This is a fun article: Beer Highlights of 2K4. A lot of it is pretty Boston-centric, but I liked the New Beer Trends section:

* American Double Style – A new genre of beer emerged this year, using the typical "bigger is better" American way of thinking, which actually worked for once.

* Craft Beer in Cans – Craft brewers jumped on the can bandwagon hoping to provide a familiar packaging to potential "better beer" crossover drinkers.

* Drinking Better Beer – More and more people switched to better beer in 2004. Have you? Hooray for beer!

* Oak-Aged Beers – The art of maturing beer in various oak barrels added a new depth to the world of beer and was well received by most real beer lovers.

* Proper Glassware – More bars finally started serving beer in its respective glassware. This not only added to the overall experience for the quality beer drinker but its "eye candy" effect also potentially increased beer sales.