{"id":26695,"date":"2022-01-07T01:00:27","date_gmt":"2022-01-07T09:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bcaletrail.ca\/?p=26695"},"modified":"2022-02-21T17:40:19","modified_gmt":"2022-02-22T01:40:19","slug":"looking-back-at-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bcaletrail.ca\/looking-back-at-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"What Just Happened?! Looking Back at 2021 With An Eye to the Future"},"content":{"rendered":"

From natural disasters to economic shutdowns, 2021 continued to challenge us all. Still, many of BC\u2019s local craft breweries endured. Let’s look back at some of the good, the bad, and the delicious things 2021 brought.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Cyclists
Some sweaty cyclists enjoying refreshments at Four Winds Brewing in Delta, BC<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I don’t know about you, but I am pretty sick and tired of dealing with adversity.<\/span><\/p>\n

Between heatwaves, wildfires, flooding, and snowmageddon (OK, I live in Victoria so any snow is overwhelming!), it felt like 2021 was just one calamity after another. And no one will forget the tragic discovery of hundreds of unmarked graves at residential schools.<\/span><\/p>\n

Astute readers might notice I didn\u2019t even include COVID in my litany of misfortunes. When I consider how our relationship with the pandemic evolved over the past year, I almost feel like I’m looking back at a decade\u2019s worth of events in just one year. <\/span><\/p>\n

We started off the year in lockdown with no events or social gatherings allowed, as well as travel restrictions limiting our mobility within the province and beyond our borders. <\/span>Early in January, Premier Horgan announced an immunization schedule, and by the spring, many of us were getting our first doses. I personally got mine on May 15, and what a relief that was! Later that month, BC\u2019s Restart Plan was announced, which gave us all more and more freedom to travel and enjoy life. Personally, I celebrated with an epic bike ride over to visit two breweries in Delta<\/a> with some cycling buddies.<\/span><\/p>\n

By summer, like many others, I had my second vaccination and a lot more freedom, although the previously mentioned heatwave and wildfires certainly negated some of that positivity. Still, I managed to squeeze in a bike ride to Sooke with some friends, and my family and I even enjoyed a little getaway to Gibsons in August, where I discovered just how great Tapworks Brewing<\/a> is (seriously, if you haven’t been there before, plan a trip to Gibsons later this year when travel is allowed!).<\/span><\/p>\n

In the autumn, it seemed like many people were feeling more optimistic. In the beer world, we even enjoyed some events \u2014 here in Victoria, there were two back-to-back events on Thanksgiving weekend: Lager Than Life and Fresh to Death.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, that optimism was fleeting because, as we all know, the new omicron variant has returned us to a near-lockdown as we await booster shots and warmer weather.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/h4>\n

But all throughout 2021, BC\u2019s local craft breweries endured and kept on producing delicious beer for us all to enjoy. Here’s how.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n
\"Alberni
Alberni Brewing in Port Alberni, BC<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

New breweries continued to open, including:<\/span><\/h3>\n