2022 Canadian Brewing Awards Edition
Greetings, beer lovers! Happy (…) Friday, but perhaps much more importantly, Happy Canada Day (eh). Once (or not) again, ‘tis chingchongchinaman as your semi-friendly guest FNBB blogger, giving esquimaux another well-earned breather from blogging duties tonight. The starting point for this edition is the 2022 Canadian Brewing Awards and Conference list of prize winners at this year’s conference, listed at this page. The intro, taken directly from that page, states the obvious intro (though at the bottom of the page — go figure):
Moving on to the 58 (!) separate flavo(u)r categories, for a total of 174 main prize winners, along with 20 hono(u)rable mentions, which may be a sort of “4th place” or something like that, depending on how you want to see it, here are those 194 selections:
1. European Style Lager (Pilsner)
Gold – Uncle Leo’s Czech-Mate | The Whiffen Brewing Company Limited | Nova Scotia
Silver – Pilsner | Burdock Brewery | Ontario
Bronze – Kapitan Czech Pilsner | Lighthouse Brewing | British Columbia
2. European Style Amber to Dark Lager
Gold – Schwarzbier | Valley Brewing (in collaboration with Common Crown Brewing) | Alberta
Silver – Uncle Leo’s Altbier | The Whiffen Brewing Company Limited | Nova Scotia
Bronze – More Than Rain | The Establishment Brewing Company | Alberta
Honourable Mention – Czech Dark Lager | Sooke Brewing Co. | British Columbia
3. Bock – Traditional German Style
Gold – Elevator Doppelbock | Hell’s Basement Brewery Inc. | Alberta
Silver – Dissimulator | Twin City Brewing Company | British Columbia
Bronze – Beste Bock | Cameron’s Brewing Company | Ontario
4. Kellerbier/Zwickelbier
Gold – Helles Yeah! | Tire Shack Brewing Co. | New Brunswick
Silver – Deluxe | Burdock Brewery | Ontario
Bronze – Helles Awaits | Folly Brewpub | Ontario
5. German-Style Kölsch
Gold – Big Ticket | Farm League Brewing | Ontario
Silver – German Kölsch | Wildeye Brewing | British Columbia
Bronze – High Country Kölsch | Mt. Begbie Brewing Company | British Columbia
6. Wheat Beer – Belgian Style (Wit)
Gold – Queen Of Wheat | Spearhead Brewing Company | Ontario
Silver – Elder Moon Belgian Witbier | Settlement Brewing | British Columbia
Bronze – SNOangel | SNO Microbrasserie | Quebec
7. Wheat Beer – German Style (Weiss)
Gold – Banana Hammock | Sons Of Kent Brewing Co. | Ontario
Silver – Hefeweizen | Pie Braque Microbrasserie | Quebec
Bronze – Summertime | KPU Brew – Kwantlen Polytechnic University | British Columbia
8. Baltic Porter
Gold – Voyage Voyage | Avant Garde Artisans brasseurs | Quebec
Silver – Two Rivers Baltic Porter | Tatamagouche Brewing Co. | Nova Scotia
Bronze – Bear Beach Baltic Porter | Sooke Oceanside Brewery | British Columbia
9. Belgian-Style Dubbel or Quadrupel
Gold – Shacklands Dubbel | Shacklands Brewing Co. | Ontario
Silver – 10° | Dageraad Brewing Inc. | British Columbia
Bronze – Washed Away Belgian Quad | Dog Mountain Brewing Ltd. | British Columbia
Honourable Mention – Dubbel | Little Brown Jug | Manitoba
10. Belgian-Style Tripel
Gold – Faber | Microbrasserie La Souche | Quebec
Silver – Tripel | Pie Braque Microbrasserie | Quebec
Bronze – Wild Things | Little Beasts Brewing Company | Ontario
11. Belgian-Style Abbey Ale/Pale Ale
Gold – Golden Ale | Little Brown Jug | Manitoba
Silver – Grimdonk | Grimross Brewing Co. | New Brunswick
Bronze – BEES! Belgian Blonde Ale with Honey | Dog Mountain Brewing Ltd | British Columbia
Honourable Mention – Marigold – Belgian Golden Ale | Clifford Brewing Co. | Ontario
12. Belgian-Style Strong Specialty Ale
