Given most of the year was affected by pandemic considerations, meaning almost all my favourite events were cancelled, I figured I would finally have to drop to a basic Top 10 of each year list, rather than my usual number of highlight events matching the year (ie. Top 19 of 2019, etc.). That said, we still managed to fill the calendar with fun and coming up with 20 great experiences was easy:

Whiskey Wins

For the third straight year, I attended a friend’s whiskey tasting event, which featured a handful of bottles I would likely not get to experience without an event such as this. The evening was filled with alternating drams of whiskey and pints of beer, just the way the Sip Advisor likes things.

Love and War

My Valentine’s Day was not spent with Mrs. Sip, but with a friend attending WWE Smackdown Live at Rogers Arena. Thankfully, our respective loves were cool with us checking out the TV broadcast and making a night of it with drinks afterwards. Had we known the pandemic shutdown that was looming, we probably would have stayed out for a few rounds more.

All You Need is Love

To make it up to Mrs. Sip that I had been out without her for Valentine’s Day, the next day we journeyed to Downtown Vancouver for lunch at Glowbal, followed by a Beatles tribute concert featuring the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. The only downside was a pregnant Mrs. Sip couldn’t join in on some beverages.

Pandemic Baby

While March 18, 2020 will go down in the lives of most people in our neck of the woods as the day we officially went into a pandemic lockdown, it was also the day Baby Sip was born, arriving at 12:45am. The next days and weeks were filled with a mix of emotional ups and downs, and not just because we added to our family.

Proud Papa

For Father’s Day, we planned a poolside beer tasting at Ma and Pa Sip’s place, with attendees bringing beers they wanted to share with the group. Our compilation of beverage options was quite impressive and while I couldn’t swim as I was recovering from my vasectomy, I enjoyed a different style of liquid relief.

Lazy Sundays

Throughout the summer, Ma and Pa Sip’s pool was the site of a number of small gatherings, with drinks flowing and the summer heat soothed by dips into the crystal-clear water. The meetings allowed for all our little ones to play together and gave us all a break from being stuck at home 24/7, working remotely for some of us and not getting to experience our typical daily lives.

Grilled to Perfection

An annual summer highlight is my aunt’s barbecue, which has had a different theme each year. With most of the guests pining for some sort of vacation – which was unlikely to happen – this year’s BBQ had a tropical theme, complete with Hawaiian shirts and dresses and similarly inspired food and drink.

No Kids, No Worries

To celebrate our eighth wedding anniversary, Mrs. Sip and I spent our first night away from both kids since Baby Sip entered the picture in March. Our one-night stay in Downtown Vancouver was bookended with fun activities including the Dimensions Art Gallery and a Vancouver Mysteries cold case. In between, we enjoyed dinner at Lift Bar Grill View.

Whistler Bound

Our actual wedding anniversary day was spent driving to the resort town of Whistler. With the kids in tow, we spent three nights in the area, visiting a bunch of breweries (including those in Squamish and Pemberton), eating some very good meals and exploring the village. It was our only getaway this year, which if you’ve followed this site for any period of time, you know is rare.

Will You Still Need Me?

Pa Sip is a massive Beatles fan and with him turning 64, we figured why not have a British-themed “When I’m 64” party. Between British beers and gin-based cocktails, it was a fantastic time and a perfect way to end the summer.

The Happiest Place on Earth… Sort Of

For Toddler Sip’s third birthday, we were supposed to be in Disneyland, enjoying a big family holiday. Well, the pandemic scuttled those plans, so we turned Ma and Pa Sip’s home into a version of the magical resort instead. Best of all, I compiled a themed cocktail menu for the occasion.

Birthday Blues

With my actual birthday largely spent preparing for Toddler Sip’s special day the next day, I was feeling a little bummed about my own celebrations. Little did I know, Mrs. Sip had planned to surprise me with an outing to Port Moody’s Brewers Row with a couple friends. Despite inclement weather, we enjoyed the evening without responsibilities.

