B.C. brewer named Brewery of the Year

Montreal, Que. – This year’s Canadian Brewing Awards (CBA) drew beer entries from more than 96 breweries across the country to compete for gold, silver and bronze medals in 37 categories. In total more than 550 beers were entered in the competition.

Judging for the event took place in Toronto over three days by 37 Beer Judge Certification Program certified beer judges in blind tasting sessions. Of all the entries, À la Fût’s Co-Hop V was named Beer of the Year, while Surrey, B.C.’s Central City Brewing Company was declared Brewery of the Year.

For the first time in the award’s 10-year history, the celebration included a two-day industry Canadian Brewers Conference in Montreal, featuring guest speakers and professional development seminars. According to Rob Engman, president of TAPS the Beer Magazine and owners of the CBAs, the event will continue to expand and move to different Canadian cities. Next year’s awards are already scheduled to take place in B.C.

The gold medal winners by category are listed below. For a full list of winners visit www.canadianbrewingawards.com

•    North American Style Lager – Brewhouse Pilsener, Great Western Brewing Co., Saskatoon, Sask.
•    North American Style Premium Lager – Vancouver Island Lager, Vancouver Island Brewing, Victoria, B.C.
•    European Style Lager (Pilsner) – Steam Whistle Pilsner, Steam Whistle Brewing, Toronto, Ont.
•    North American Style Amber Lager – Buzz Beer, Cool Beer Brewing Co., Toronto, Ont.
•    North American Style Dark Lager – Hermann’s Dark Lager, Vancouver Island Brewing Co., Victoria, B.C.
•    Light (Calorie-Reduced) Lager – Cracked Canoe Premium Light Lager, Moosehead Breweries, Saint John, N.B.
•    Bock, Traditional German Style – Deviator Doppelbock, Cameron’s Brewing Co., Oakville, Ont.
•    Kellerbier – Kellerbier, Creemore Springs Brewery, Clearview, Ont.
•    Porter – Coffee Porter, R&B Brewing Co., Vancouver, B.C.
•    Strong Porter (Baltic) – Lost River Baltic Porter, Bellwoods Brewery, Toronto, Ont.
•    Cream Ale – Original 16, Great Western Brewing Co., Saskatoon, Sask.
•    Kolsch – Lug Tread, Beau’s All Natural Brewing Co., Vankleek Hill, Ont.
•    North American Style Amber/Red Ale – Red Racer ESB, Central City Brewing Co., Surrey, B.C.
•    North American Style Blonde/Golden Ale – Boreale Blonde, Les Brasseurs du Nord, Blainville, Que.
•    Brown Ale – Iron Horse Brown Ale, Prince Edward Island Brewing Co., Charlottetown, P.E.I.
•    American Style Black Ale – Terrestrial India Brown Ale, Wellington County Brewery, Guelph, Ont.
•    Scotch Ale – Swans Scotch Ale, Swans Brewery, Victoria, B.C.
•    English Style Pale Ale (Bitter) – Pale Ale, Yaletown Brewing Co., Vancouver, B.C.
•    North American Style Pale Ale (Bitter) – Steamworks Pale Ale, Steamworks Brewing Co., Vancouver, B.C.
•    Wheat Beer, Belgian Style White/Wit – Cheval Blanc, Les Brasseurs RJ, Montreal, Que.
•    Wheat Beer, German Style Hefeweizen – No gold-medal winner.
•    Wheat Beer, North American Style – Sungod Wheat Ale, R&B Brewing Co., Vancouver, B.C.
•    Belgian Style Abbey Ale – Don Juan, Broadway Microbrasserie and Pub, Shawinigan, Que.
•    Belgian Style Strong Specialty Ale – Tripe a Trois, À la Fût, Saint-Tite, Que.
•    Barley Wine Style Ale – Woolly Bugger Barleywine, Howe Sound Brewing Co., Squamish, B.C.
•    Stout – St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout, McAuslan Brewing Inc., Montreal, Que.
•    Imperial Stout – Stout Imperiale Russe, Brasserie Dunham, Dunham, Que.
•    English Style India Pale Ale – Powell IPA, Coal Harbour Brewing Co., Vancouver, B.C.
•    American Style India Pale Ale – Karma Citra, Great Lakes Brewing Co., Toronto, Ont.
•    Imperial India Pale Ale – Central City Imperial IPA, Central City Brewing Co., Surrey, B.C.
•    French and Belgian Style Saison – Deliverance Saison, Great Lakes Brewing Co., Toronto, Ont.
•    Special Honey/Maple Lager or Ale – Royal York Stinger, Mill Street Brewery, Toronto, Ont.
•    Fruit Beer – Mandarin Orange Amber Ale, Dead Frog Brewery, Langley, B.C.
•    Fruit Wheat Beer – Amsterdam Framboise, Amsterdam Brewing Co., Toronto, Ont.
•    Pumpkin Beer – St. Ambroise Pumpkin Ale, McAuslan Brewing Inc., Montreal, Que.
•    Wood and Barrel Aged Beer – 25th Anniversary Bourbon Barrel Aged Robust Porter, Great Lakes Brewing Co., Toronto, Ont.
•    Wood and Barrel Aged Strong Beer – Thor’s Hammer Bourbon Barrel Barley Wine, Central City Brewing Co., Surrey, B.C.
•    Wood and Barrel Aged Sour Beer – Co-Hop V, À la Fût, Saint-Tite, Que.
•    Experimental Beer – Dark Snout Bacon Stout – R&B Brewing Co., Vancouver, B.C.