Gold – Dia De Los Muertos Cerveza Fuerte | Bad Tattoo Brewing Co. | British Columbia
Silver – Sunshine Daydream | R&B Brewing Co. | British Columbia
Bronze – Belgian Blond | Sooke Brewing Co. | British Columbia
13. French and Belgian-Style Saison
Gold – Dry Hopped Saison | Flora Hall Brewing | Ontario
Silver – Bord du Lac | Amsterdam Brewing Co. | Ontario
Bronze – Prairie Icon Farmhouse Saison | Valley Brewing | Alberta
14. Belgian-Style Brett Beer
Gold – Funkmorphosis | The Establishment Brewing Company | Alberta
Silver – Evelyn – Barrel Aged Belgian Blonde | Endeavour Brewing Company Ltd. | Alberta
Bronze – Tous Les Jours | Dageraad Brewing Inc. | British Columbia
15. German-Style Sour Ale
Gold – Ketch Berliner Weisse | Tatamagouche Brewing Co. | Nova Scotia
Silver – Gose vie sale – Laurentienne | Microbrasserie La Souche | Quebec
Bronze – Sour Series Blackberry | Rough Waters Brewing Company | Newfoundland and Labrador
Honourable Mention – Leitmotif | Cabin Brewing Company | Alberta
16. Belgian-Style Sour Ale
Gold – Reynard Oud Bruin | Strange Fellows Brewing Ltd. | British Columbia
Silver – Flanders Red | Trans Canada Brewing | Manitoba
Bronze – Kirsche | Steamworks Brewing Co. | British Columbia
17. Porter
Gold – Dark Stormy Porter | Fisher Peak Brewing Company | British Columbia
Silver – When it Rains It Porters | East Van Brewing | British Columbia
Bronze – Pugnacious Porter | Grimross Brewing Co. | New Brunswick
18. Brown Ale
Gold – Open Road | Troubled Monk Brewery | Alberta
Silver – Sandbagger Brown Ale | Freddy’s Brewpub | British Columbia
Bronze – Coppersmith Brown Ale | Common Crown Brewing Co. | Alberta
19. Irish and Scotch Ales
Gold – Brave Liver Scotch Ale | Mt. Begbie Brewing Company | British Columbia
Silver – Red Vinyl | Secret Cove Brewing | Newfoundland and Labrador
Bronze – Irish Red Ale | Sawback Brewing Co. | Alberta
Honourable Mention – A Wee Angry Scotch Ale | Russell Brewing Co. | British Columbia
20. English-Style Pale Ale
Gold – Pale Ale | Russell Brewing Co. | British Columbia
Silver – Tickity Boo | Twin City Brewing Company | British Columbia
Bronze – Sam McGuire’s Pale Ale | Shuswap Lake Brewing | British Columbia
21. English Bitters
Gold – Great Expectations | Cabin Brewing Company | Alberta
Silver – Dark Streets of London ESB | Clifford Brewing Co. | Ontario
Bronze – Arkell Best Bitter | Wellington Brewery | Ontario
Honourable Mention – Blue Heron ESB | Sea Level Brewing Company Inc. | Nova Scotia
22. Sweet Stout or Cream Stout
Gold – Sweetbacks | Rainhard Brewing | Ontario
Silver – ChocoBello | Les Brasseurs de Montebello | Quebec
Bronze – Espresso Stout | Birra Fanelli | Quebec
Honourable Mention – Ice Cutter Vanilla Latte Stout | Snake Lake Brewing Company Inc. | Alberta
23. Oatmeal Stout
Gold – Red Hook Oatmeal Stout | Fixed Gear Brewing Co. | Ontario
Silver – Ullr’s Oatmeal Stout | Bulkley Valley Brewery | British Columbia
Bronze – Gentlemen’s Stout | Medicine Hat Brewing Company | Alberta
Honourable Mention – Ghost Train | Hell’s Basement Brewery Inc. | Alberta
24. Dry Stout
Gold – It’s a Stout | Kensington Brewing Company | Ontario
Silver – Hierlihy Irish Stout | Tatamagouche Brewing Co. | Nova Scotia
Bronze – Keepers Stout | Lighthouse Brewing | British Columbia
25. Imperial Stout
Gold – Kindling Imperial Stout | Cannery Brewing | British Columbia
Silver – Walkerville Brewery Imperial Stout | Walkerville Brewery | Ontario
Bronze – Imperial Russian Stout | Wellington Brewery | Ontario
26. English-Style India Pale Ale
Gold – Tunnel Vision IPA | Abandoned Rail Brewing Co. | British Columbia
Silver – Walkerville Geronimo IPA | Walkerville Brewery | Ontario
