Let's call 2000 the year that craft beer renaissance finally came of age. Entering its third (more or less) decade of existence, the craft brewing industry in North America seems to have overcome both the high expectations of the early years and the disappointments of the late 1990's, and finally settled contentedly with the idea of creating good beer for people who appreciate it.

     Elsewhere in the world, news arrived with a similar ring to it. Amid the doomsday predictions of industry collapse came reports of new breweries sprouting up across Europe and Asia. There were still "bad news" reports such as the (hopefully temporary) disappearance of Thomas Hardy Ale, but these were tempered by impressive new brews and the tenacious survival or even blossoming of old favourites.

     The year past was also one of big brewery consolidation, led by the rapacious appetite of Interbrew, which soared to the status of the world's second largest brewery. As I read report after report on this big brewery taking over that one, I couldn't help but respond with a big yawn, wondering why in heaven's name I should care which megacorporation was in charge of producing boring lagers and ales for the masses.

     Some of the highlights and lowlights of the year that was:

Harbinger of Good Things to Come -- Phil Baxter's good beer initiative at the Sheraton Four Points Hotel at the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) has garnered significant media attention and prompted Starwood Hotels to contemplate the roll-out of the program to other properties. They should.

Happy That I Tasted -- 17-year-old Stille Nacht (De Dolle Brouwers, Belgium); Horny Devil (AleSmith Brewing Company, San Diego, California); Blanche Aux Agrumes (La Barberie, Québec City, Québec); Jeffery Hudson Bitter (Oakham Ales, Cambridgeshire, England); Final Absolution (Dragonmead Brewing, Warren, Michigan); Jenlain Bière Blonde Spéciale (Brasserie Duyck, Jenlain, France); Westvleteren 12 served over ice cream! (St. Sixtus-Abdij; Westvleteren, Belgium); and of course, this year's Taste of the Year.

Sad That I Tasted -- Peach Brew (Buffalo Brew Pub and Billiards, Swift Current Saskatchewan); Doc Otis' Hard Lemon Malt Beverage (Anheuser-Busch, USA); Belle-Vue Kriek (Interbrew, Belgium).

Most Impressive Beer Dinner -- For the annual Book and the Cook Festival, Philadelphia's Monk's Café served up a five course meal accompanied by a dozen fabulous lambics, and threw in Michael Jackson for good measure.

Most Underachieving Beer Dinner -- Also during the Book and the Cook, the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology hosted a fund-raising reception and dinner featuring many industry notables roasting the good Mr. Jackson. The evening's three course meal, accompanied by seven brews, was enjoyable, but a bit disappointing considering the $150 price tag for the event. (See Jackson Roasted Over Easy for details on the night.)

Most Obnoxious Beer Ad -- The Bud "wassup" boys. My answer: Nothing, now go away.

Best Beer-Focused Trip -- My tour of brewing abbeys in Belgium was a trip that every beer aficionado should try. (See Ten Days in Belgium for more on this.)

Most Depressing Beer Trip -- Touring British Columbia while researching the new Great Canadian Beer Guide (due out this spring). The province that was home to Canada's first modern craft brewery and North America's first brewpub is now awash in a sea of mediocre beer. Thank goodness for Storm, Crannóg, Sailor Hägar's, Spinnakers, Longwood, Fat Cat and a handful others who still seek excitement in beer.

Nicest Monk I Ever Misled -- Kurt, the young novitiate at Westvleteren, who was a model of hospitality even as I lied my way into his monastery.

Enough Already -- Okay, hemp beer was pretty cool the first eighteen times we encountered it, but the novelty has worn off. As one brewer said to me: "I don't put rope in my beer."

Most Encouraging Trend -- Quality organic beer that actually has flavour.

