Breweries from British Columbia won nearly 40% of all the awards at the 4th annual Canada Beer Cup.
Canada’s best beers were feted at the Canada Beer Cup Awards Gala in Québec City on November 10.
While the trophy for Best Beer in Canada went to Québec’s own Microbrasserie Charlevoix for its Flacatoune Belgian Blonde, breweries from British Columbia took home the majority of the beer awards by a wide margin.
Overall, BC craft breweries won 36.8% of the prizes, almost twice as many as the next best province, Québec, which won 19.7% of the awards. Alberta was third at 18.4%, and Ontario claimed 13.8%, with Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan all coming in around 3%.
Judging for the Canada Beer Cup took place in mid-September in Calgary, Alberta. The panel of 44 judges included international adjudicators from Belgium, Germany, Scotland, Mexico, and the USA, as well as across Canada. The Best in Show panel featured a group made up entirely of BJCP Grand Master judges.
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In total, BC breweries won 56 out of the 152 beer-specific awards, including first place in 18 of 51 different categories. Breweries from BC swept four of the categories, including the Feature Category: Western Canadian Gambrinus Pilsner Malt; American Amber Beer; Single Packaging; and, fittingly, the highly contested West Coast IPA style. Notably, BC breweries also took first and second in the Canadian Spruce Tip Pale Ale category, a style that has a strong connection to our west coast forests.
Notable BC Winners
Four BC breweries each won three awards in total, including Deadfall Brewing from Prince George, which previously took home the Canada Beer Cup in 2023; Courtenay’s Gladstone Brewing; Smithers Brewing, which recently won Best in Show at the 2025 BC Beer Awards; and Steamworks Brewing of Burnaby:
Deadfall Brewing from Prince George won one gold and two bronze awards:
- Gold – Basal Brown Ale (2023 Canada Beer Cup winner)
- Bronze – Circinate Kettle Sour
- Bronze – Aurora Session Pale Ale
Gladstone Brewing from Courtenay won three silvers:
- Silver – Gladstone Pilsner
- Silver – Gladstone Marzen
- Silver – Gladstone Red Ale
Smithers Brewing won one gold and two bronze awards:
- Gold – Morning Star Coffee Lager
- Bronze – Cucumberliner Weisse
- Bronze – Speciální Tmavé 14º, Výčepní Světlé 10º, Polotmavý Ležák 12º (Series Packaging category)
Steamworks Brewing won one gold and two bronze awards:
- Gold – Heroica Red Ale
- Bronze – Triple Berry Sour
- Bronze – John Oliver Pale Ale
Beva Brewing & Blending from North Vancouver won top marks for:
- Gold – Old Days
- Gold – Mambo Italiano (Single Packaging category)
Kelowna’s Jackknife Brewing won two awards:
- Gold – Hair Straight Back
- Bronze – Whiskey Throttle
Whistler’s Coast Mountain Brewing won two awards:
- Gold – Miki’s Rice Lager (Community & Collaborations Packaging)
- Bronze – Green Therapy West Coast IPA
Victoria’s Whistle Buoy Brewing won two awards:
- Gold – Fuzzy Peach
- Silver – Spruce Tip Pale Ale
For the complete list of winners check the Canada Beer Cup site. Here are a few more winners from British Columbia…