Bronze – English IPA | Sons Of Kent Brewing Co. | Ontario
27. North American-Style Lager
Gold – Sol Vida Cerveza Clara | Bad Tattoo Brewing Co. | British Columbia
Silver – SHAKE LAGER | Equals Brewing Company Inc. | Ontario
Bronze – Toller Gold | Spindrift Brewing | Nova Scotia
28. North American-Style Premium Lager
Gold – Lions Gate Lager | Steamworks Brewing Co. | British Columbia
Silver – Skyline Lager | Bomber Brewing | British Columbia
Bronze – Helles Lager | Wellington Brewery | Ontario
29. North American-Style Amber/Dark Lager
Gold – Red Vienna Lager | Old Flame Brewing Co. | Ontario
Silver – Brunette Munich Dunkel Lager | Old Flame Brewing Co. | Ontario
Bronze – Los Muertos Cerveza Negra | Bad Tattoo Brewing Co. | British Columbia
30. Light (Calorie-Reduced) Lager
Gold – Craft Light Lager | Russell Brewing Co. | British Columbia
Silver – Anne Bonny | Corsaire Microbrasserie | Quebec
Bronze – Bad Light | Bad Tattoo Brewing Co. | British Columbia
Honourable Mention – Chiquita Town | Square Brewing Co. | Alberta
31. Cream Ale
Gold – Okanagan Lake Cream Ale | A-FRAME Brewing Company | British Columbia
Silver – Gladstone Cream Ale | Gladstone Brewing Co. | British Columbia
Bronze – Cream Ale | Anderson Craft Ales | Ontario
Honourable Mention – Retro Style Cream Ale | Analog Brewing Company Inc. | Alberta
32. North American-Style Amber/Red Ale
Gold – Heroica Red Ale | Steamworks Brewing Co | British Columbia
Silver – Idleback Amber Ale | Slackwater Brewing Inc. | British Columbia
Bronze – Ruby Tears | Parallel 49 Brewing | British Columbia
33. North American-Style Blonde or Golden Ale
Gold – La Libertine | La Voie Maltée | Quebec
Silver – Brewmaster Blonde Ale | Common Crown Brewing Co. | Alberta
Bronze – Centennial Stock | Copper Bottom Brewing | Prince Edward Island
34. American–Style Black Ale
Gold – Mutually Exclusive | Annex Ale Project Limited | Alberta
Silver – Commodore Stout | Snake Lake Brewing Company Inc. | Alberta
Bronze – Death to Robots | Kensington Brewing Company | Ontario
Honourable Mention – Cascadian Dark Ale | Blindman Brewing | Alberta
35. North American-Style Pale Ale
Gold – Campout West Coast Pale Ale | Fernie Brewing Co. | British Columbia
Silver – Principal | Schoolhouse Brewery | Nova Scotia
Bronze – Chinook Rye Pale Ale | Ace Brewing Co. | British Columbia
Honourable Mention – Bantam | Long Bay Brewery | New Brunswick
36. Wheat Beer – North American-Style
Gold – Village Wit | Village Brewery | Alberta
Silver – Blanche Orange et Coriandre | Oxymore Microbrasserie | Quebec
Bronze – Long Hop Tropical Pale Ale | Long Hop Brewing Co | Alberta
37. American-Style India Pale Ale
Gold – Jurassic IPA | Cameron’s Brewing Company | Ontario
Silver – Naked Fox IPA | Main Street Brewing | British Columbia
Bronze – Big Lift | Brightwood Brewery | Nova Scotia
38. New England Style India Pale Ale
Gold – Vau-Do | Microbrasserie Trois Lacs Inc. | Quebec
Silver – No. 45 | Cassel Brewery | Ontario
Bronze – High Knoll Hazy IPA | Tinhouse Brewing Inc. | British Columbia
Honourable Mention – Electric Mayhem DDHIPA | Ridge Rock Brewing Company | Ontario
39. Session India Pale Ale
Gold – Ready Paler Two – Session IPA | Analog Brewing Company Inc | Alberta
Silver – The Starter | Four Father’s Brewing | Ontario
Bronze – Jam Session | Microbrasserie Trois Lacs Inc. | Quebec
40. American-Style Imperial India Pale Ale
Gold – Parkman Ave | Copper Bottom Brewing | Prince Edward Island
Silver – One Love | OverHop Brewing Corp. | Quebec
Bronze – Fracture | Amsterdam Brewing Co. | Ontario
