The story of the 2005 competition
The story of the 2004 competition
The story of the 2003 competition
The story of the 2002 competition
Previous Winners
How to Enter the 2005 Competition

North Carolina quaffer named
2003 Beerdrinker of the Year

The Beerdrinker of the Year is America 's premier competition for beer lovers.  It is a national search conducted annually by the Wynkoop Brewing Company with the participation of many of the nation's leading brewpubs.

Winner with Judges

In the Final Finals of a national competition held at Denver 's Wynkoop Brewing Co., a 42-year-old computer consultant from Clemmons , North Carolina , won the coveted title, The 2003 Beerdrinker of the Year.

Surrounded by judges of America 's most prestigious competition for beer drinkers, McCoy raises a glass to celebrate his victory.

McCoy-a man who has met a beer he didn't like (a poorly-made example of any style)-emerged victorious over two other finalists after two hours of beery queries from an elite panel of beer experts that tested the finalists' knowledge of beer, how it is made, and its history, legend and lore.

McCoy explained his passion: "It's not the time you spend drinking beer that counts, it's the intensity."

An observer said that McCoy won because of his nimble mind, iron bladder, and mastery of the names of hops beginning with the letter "C."

A committed beer geek, McCoy has traveled widely to beer festivals throughout the world.

So far, he has collected 300 beer glasses-and christened each with its "correct" brew.

Contestants

The other two finalists were (right) John Marioni, 38, a man who makes beer using hops he grows in his backyard in a suburb of Seattle and (center) John Ahrens, 59, who was listed in Guinness Book of World Records when he had the world's largest beer can collection in his home near Philadelphia.

The trio of finalists in this nationwide search was selected by a panel of judges-primarily editors of national beer publications-on the basis of their three-page beer resumes.

They were flown to Denver by the Wynkoop Brewing Company for the National Finals (aka the Final Finals) (aka the Oral Exams) (aka the Bar Exam) before a panel of nine beer experts.

To reflect the seriousness of the proceedings, the judges wear black robes and white wigs.

Pondering