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Winter 2023, Issue 64 Has Arrived!
Discover the top beer trends and innovations of 2022, explore the year's best beers and breweries, and get a sneak peek at the top hops and emerging styles for 2023.
It’s a new year, and that means it’s time for us at The Beer Connoisseur to reflect on the year that was in 2022 with our year-end print edition.
2022 finally resembled something of a “normal” year after the doldrums of two years of COVID-related strife. Taprooms, bars, and breweries were all back to normal operating hours – though there definitely were fewer of them as the long COVID layoff caused a number of them to shut their doors permanently.
Still, though, innovation in beer and brewing was high, and popular new styles continued to crop up – including the continued rise in popularity of lagers, specifically imported lagers and Mexican lagers. Those trends and more – including non-alcoholic beers, THC/CBD beverages, and cold IPAs – can be found within this issue in our two-part year-end Trends story by Jim Dykstra, one focusing on beer and the other on hard beverages (that aren't beer).
Last year was a terrific one in terms of our Official Review as our judges evaluated a record-tying 13 beers that achieved World Class ratings of 96 or above, all of which are highlighted in our Top 100 Beers of 2022 story. Furthermore, one beer achieved a near-perfect rating of 99 – making it one of only five other beers in our history to reach those lofty heights in our Official Review. We also spotlight the Best Beers by Style Category for the year that was.
For our Breweries of the Year story, our top Brewery of the Year is from New England and is known for its high-quality IPAs, stouts, and maple ales – hopefully, those hints aren’t too precise, so read on to find out who won!
Just like years past, this issue features the top Trending Hops for 2023, which include interesting varietals like Talus, Akoya and McKenzie. Beyond that, our Top Emerging Beer Styles for 2023 is also back, highlighting interesting styles like Cold IPA, Italian Pilsner and many more.
As always, our continued coverage would amount to nothing without you, our dear readers, so we profoundly thank you for your continued support and look forward to raising a glass with you in the new year.
Cheers to a happy 2023!