Welcome to the 40th edition of The Beer Connoisseur magazine – a landmark moment in the history of this publication and an exciting step into the future.

Reaching this point has required much adaptation in the face of constant change – both within the world of journalism and the world of beer. The only constants have been you, the reader, and our desire to illuminate elements of beer and brewing culture that may bring you joy and wisdom.

Whether you are a brewer or simply enjoy the art of drinking, we bring you up to speed on how the world of beer has turned in 2018 and where it’s going.

This edition is split into three sections. Our Industry Outlook looks forward to 2019 by providing the insider’s perspective on the industry from the viewpoint of the consumer, restaurants and the craft beer segment. All are explored at length with statistics, research and interviews from industry thought leaders regarding the future of the business.

For those wondering what to drink, the year-end celebration of the Official Review provides plenty of choices with our Top 250 Beers of 2018, ranging from Oud Bruins to Hazy IPAs. For the adventurous, we rank the Best Beers by Style Category. We also recognize the achievements of the brewers behind the year’s best beer with our Best Breweries of 2018 awards.

Empire Farm Brewery in Cazenovia, New York has announced a new barrel-aged beer series called French Kiss.

The barrels were first filled with beer in 2016, and Empire Farm's brewers have been experimenting with the brews ever since.

The first beer released in the series will be a mixed-fermentation Imperial Stout.

The full release from Empire Farm is below.

CAZENOVIA, N.Y.–  If you haven’t been to the Empire Farm Brewery in Cazenovia, you might already expect an impressive production facility but you might be surprised by what you would find in the cellar. Lined in bricks salvaged from the original Syracuse Haberle brewery, the cellar of the Farm Brewery in Cazenovia, N.Y. is home to over 50 oak barrels. Vineyards typically burn their wine barrels after 3-5 vintages but Empire’s oak barrels were saved from the Burgundy region of France to furbish their ‘French Kiss’ cellar beer program. The first barrels were filled with beer back in 2016, and the Empire brewers have been experimenting with the complexities of barrel aging ever since.