Metro Vancouver breweries take home bevy of prizes at 15th annual Canadian Brewing Awards

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      Metro Vancouver breweries made out like bandits at the 15th annual Canadian Brewing Awards this past week (May 25 to 27), taking home a total of 31 medals in 23 categories.

      British Columbia breweries and cideries earned 51 out of a possible 183 medals in 60-plus beer- and cider-style groups, tying Ontario for the province with the most awards won at this year’s gala. Of these breweries, 22 were from Metro Vancouver.

      Powell Street Craft Brewery led the pack with four medals (gold in American India Pale Ale for its Lazy D’Haze IPA; silvers in the English Bitters and Wood and Barrel-Aged Beer groups for its Old Jalopy Pale Ale and Ode to Wallflower, respectively; and bronze in Brown Ale for its Dive Bomb Porter), while Steamworks and Bomber also had impressive showings with three medals each.

      In addition to Powell’s gold medal, top honours went to Big Rock for its pilsner; Steamworks and Dageraad for its collaborative East of East Van Saison; Off the Rail for its Belt Up ESB; Foamers’ Folly Brewing Co. for its Blacksnake Porter; Trading Post for its Smuggler's Trail Rye Amber Ale; Central City for its Thor's Hammer; and Hastings Mill (a microbrewery situated within Pat’s Pub & Brewhouse in the Downtown Eastside) for its Griswold Winter Ale.

      Metro Vancouver breweries also swept the English Style Pale Ale category, with R&B Brewing taking first place for its Red Devil Pale Ale, Off the Rail netting second for its Classic Pale Ale, and Steamworks rounding out the podium with its Commonwealth Pale Ale. In the American Style Black Ale class, Steamworks’ Black Angel IPA nabbed gold, Bomber’s Absolute Horizon Cascadian Dark Ale won silver, and Fuggles & Warlock’s Raiden Black Rye IPA received bronze.

      Other breweries that earned nods include Strange Fellows, Bridge, Red Truck, Four Winds, and Yellow Dog. Newcomers Strathcona Beer, Luppolo, and Hastings Mill, all of which were submitting entries to the Canadian Brewing Awards for the first time, notably received medals in the Belgian Style Strong Specialty Ale, Belgian Style Brett Beer, and Flavoured Stout/Porter categories, respectively.

      Meanwhile, Revelstoke’s Mt. Begbie Brewing Company was honoured with the title of Brewery of the Year. Toronto's Indie Ale House took home Beer of the Year, thanks to its Spandina Monkey Sour Ale.

      All beers and ciders were judged in a blind tasting that took place during a three-day conference in Ottawa by experts who have completed the Beer Judge Certification Program.

      The only national competition in Canada that recognizes excellence in Canadian-produced beers and ciders, the Canadian Brewing Awards see hundreds of submissions in various categories every year, which include best experimental beer and best speciality cider. Next year’s conference is set to take place in Halifax.

      Check out the list of Metro Vancouver brewery winners below. The full winners’ list is available on the Canadian Brewing Awards website.

      European Style Lager (Pilsner)

      Gold: Big Rock Brewery, Pilsner

      Silver: Brewsters Brewing Company, Original Lager

      Bronze: Les Brasseurs du Petit-Sault Inc., La Kedwick Pilsner

       

      European Style Amber to Dark Lager

      Gold: Junction Craft Brewing, Junction Black Lager

      Silver: Silversmith Brewing Company, The Black Lager

      Bronze: Bomber Märzen, Bomber Brewing

       

      Belgian Style Abbey Ale/Pale Ale

      Gold: North Brewing Company, Gus’ 65m Ale

      Silver: Dageraad Brewing inc., Burnabarian

      Bronze: Gladstone Brewing Co., Gladstone Single

       

      Belgian-Style Strong Specialty Ale

      Gold: Publican House Brewery, Eight or Better

      Silver: À la Fût, Cowsûre

      Bronze: Strathcona Beer Company, Strathcona Belgian Gold

       

      French and Belgian Style Saison

      Gold: Steamworks/Dageraad Collaboration, East of East Van Saison

      Silver: Winterlong Brewing Co., Mountain Hero

      Bronze: Stone City Ales, Chloé

       

      Belgian-Style Sour Ale

      Gold: LTM – Les Trois Mousquetaires Microbrasseurs, Ceci n’est pas une gueuze

      Silver: Stone City Ales, Conundrum

      Bronze: Strange Fellows Brewing, Reynard

       

