant and feta creation.

Guinness unveils a new stout -- less creamy and maltier than the classic original -- in honor of the brew's 250th birthday.

Name that dish! An all-about-eggs pop quiz just in time for Easter.

A tour of the See's chocolate factory, with insider notes about their classic seasonal sweet treats.

Quick poll: Does it annoy you when restaurant menus aren't online?

A weekly look at the draft selection at beer-friendly bars across the country.

The city of Milwaukee has long been known as Beer Town USA. Considered "the beer capital of the world" at the turn of the 20th century, it was home to four of the world's largest breweries (Blatz, Miller, Pabst and Schlitz).

Nowadays less than 1 percent of Milwaukee's workforce is employed by the brewing industry, but as long as Miller stays in business, Old Milwaukee remains on store shelves and the city keeps calling their baseball team the Brewers, it will continue to earn its moniker. Like many cities, the area is seeing a boom in craft-beer culture. Smaller brewers like Lakefront and Sprecher have national followings and the city is home to a number of brewpubs.

One of Milwaukee's most highly regarded watering holes is Romans' Pub, which DRAFT and Imbibe Magazines have called among the best beer bars in the nation. Indeed, 30 selections grace today's tap list. Sounds like Wisconsinites like to stay relatively local when they booze, though: Owner Mike Romans informed us that Goose Island IPA from nearby Chicago is their most popular brew. Locals craving a beer can simply check the list: "As soon as one gets changed out, it goes up on our site."

A sampling of suds on tap is after the jump. Got a favorite microbrew? Let us know in the comments.

Not every football team has a (semi-) official beer, but the Steelers certainly do: Iron City. Brewed in the Lawrenceville neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Iron City has long paid homage to the hometown team, even designing a series of beer cans in their honor back in the late 70's days of the famed "Steel Curtain" defense, as well as a Jerome Bettis can a few years back.

Despite the fact that Iron City's roots go back over 100 years, 'tis no microbrew. No, think more along the lines of a Pabst or Genesee: A blue-collar beer that gets the job done. Rather like the team it shares a nickname with. As such, Iron City always feels a bit of a sales bump whenever the Steelers hit the Super Bowl. The brewers are especially hopeful this year, as many of the workers in their Pittsburgh plant have been temporarily laid off. It's apparently just until some kind of trouble with the manufacturing line can be solved. Once it is, everyone will be back.

We certainly hope so: There was a time when the Steelers had two beers, back when Rolling Rock was brewed in Latrobe, a town northwest of Pittsburgh where the Steelers had their training camp. The brewery was bought by Anheiser-Busch, who then closed it and moved all operations to New Jersey, thus severing all ties with all things Pittsburgh. Given that I have family in Latrobe, I myself haven't let a drop of the stuff pass my lips since the sale. So, if you want to honor the Steelers on Super Bowl Sunday, go for the Iron City, not the Rolling Rock.

Sunday's New York Times explains that despite Utah's "quirky alcohol laws" pubs and breweries have managed to flourish, even in rough economic times. It all began in 1986 when ski bum and beer enthusiast Greg Schirf opened up Wasatch Brewery in Park City, Utah's first brewery. Back then, pubs were illegal. So, when Schirf wanted to add a pub to his brewery, he had to work with a legislator to construct a bill that would change the state legislature's stance. In 1989, the bill was passed.

Today, craft beers in Park City, Salt Lake City, and other cities in Utah are prospering. Garrett Oliver, at Brooklyn Brewery, in New York, states, "Utah craft brewers can coax a lot of flavor out of a relatively low amount of material." If you're a tourist traveling to Utah, chances are that you are going to come across a pub and/or brewery. The majority of them are located in tourist areas, such as Zion Canyon Brewing Company, near Zion National Park, or Moab Brewery and Eddie McStiff's in Moab.

So, while much of the state remains Mormon and doesn't drink alcoholic beverages, Utah can count on tourism to boost its beer business. If you're going to Utah this ski season, check out the Times article to find out more about the state's finest pubs and breweries.

I've mentioned before that my idea of hell on earth is a meal at Chuck E. Cheese, but if a Michigan franchise gets its way, they'll be easing the pain for parents with beer and wine offerings--adults only, of course. Other Chuck E. Cheese franchises offer alcoholic beverages, but one township trustee thought it was a bad idea, saying, "It's a fun kid place. Just leave it like that."

Eating rubbery pizza with fake-tasting sauce while listening to the whir and jangle of ten thousand games going at once and trying to make small talk with other parents while our kids race around on a birthday-cake induced sugar high is not my favorite way to spend a Saturday afternoon, and yet I seem to end up there several times a year. If I can take the medicine with a spoonful of sugar--er, a glassful of wine--it might not taste so bad.

Champagne or another bubbly might possibly be my stuck-on-a-desert-island drink of choice, but not everyone feels the love. Monday I posted my top eight bubblies for the holidays, but if you just don't dig sparkling wine, what can you toast with instead? Here are a few ideas.

Syrah/Shiraz from Washington state or Australia, which is big and voluptuous, smooth and silky all at once. Skip old world Syrah from the Northern Rhone, which, though it hails from the grape's true home, can give off aromas and flavors of green olives, white pepper, leather, and even meaty bacon. Great with a big ol' hunk of meat, not so great as the jumping-off point to a midnight kiss or a glass-raising toast to the man of the hour. Try the Sequel Syrah from Long Shadows Winery in Walla Walla, Washington, a Shiraz-style wine that's perfect for sipping without food.

Moscato d'Asti, a low-alcohol, barely bubbly Italian sweet white that my friend John calls "party in your mouth" is the perfect alternative to the dryness of Champagne. Try toasting with a bottle from Michele Chiarlo.

Dessert wine is best for a tête-à-tête celebration rather than a room full of happy toasters, both because it comes in half-size bottles and it's usually spendy. Splurge with Sauternes, the world's best dessert wine, or try a late harvest Riesling from Chateau Ste. Michelle.

Anything in a bottle bigger than 750 mL: a magnum (2 bottles), Jeroboam (4 bottles), or Nebuchadnezzar (20 bottles, but you'd better have help pouring) will always wow the crowd, no matter what's inside.

Or just raise a glass of beer. Cheers!