The 2013 Predictions: The Final Results

The final results of my 2013 Predictions have been posted and, well, this year didn’t fair so well. Only 58% of my predictions came true, which was well below the 2012 result of 71%. This is a big disappointment from the past year, on par with the last Blue Jays season. Like the final interview while clearing out the locker at the end of a season, here are some final notes and thoughts about what went wrong in 2013:

• The RateBeer prediction was a total flop. Beers I hoped would make a jump, like the Bellwoods Witchshark, stayed relatively flat in their 99 scores. There weren’t as many big beer releases in 2013 as there were in 2012 (which had a number of high scoring beers from Great Lakes, Bellwoods, Flying Monkeys and the Muskoka Twice as Mad Tom). Based on early ratings it’s possible the Amsterdam Barrel Aged Double Tempest may get close to a 100 score, but the big question will be whether it gets enough ratings.
• The east end brewery of my dreams has not materialized, though I’ve heard rumours that Muddy York is trying to get started in East York.
• The business side of things was boring. No one closed and no one was bought out. I still think we’ll see a brewery close their doors in the next year or two, especially as competition increases.
• There were Ontario beers that cost $15+ per bottle, but none of them were released in the LCBO. Bellwoods, Great Lakes and Amsterdam all had beers that met this amount, so my prediction wasn’t too far off.

Not the most stellar year of predictions, but a pretty damn good year of drinking beer. I’m only going to make one prediction for 2014: the Ontario beer scene will be awesome!