      Belgian-Style Brett Beer

      Gold: Le Trefle Noir Microbrasserie, Surelevent

      Silver: PEI Brewing Company, Patience

      Bronze: Luppolo Brewing Company, Luppolo Wild Saison with Pear

       

      Porter

      Gold: Foamers’ Folly Brewing Co., Blacksnake Porter

      Silver: Yaletown Brewing Company, Valley of the Monks Porter

      Bronze: Propeller Brewing Company, Porter

       

      Brown Ale

      Gold: Corsaire Microbrasserie, Corsaire Brown Ale

      Silver: Corsaire Microbrasserie, Dark Mild

      Bronze: Powell Brewery, Dive Bomb

       

      English Style Pale Ale

      Gold: R&B Brewing Inc., Red Devil Pale Ale

      Silver: Off The Rail Brewing Co., Off The Rail Classic Pale Ale

      Bronze: Steamworks Brewpub Gastown, Commonwealth Pale Ale

       

      English Bitters

      Gold: Off The Rail Brewing Co., Off The Rail Belt Up ESB

      Silver: Powell Brewery, Old Jalopy Pale Ale

      Bronze: MacLeans Ales Inc, MacLean’s ESB

       

      Imperial Stout

      Gold: Black Bridge Brewery, Folklore Imperial Stout

      Silver: Le Trèfle Noir Microbrasserie, Chernoe Pivo

      Bronze: Bomber Brewing, Bomber Russian Imperial Stout

       

      North American Style Premium Lager

      Gold: HogsBack Brewing Co, Vintage Lager

      Silver: Red Truck Beer Company, Red Truck Lager

      Bronze: Moosehead Breweries Limited, Moosehead Lage

       

      North American Style Amber Lager

      Gold: Trading Post Brewing, Smuggler’s Trail Rye Amber Ale

      Silver: Bad Tattoo Brewing Co., Los Muertos Cerveza Negra

      Bronze: Old Flame Brewing Company, Old Flame Red

       

      American-Style Black Ale

      Gold: Steamworks Brewing Co., Steamworks Black Angel IPA

      Silver: Bomber Brewing, Absolute Horizon Cascadian Dark Ale

      Bronze: Fuggles & Warlock Craftworks, Raiden Black Rye IPA

       

      Wheat Beer — North American Style

      Gold: Brewsters Brewing Company, Wild West Wheat Ale

      Silver: Big Rock Brewery, Grasshopper Kristallweizen

      Bronze: Publican House Brewery, High Noon

       

      American Style India Pale Ale

      Gold: Powell Brewery, Lazy D’Haze IPA

      Silver: Bridge Brewing Company, Side Cut IPA

      Bronze: Lagabière, Ta Meilleure

       

      American Style Imperial India Pale Ale

      Gold: Nickel Brook Brewing Co., Immodest

      Silver: Deep Cove Brewers and Distillers, Dry Dock Double IPA

      Bronze: Muskoka Brewery, Muskoka Twice as Mad Tom

       

      American Style Sour Ale

      Gold: Townsite Brewing, Blackberry Sour

      Silver: Four Winds Brewing Company Ltd, Nectarous Dry Hopped Sour

      Bronze: L’Espace Public, Bière de Driveway

       

      Smoked Beer

      Gold: Coal Harbour Brewing Co., Smoke & Mirrors Imperial Smoked Ale

      Silver: Microbrasserie du Lièvre, La phénix

      Bronze: Yellow Dog Brewing Company, Shake a Paw Smoked Porter

       

      Barley Wine Style Ale — English Style

      Gold: Central City Brewers and Distillers, Thor’s Hammer

      Silver: Les 3 Brasseurs, Chaufferette

      Bronze: Cameron’s Brewing Company, Cameron’s Where The Buffalo Roam Barleywine

       

      Wood and Barrel-Aged Beer — Dark Beer

      Gold: Calabogie Brewing Company, Grassy Bay Farmhouse Ale

      Silver: Powell Brewery, Ode to Wallflower

      Bronze: Innocente Brewing Company, Drunkard’s Cloak

       

      Flavoured Stout/Porter

      Gold: Hastings Mill Brewing Company, Griswold Winter Ale

      Silver: Deadfrog Brewery, Reina de Fuego

      Bronze: The Cannery Brewing Co., Thornless Blackberry Porter

       

      Follow Lucy Lau on Twitter @lucylau.

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