Ah, once again the season of list-making is upon us. From the last week on December through the first two weeks of January, the average citizen of the world will be besieged by dozens if not hundreds of magazine and newspaper columns and television specials itemizing the 'Best of…" "Worst of…" and "Gooiest of 2004." (Okay, maybe not the "Gooiest of…," but it had you wondering, didn't it?)

     In keeping with this joyous January tradition, World of Beer presents not one, but two lists: Our Top Five Beer Experiences of 2004 and The Five Things We Most Want to See in Beer in 2005!

Tops in Beer in 2004

On March 5, 2004, in the little Belgian town of Eizeringen, I attended De Nacht van de Grote Dorst, or The Night of Large Thirst, a truly remarkable festival of lambics put together by the proprietors of the town's central café, In de Verzekering tegen de Grote Dorst, the name of which roughly translates to "Insurance Against the Event of Large Thirst." Even without the large contingent of lambic enthusiasts from the United States, Canada, England and elsewhere, the tent and café still would have been packed to the brim, and the incredible selection of beers would have impressed just as much. They're taking a pass on the fest this year, but look for its revival in 2006.

     Also in the spring, I hosted a stouts-and-porters-themed dinner at Monk's Café in Philadelphia and discovered my beer and food pairing of the year: vintage 1993 Courage Imperial Russian Stout and stilton from Colston-Bassett. If I close my eyes and concentrate, I can almost taste it still.

     During the summer, inspired by an exchange noted on the Belgian beer discussion board, the Burgundian Babble Belt (www.babblebelt.com), I experimented with blending Imperial stout and port and came up with the Any Port in a Storm -- 12 ounces of Victory Storm King Imperial Stout mixed with 2 ounces of Taylor Fladgate Late Bottle Vintage Port. It may have been conceived as a hot weather nightcap, but this incredibly complex cocktail is equally enjoyable as a winter warmer.

     Towards the end of the summer, I made my way back to the Great British Beer Festival after far too lengthy an absence and was once again terrifically impressed with the quality of this fine event. Highlights were many, lowlights confined mainly to the weather -- 2004 will long be remembered as the year it rained indoors at the GBBF, I suspect -- and once again, the experience reaffirmed my faith in the glory of cask-conditioned ale.

     And on a more general note, I shan't soon forget my visits this year to the wonderful brewpubs of Montréal -- l'Amère à Boire, Brutopia, le Réservoir, Cheval Blanc, le Sergent Recruteur and especially Dieu du Ciel! Truly this great city is North America's unsung oasis of brewing.

Looking Forward to 2005

Beer cuisine and more beer cuisine! Putting aside for a moment my involvement in the restaurant -- I'm a partner and the designated 'beer guy' -- I think what is happening at beerbistro in Toronto constitutes some of the most exciting gastronomic innovation I've seen for some time. Foams and culinary trompe l'oeilles may set the foodie world on fire at Spain's super-hot El Bulli restaurant, but give me Cantillon sourdough, Belgian ale beef burgers, pilsner 'vinegared' sushi rice and ale-cured bacon any day. Now, that's a gastro-trend that deserves following!

     Hoppy ales are fine and dandy and, indeed, frequently wonderful, but this year I hope to see at least some American brewers turning their attentions to the malty side of the equation. After all, there's more than just mouth-drying bitterness to great beer, be it ale or lager. There's also sumptuous, mouth-filling and comforting malt.

     On the home front -- my home, that is -- I'd love to see Canadian brewers outside of Québec better explore the experimental side of beer. So far, there exists only a handful of breweries in the Anglo part of the nation willing to take beer beyond the pale (ale) -- step forward both Storm Brewings, Scotch Irish, Bushwakker, Crannòg, Mill Street and one or two others. It would be nice to see some others follow their lead, even if only on a seasonal basis.

     In my second home, Belgium, I hope to see a domestic greater appreciation of the small, artisanal breweries that dot the land from Arlon to Oostende. And perhaps if InBev will taper back their draconian ways, this may actually come to pass. (Or perhaps it will occur specifically because of InBev, née Interbrew, as subtly suggested by Tim Webb in a late 2004 edition of 'What's Brewing' and commented upon in a recent World of Beer Update.)

     And finally, one of things I most like to do is discover: new foods, new beers, new places, new events, new experiences. And as I have come to realize of late, that's also something I did far too little of in 2004, particularly during the year's second half. So my last wish for the year ahead is to return to my rambling ways and visit more breweries, explore more bars and cafes and pubs, dine at more new restaurants, attend more festivals and generally more greatly expand my personal world of beer. I hope to see you along the way!

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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