Das Ist Gut

The last time we were allowed to gather in a big group, was to do a late Oktoberfest celebration. Between German beers Ma and Pa Sip accrued, along with drinks I compiled for the event, it was quite the boozy night. Given we have not been able to assemble since, I’m glad we got this occasion in under the wire.

Trivial Times

With Halloween around the corner, we put together a crack trivia team and rendezvoused at the Rendezvous Pub in Langley to exercise our minds and taste buds. Our team did very well, but did not hit the podium on this occasion. Still, we enjoyed the pub’s blend of challenging, but not overly difficult trivia.

All Hallows’ Eve

The Halloween season was a lot of fun, as Toddler Sip was really into the holiday this year. It was all capped off with the big night, which highlighted the efforts of so many people who wanted to make the occasion special for kids, in spite of pandemic concerns. Seeing Toddler Sip enjoy Halloween, as we sipped road beverages along the way is now a treasured memory.

Scavenger Hunt Spoils

Taking advantage of the gift card we won during the Quest New West weekly scavenger hunt in the summer, we finally enjoyed our outing to Piva Modern Italian. It was one of those meals you wished would last forever. Alas, we had to return to reality eventually.

Zooming Together

While we couldn’t gather for Ma Sip’s birthday, we did our best to make the occasion special, sharing a Chinese dinner, while being joined virtually by family. It was a nice surprise for Ma Sip, who was sad about not getting to see her beloved relatives, but thrilled by the turnout for this socially-distanced dinner.

Along the Water

Afforded another date night in early December, Mrs. Sip and I had a lovely meal at The Boathouse in Port Moody. We each had the restaurant’s Holiday Feast three-course dinner, compiling different combinations for a smorgasbord of eats. My Honey Sriracha Salmon was very memorable.

‘Tis the Season

Christmas this year was definitely different, but we made the most of the day, beginning with a relaxed Christmas Eve, where we put together a buffet of different appetizers and joined family members for a Zoom chat. Christmas Day was largely spent watching the kids open their many presents, which is always fun, if not exhausting.

Auld Lang Syne

With the kids put to bed early, Mrs. Sip and I enjoyed a number of beverages, while recounting the year that was and saying farewell to 2020. It wasn’t all bad, but I’m happy to put the year in the rear-view mirror.

I marvel at the fact that we were able to accomplish all this in a pandemic-dominated year. If 2021 provides some relief to the virus and we’re able to return to some semblance of normality, I can only imagine what fun this year will offer.

Well, 2020 – whatever you want to make of the year – is in the books. In our neck of the woods, the year wrapped with not being able to see family and friends over the holidays, so that was challenging. I’d like to think we made the best of the situation, though. Here’s how we finished the year:

To start December, Mrs. Sip surprised me with the Phillips Brewing Space Case Advent Calendar. It included a great collection of 12 limited edition tall can beers, which the brewery had never released before. I really liked the London Fog Witbier, Toasted Coconut Brown Ale and Strawberry Rhubarb Sour, and there wasn’t a bad brew in the bunch.

For the second half of the advent time leading up to Christmas, Mrs. Sip had gathered 12 other beers for our drinking enjoyment. These selections included: Bomber Oktoberfest, Steamworks Blitzen, Collective Arts Stranger Than Fiction Porter, Tree Raspberry Porter, Vancouver Island Nanaimo Bar Porter, Bad Tattoo Watermelon Gose, Old Yale Mango Hibiscus Hazy IPA, Bad Tattoo Peanutbutter Chocolate Porter, Andina Toasted Coconut Chocolate Stout, Collective Arts Saint of Circumstance Citrus Blonde, Foamers’ Folly Jezibaba Absinthe Stout, and Twin Sails Two Straws Milkshake IPA with Apricot.