Feature Articles

• Spirited Foods June 2007
• The Culinary Beauty of Belgium May 2007
• Considering Oysters & Beer April 2007
• A Country, a Beer, and an Equation Not Necessarily Sound March 2007
• Besting Wine with Beer and Chocolate February 2008
• A Year in Beer & Food January 2008
• Cooking Up My Last Supper December 2007
• The Best of Beer Fests? November 2007
• My First Visit to Oktoberfest October 2007
• So What IS Balance, Anyway? September 2007
• Revisiting the Beer Cocktail August 2007
• Sampling The Ubiquitous Chip July 2007
• Three Stops in Philadelphia June 2007
• Time to Kill the Cold May 2007
• Sahtis and Saunas in Lammi April 2007
• Turning St. Patrick on His Head March 2007
• A Tale of a Tasting February 2007
• Twelve Months of Beer January 2007
• The Year in Beer Blogs December 2006
• The 25th Edition of the Great American Beer Festival November 2006
• Why Can't Somebody Explain this Beer to Me? October 2006
• Ten Years Can Be a Long Time September 2006
• Rethinking the Draught-Bottle-Can Paradigm August 2006
• Light, fizzy beers are losing popularity July 2006
• Beer & Health June 2006
• Tallking Tin May 2006
• Consider the Cocktail April 2006
• The Future of Big Breweries? March 2006
• A Potpourri of Beer News February 2006
• Looking Forward in 2006 Janaury 2006
• Gifts for the Gourmand December 2005
• Beer Tasting 101 November 2005
• The Great Canadian Beer Festival October 2005
• The Passion of Mondovino September 2005
• Belgium Came to Cooperstown ... Again August 2005
• Ten Truly Great Summer Beer Experiences July 2005
• Great News for Good Beer June 2005
• Flogging A Dead Horse May 2005
• Hey Molson-Coors, What Do You Have Against Taste? April 2005
• Beer and Food Pairing Gains Popularity! March 2005
• Bud for the Cocktail Set February 2005
• Looking Back and Looking Ahead January 2005
• Holiday Wishes December 2004
• The 2004 Great American Beer Festival November 2004
• The Empty Words of Beer October 2004
• A Visit to the Griffin Brewery September 2004
• Oh Look, It's Another Major Brewery Merger! August 2004
• Interview with John Sleeman July 2004
• Creating a Blend June 2004
• World of Beer turns 40 May 2004
• Eighteen Ways to Improve Your Beer Life April 2004
• Drinking Old Beer March 2004
• Drink Local or Drink Quality? February 2004
• 2003 - The Year That Was January 2004
• 2004 - The Year of Lambic December 2003
• Perspective on the Premium Beer Market November 2003
• So What Makes a Bar Great? October 2003
• Random Reflections at Summer's End, September 2003
• Why I Drink Beer, August 2003
• American Beer Month: Controversial Again, July 2003
• The Case for the Complexity of Beer, June 2003
• Enough of the Lowbrow Chic Already!, May 2003
• A Beer Called Lambic, April 2003
• Of Snow and Barley Wines, March 2003
• Lament for a Brewpub, February 2003
• What We Didn't Get Done, January 2003
• More Belgian Bliss, December 2002
• Joanna Blythman is an Idiot, November 2002
• Brakspear and the Name Game, October 2002
• Taking a Taste of the Midwest, September 2002
• Oregon Brewers Festival 2002, August 2002
• In Praise of Expensive Beer, July 2002
• Le Mondial de la Bière, June 2002
• Beers that Go to the Dogs, May 2002
• In Praise of the Pub, April 2002
• A Great Restaurant Town, True, But a Magnificent Beer Town, March 2002
• Right Beer, Wrong Weather: Imperial Stouts in New York, February 2002
• What I've Learned About Beer, January 2002
• Deceptive Names, Deceptive Drinks, December 2001
• The Truth About Dutch Beer, November 2001
• A Very Personal Message from Stephen Beaumont, October 2001
• Smell Your Beer, September 2001
• Travel Karma, Great Beer and the Oregon Brewers festival, August 2001
• Switzerland after Samichlaus, July 2001
• A Tale of Three Bus(c)hes, June 2001
• Announcing a New Great Canadian Beer Guide, May 2001
• Beer Belongs at the Table, April 2001
• A Bevy of Barley Wines, March 2001
• Why Craft Beer is Here to Stay, February 2001
• Y2Beer -- The Year in Review, January 2001
• No Age Verification Necessary, December 2000
• A Tale of a Tasting, November 2000
• In Praise of la Belle Province, October 2000
• The Premium Beer Drinker's Guide is Here!!, September 2000
• The Downside of Beer and Brewing, August 2000
• So Why Do You Drink Beer?, July 2000
• The Summer Joy of Wheat, June 2000
• In Defense of Beer, May 2000
• Ten Days in Belgium, Part II, April 2000
• Ten Days in Belgium, Part I, April 2000
• Ten Days in Belgium, Introduction, April 2000
• A World of Stout, Mar 2000
• The Glass From Which We Drink, Feb 2000
• The Year As It Was: Brews, Fests and Damn Foolishness , Jan 2000
• New Years Eve, Dec 1999
• Beer in the Land of Stout, Nov 1999
• Visiting the World's Best Beer Fest, Oct 1999
• The Secretive Charm of the Bière de Garde, Sept 1999
• The Mixed Marriage of a Beer and a Cigar, Aug 1999

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