Nearly a dozen breweries on Vancouver Island were on the podium at this year’s Canada Beer Cup awards.
The national competition sees judges from Europe, the U.K. and North America tasting 66 different types of beers across 11 different categories.
The Canada Beer Cup is also intended to promote local beers on a national and international stage.
This year, more than a dozen Island-made beers earned medals at the competition, including three gold medals.
Victoria’s Hoyne Brewing earned a gold medal in the “North American amber or dark lager” category for its popular Dark Matter beer.
Meanwhile, Campbell River’s Beach Fire Brewing Company earned gold in the “English style brown ale/Scottish style ale” category for its Ember Red Ale.
Port Alberni’s Twin City Brewing Company also received a gold medal for its Big Yikes beer in the “IPA of 8.1% ABV or greater” category.
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Repeat medal-winner Riot Brewing, in Chemainus, says it’s grateful to be recognized in the national competition once again for its Working Class Hero Dark Mild beer, which is a flavourful low-alcohol beverage.
“It’s an honour to be recognized two years in a row, and it just proves how much of a staple the Dark Mild is to our core lineup,” said Riot Brewing brewer Jesse Grass in a statement Thursday.
“Whether you wear coveralls or khakis, we brewed this for the working class hero in all of us.”
The national competition wasn’t the only one to recognize Island breweries this year.
Earlier this week, the BC Beer Awards handed out nearly two-dozen awards to Island breweries, and named Port Alberni’s Twin City Brewing Company the province’s brewery of the year.
READ MORE: Sip sip, hooray: Vancouver Island breweries win big at BC Beer Awards
A full list of Island winners at the Canada Beer Cup can be found below:
Gold
- Twin City Brewing Company (Port Alberni) – Big Yikes – IPA of 8.1% ABV or greater
- Beach Fire Brewing Company (Campbell River) – Ember Red Ale – English Style Brown Ale/Scottish Style
- Hoyne Brewing (Victoria) – Dark Matter – North American Amber or Dark Lager
Silver
- Twin City Brewing Company (Port Alberni) – Nocturne – Belgian Style Dark Strong Al
- Sooke Oceanside Brewery (Sooke) – Graveyard of the Pacific – Bock
- Vancouver Island Brewing (Victoria) – Northern Swell Coastal Pale Ale – Pale ale
- Vancouver Island Brewing (Victoria) – Hermannator Ice Bock – Doppelbock
Bronze
- Whistle Buoy Brewing Co. (Victoria) – LoJi Lite – Canadian Grain-Forward Beer
- Ace Brewing Co. (Courtenay) – Drop Tank Blonde Ale – Cream or Golden Ale
- Riot Brewing (Chemainus) – Working Class Hero Dark Mild – Mild Ale
- Mount Arrowsmith Brewing Company (Parksville) – Low Pressure Porter – Porter/Robust Porter
- Category 12 Brewing (Saanichton) – Effect-Belgian Style Sour with Sour Cherries – Wild or Mixed Fermentation Beer with Fruit
- Category 12 Brewing (Saanichton) – 8th Anniversary Beer – Barley Wine
- BONUS: Salt Spring Brewing Company (Salt Spring Island) – Belgian Dubbel – Belgian Style Dubbel or Other Belgian Style Dark Ale
The overall winner of this year’s Canada Beer Cup was Deadfall Brewing based in Prince George, B.C.
The B.C. brewery took home the championship for its Basal Brown ale, which was entered in the competition’s “American style brown ale” category.
Adam Chan