We made a couple other neat liquor purchases throughout the month, such as Bayou Pink Rum (which was a special release to BC Liquor Stores), ABC Brewing’s Clean Tracts Cranberry Crumble Sour, and Stiggins’ Fancy Plantation Pineapple Rum, which I used for making Mai Tais and Dark N’ Stormys. Mrs. Sip and I also received a tall can four-pack of Farm Country/Steel & Oak Go West DIPA for St. Nicholas Day.

A week into December, Ma and Pa Sip generously took our little ones for an evening, allowing us to take care of a bunch of Christmas errands and enjoy a dinner out at The Boathouse in Port Moody. We took advantage of their Holiday Feast three-course meal, with our orders being Caesar Salad, Honey Sriracha Salmon and Mocha Ice Cream Pie for me, while Mrs. Sip went with Seafood Chowder, Lobster Ravioli and Crème Brûlée, along with a white wine flight. She also selected a Strawberry Watermelon Mojito upon arrival, with my beverage being a pint of Killer Whale Ale by Central City Brewing.

After eating, we went to Parkside Brewing, hoping to pick up their Spectaaculous Spice Cookie Stout. Unfortunately, it was sold out in cans, but we were able to enjoy a pour of it sitting outside the brewery. It was a chilly night, but worth it for a quick drink.

On Christmas Eve day, we visited Northpaw Brewing, ordering a couple of their seasonal brews, the Ginger Amber Ale and Candy Cane Porter. The beers went perfectly with a trio of their Jamaican Patties (two spicy beef and one curry chicken), which we had been craving since trying for the first time back in the summer.

For Christmas, the Sip Advisor received a few liquor gifts, including Swear Jar Whiskey, a massive 1.75-liter bottle of Captain Morgan White Rum (with two Sliced Apple Rum mini bottles attached), a tall can of Dead Frog Winter Beeracle, and a $100 BC Liquor Stores gift card. As one who prefers to give, rather than receive, I gifted Mrs. Sip a bottle of RumChata, as well as a trio of Steel & Oak beers, to go along with their special edition New Westminster glass, where only a very limited number were made and sold out fast.

One downside of the public health orders were that I had spent a great deal of time planning out some cocktails to serve at our family’s Christmas dinner, but those hopes were scuttled. Hopefully I can serve these at a future date, as we celebrate Christmas-ish. If not, I will save them for next year, when the pandemic will hopefully be a distant blip in our collective rearview mirror.

On Boxing Day, we stopped at Barnside Brewing, enjoying glasses of their Fallow Fields Märzenbier and Bourbon Imperial Oatmeal Stout. For the road, we also purchased a bomber of Harvestfest Blackberry Hefeweizen, which is part of a series where the brewery partners with another local business to make a special release.

The next day, we explored the Downtown New West area, where we bought tall cans of Longwood Cake Chocolate Raspberry Stout, Russell Pumpkin Pie Milkshake IPA and Off the Rail Big Chonk Peanut Butter Brownie Porter at Harbour Wine and Spirits at the River Market. Following that, we had dinner at the nearby Kelly O’Bryan’s Neighborhood Restaurant, where I enjoyed a Double Caesar, while Mrs. Sip elected to go with a couple Mimosas. To eat, I had the Crispy Buffalo Ranch Chicken Burger and Mrs. Sip had a delicious Butter Chicken Poutine.

On New Year’s Eve, we popped into Tinhouse Brewing, as we were in the area doing other errands. We split servings of their Roundhouse Imperial Porter and High Knoll Hazy IPA. Afterwards, we grabbed dinner at a drive thru food truck event at the Centennial Community Centre parking lot, picking up dishes of Pulled Pork Poutine and Meat the Parents Mac n’ Cheese. Then we settled in for the night and said goodbye to 2020.

To wrap, I’d like to wish all my little sippers a wonderful New Year. I hope you all have a happy and healthy 2021 and that you remain strong in the face of tough times!