Honourable Mention – Jellyfish Magician | Beere Brewing Company | British Columbia
41. American-Belgo-Style Ale
Gold – Obscure Monk | Shacklands Brewing Co. | Ontario
Silver – Daystar | Shacklands Brewing Co. | Ontario
Bronze – Shacklands Brave Noise | Shacklands Brewing Co. | Ontario
42. American-Style Brett Beer
Gold – Strange Resemblance | Strange Fellows Brewing Ltd. | British Columbia
Silver – Wild West Coast IPA | Sawback Brewing Co. | Alberta
Bronze – Blood Cut IPA | Low Life Barrel House | Manitoba
43. American-Style Sour Ale
Gold – Milkshake IPA Sure aux Abricots | Bièrerie Shelton | Quebec
Silver – The Darkest Timeline: Sour Porter w/ Cherry | Banded Goose Brewing | Ontario
Bronze – Arcane Dry Hopped Sour | Propeller Brewing Co. | Nova Scotia
44. Honey/Maple/Alternative Sugar Lager or Ale
Gold – Miss Maple | Microbrasserie Trois Lacs Inc. | Quebec
Silver – DIPA Série du Chantier #3 | Microbrasserie Le Temps d’une Pinte | Quebec
Bronze – Humble Hive Brown Ale | East Van Brewing | British Columbia
45. Fruit Beer or Field Beer
Gold – Dwarf Sour Cherry Fruited Saison | Blindman Brewing | Alberta
Silver – Le Fruit Défendu | Brasserie Vrooden Inc. | Quebec
Bronze – Hibiscus Lime Gose | Pile O’ Bones Brewing | Saskatchewan
Honourable Mention – Scrumpers Triple Berry Sour | Smugglers Trail Caskworks | British Columbia
46. Gluten-Free Beer
Gold – Glutenberg Rousse | Glutenberg | Quebec
Silver – Glutenberg Session IPA | Glutenberg | Quebec
Bronze – Glutenberg Blanche | Glutenberg | Quebec
47. Session Ale
Gold – Lazy River | Howe Sound Brewing | British Columbia
Silver – Public House Mild Porter | Snake Lake Brewing Company Inc. | Alberta
Bronze – Gladstone Belgian Single | Gladstone Brewing Co. | British Columbia
48. Experimental Beer
Gold – Nowhere: BlauFrankisch | Merit Brewing Co. | Ontario
Silver – Waterloo Chocolate Hazelnut Porter | Waterloo Brewing | Ontario
Bronze – By & By Pinot Noir Tripel | Merit Brewing Co. | Ontario
49. Herb and Spice Beer
Gold – Ultra Destroyer | Howe Sound Brewing | British Columbia
Silver – Ippon – Ginger and Sansho Pepper | Bière Ippon | Quebec
Bronze – Songe épicé | Avant Garde Artisans brasseurs | Quebec
Honourable Mention – Her Majesty’s Service Earl Grey Kölsch | Township 24 Brewing | Alberta
50. Smoked Beer
Gold – Sparkchaser | Twin City Brewing Company | British Columbia
Silver – Huldufólk | Little Beasts Brewing Company | Ontario
Bronze – Smoked Porter | Iron Road Brewing | British Columbia
51. Barley Wine-Style Ale
Gold – Barleywine | Sooke Brewing Co. | British Columbia
Silver – Afterhours Barley Wine | PEI Brewing Company | Prince Edward Island
Bronze – Scotch Ale | Sons Of Kent Brewing Co. | Ontario
Honourable Mention – Batch #100 Estate Barleywine | Barnside Brewing Co. | British Columbia
52. Wood and Barrel-Aged Pale to Dark Beer
Gold – Aki No Seishin Impériale | Bière Ippon | Quebec
Silver – Oak Boy | Parallel 49 Brewing | British Columbia
Bronze – Tequila Barrel-Aged Chiquita | Town Square Brewing Co. | Alberta
53. Wood and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer
Gold – Monolith | Howe Sound Brewing | British Columbia
Silver – Double Tempest | Amsterdam Brewing Co. | Ontario
Bronze – Storm Watching | Howe Sound Brewing | British Columbia
Honourable Mention – Back Pocket | The Establishment Brewing Company | Alberta
54. Wood and Barrel-Aged Sour Beer
Gold – Time’s Arrow | Dageraad Brewing Inc. | British Columbia
Silver – Cherryoperis | Four Winds Brewing Co. | British Columbia
Bronze – Lake of Bays Barrel-Aged Series: Brett Oud Bruin | Lake of Bays Brewing Company | Ontario
55. Flavoured Stout/Porter
