The BC craft beer industry is currently experiencing one of its most challenging times, as anyone who works in beer knows. Thankfully, however, it still has its champions and its beacons of inspiration. These are the people that John Ohler, steward of the John Mitchell estate, and his fellow board members want to honour with the John Mitchell Awards for Brewing Excellence.
The inaugural award, named the John Mitchell Lifetime Achievement Award for Brewing Excellence, was bestowed upon Tony DeWald in 2023. This year, during the BC Craft Brewers Conference in New Westminster’s Anvil Centre, three award winners were announced: the Community Award, the Builder Award, and the Brewer Award. Next year, a fourth award will be added: the Graduate Award, for a deserving graduate of the Kwantlen Polytechnic University brewing program. Ohler plans to have an annual John Mitchell Signature Collaboration Beer brewed jointly by the winners of the Graduate and the Brewer Awards.
Ohler, a longtime friend of the late craft beer pioneer John Mitchell, hopes these awards will shed light on unsung heroes in the province’s craft beer industry. “These awards recognize the people who have given so much of their passion and time to craft beer, and not just brewers,” says Ohler. “If it was just brewers and entrepreneurs, I don’t think craft beer would be anywhere. Consumers need to thank so many other people as well, people who have helped bring craft beer to the forefront.” These awards highlight that a safe, healthy craft beer industry is beyond just brewing.
The Community Award
Monica Frost, one of our fearless leaders here at the BC Ale Trail, was honoured with the Community Award. In addition to her important role as Project Lead for the BC Ale Trail, Monica is also Communications Director for the BC Craft Brewers Guild. Monica has spent years writing for What’s Brewing Magazine and doing promotional work for major beer events like Vancouver Craft Beer Week and the Great Canadian Beer Festival. In addition, she served for five years as a Director for the BC Beer Awards and volunteered from 2008-2014 for the Vancouver and provincial chapters of CAMRA. There are many other ways, large and small, quantifiable or invisible, that Monica has enriched the BC craft beer community. “She’s so good at what she does,” Ohler says enthusiastically. “John Mitchell would want this.”
The Builder Award
The Builder Award was presented to Paul Hadfield, publican of Spinnakers Brewpub. Since Paul founded Spinnakers in 1984 with John Mitchell himself, he’s been out there greeting customers, being present, and ensuring high-quality beer is being served in his establishment. Spinnakers remains one of the best places – perhaps THE best place – in BC to enjoy traditional cask ale. However, Paul’s contributions go beyond beer. His ongoing advocacy helped push through several key changes to the province’s liquor policies, including the decision in 2000 to allow brewpubs to distribute their beer outside of their own restaurants. “Paul has been a tireless voice behind the scenes for advancing craft beer around BC,” says Ohler.
The Brewer Award
Finally, the esteemed Brewer Award was given to Gary Lohin. A longtime homebrewer, Gary first tried his hand at professional brewing when he began working at Okanagan Spring Brewery in the 1980s. From there, he brewed at Whistler Brewing, then made a name for himself as the brewmaster at Sailor Hagar’s in the mid-1990s. At Hagar’s, he began to experiment with a witbier recipe given to him by Hoegaarden founder Pierre Celis, and he introduced Vancouverites to their first taste of Belgian haze. In 2003, he founded Central City Brewing, which went on to win numerous awards over the years. It’s thanks to Gary that a real IPA first became popular in BC; Central City’s Red Racer IPA broke new ground in the province. Ohler recalls how much John Mitchell admired Gary for his entrepreneurial spirit and brewing expertise. “He’s also just a good dude,” Ohler adds. “He’s the kind of guy who I can give him a hug, and that hug will mean something. Gary has given craft beer a hug for a long time.”
Many congratulations to the three winners on their well-deserved recognition for the ways in which they’ve supported and built the craft beer industry up for decades. We wouldn’t be where we are now without them. Cheers!
Every Pint Tells a Story
