Maybe I should have done this actually in 2004, but here goes. Here's some of my favourite beery things of 2004. T'would be interesting to hear anyone else's?
Beery Book - Brewmaster's table, Garrett Oliver (brewmaster at Brooklyn Brewery NYC) - very interesting romp thru the enjoyment, history, production and pairing of good beer & food, q gourmet & high class foodie-oriented, but still very good on the beer & brewery side, & one of very few accessible books written by a pro brewer. He seems to very confidently put the case for beer above wine in almost every culinary situation (tho I liked also the bit where the Adnams in Southwold was so good he sent the fish&chips back & it got fed to the pub dog!) Available from CAMRA HQ, but I got it q cheap via an Amazon-affiliate shop.
Beery TV - about the only significant thing for me was a q good BBCTV4 Time:Shift documentary on the history of the British pub - some good, but very sad 1970s footage with former regulars of a Norfolk pub that was a casualty of the rural pub slaughter (still ongoing). Interviews with Lord Protz of St.Albania, Pete Brown (not the one with Bruvvers, but author of A Man Walks into a Pub), Rowan Pelling (editor of the Erotic Review, but she's also a social historian & her mum & dad were licencees in the mad days of brewery makeovers) & comedian/writer Jeremy Hardy. It was re-shown earler this week.
Bottled Beer (UK) - in bottle I really enjoyed Hobson's Choice (BCA, City of Cambridge, from Tesco, Peterborough, I think?) tasted very fresh & not too gassy, almost like cask, with a good amount of English hoppiness (challengers IIRC). Likewise very good RCH DoubleHeader (BCA, Asda).
Bottled Beer (rest of world) - I very much enjoyed the recent little Aussie number, Little Creatures pale Ale (Oddbins IIRC). In the run up to Xmas there was a surfeit of good stuff some of which I can remember
- Brooklyn Black Choc (Safeway) was delicious, so much deep, rich, black malt, treacle loveliness; the past-it's-BBD Westvleteren12(sp?) was just great too in its silkiness & quite dry rounded spicy warmth of alcohol, malt and bitter hops (Pitfield Beer Shop or poss Jug&Firkin Cambridge?).
Cask Beer - some great fresh hoppy/choccy pints of Cain's Mild (Globe, Cases St, Liverpool) this is superb when on form, which is not necessarily guaranteed even in Cain's pubs. Phoenix Best at The Cracke (Rice St, Liverpool). Some lovely beers at the Birkenhead fest - esp from Pictish, Facers, Bazens, 3Rivers. Too many to mention/remember at Ship&Mitre (Dale St, Liverpool) either at their fest, or on any other visit - something from George Wright was very nice tho. Cheers & best wishes for the year of beer ahead, MikeMcG.