Ordinarily, I start this weekly feature with some boilerplate copy, but I noticed that the festival calendar for this weekend is a bit thin. I’m attributing this to St. Patrick’s Day falling on Saturday, meaning brewers and festival organizers are keeping it local.

So before we get to the forecast, here are links to some specific St. Paddy’s Day articles from around the web that might help you plan your weekend Road Trips for Beer.

• From TheFullPint.com, St. Patrick’s Day Craft Beer Roundup 2012.
• CraftBeer.com writes about Craft Beers to Enjoy on St. Patrick’s Day.
• In this story from wtop.com in Washington, D.C., Julia Herz of the Brewers Association offers suggestions on How to pair beer with food on St. Patrick’s Day.
• Brewtoonist Em Sauter re-posts her comic-strip-style review of Guinness with Gear up for St. Patty’s Day.
• Finally, a piece I wrote for the Yahoo Voices project. St. Patrick’s Day at Disney World: Best Places to Drink a Guinness.

If you know of any road trip-worthy St. Paddy’s Day events, feel free to add them in the comments.

Now, back to the boilerplate …

The Weekend Beer Forecast publishes each Wednesday to alert beer road trippers about beer festivals and other brew-related events during the upcoming weekend.

Click on the links to learn more.

If you would like your event to appear here, please e-mail the details to gerard@roadtripsforbeer.com.

As always, drink responsibly

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The Bold Beer Bash will be Thursday in Bluffton, South Carolina.

The third annual Charlotte Beer Week will be Thursday through March 25 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The 17^th annual Fairfax Brewfest will be Saturday in Fairfax, California.