Gold – Toasted Coconut Imperial Stout | Steamworks Brewing Co. | British Columbia
Silver – UVB-76 Maksim | Wellington Brewery | Ontario
Bronze – Breakfast & Furious | Stray Dog Brewing Company | Ontario
Honourable Mention – Boris Arabica | Strange Fellows Brewing Ltd. | British Columbia
56. Low-Alcohol Beer
Gold – NANO IPA | Oshlag | Quebec
Silver – Stone Sofa Kölsch | One For The Road Brewing Co. | Alberta
Bronze – NANO BLONDE | Oshlag | Quebec
57. Specialty IPA
Gold – Angry Chipmunk | Boshkung Brewing Co. | Ontario
Silver – Hip As Funk | Moon Under Water | British Columbia
Bronze – 5th Birthday Double IPA | Canmore Brewing Company Ltd. | Alberta
58. Historic/Regional Beers
Gold – Grodziskie | Thornbury Craft Co. | Ontario
Silver – Backyard IPA | Whistle Buoy Brewing Co. | British Columbia
Bronze – The Bearded Prospector | Full Beard Brewing Co. Inc. | Ontario
Honourable Mention – Grätzer | Bièrerie Shelton | Quebec
For the Sours aficionados here — you know who you are 🙂 — the obvious foci will be Category Numbers 15, 16, 43, and 54, with some additions present in Category 45.
Since 3CM is, as always, a data-nerd loser type, here’s the breakdown of the winners by province:
In parallel with the strong US West Coast presence (WA, OR) in the American craft beer market (even though craft beers are almost everywhere in the USA, it seems), it’s perhaps no surprise to see the dominant presence of BC in the rankings, given its West Coast status among the Canadian provinces. The top 4 provinces in Canadian population, per 2021 census data, are, in order:
1. Ontario
2. Quebec
3. British Columbia
4. Alberta
The same 4 provinces have the largest shares of prize winners in this year’s Canadian Brewing Awards, albeit in a different order:
So all this adds 194 beers to the infinitely expanding list of craft beers that 3CM the loser will never taste 🙂 . However, tonight’s featured selection is, for once, actually kind of close in spirit to this list. It’s a Glutenberg Stout, from Montreal (by way of an SC-based importer), and the QC-based brewery that swept Category # 46, the “Gluten-Free Beer” category (which may or may not say something about how crowded, or not, not to mention how large, or not, the Canadian gluten-free beer market is). I’m not at all a stouts aficionado, but it has that solid “stout feel”, even with being a gluten-free brew based on millet and corn, as indicated on the label. I don’t have any issues with gluten in my diet, as the selection resulted from randomly seeing it in an establishment and figuring that this would be a suitable choice for this particular Friday.
Plus, if nothing else, the PR-blurb for this particular flavo(u)r has a slightly off-beat tone. The original French reads:
BTW, the ‘official’ English text is exactly what you get when you feed the original French text into Google Translator. Make of that what you will 🙂 . Speaking of translations, it took me this long to realize that the French word “brasserie” actually means “brewery”, something that I somehow never bothered to figure out all this time, in spite of seeing the term “brasserie” with various American restaurants over the years. As well, regarding stouts, another stout of a very different vibe will feature in my next FNBB this month, if all goes to plan. Stay tuned.
With that, special greetings to our Canadian friends, and time to turn the e-floor over to you folks. What are you sipping tonight? Anyone brewing their own? Special virtual points to you if you are imbibing a Canadian brew tonight, and extra points if any posters here tonight are Canadian 😉 .
