The Canada Beer Cup will stay in British Columbia for a second straight year following Callister Brewing’s win in the inaugural national competition last year.
Prince George brewery Deadfall Brewing only just opened in 2022 but it has already made a name for itself by winning the second annual Canada Beer Cup for its Basal Brown Ale, which also took home the gold medal in the American-style Brown Ale category.
In addition to Deadfall’s big win, many other breweries from British Columbia also fared well in the competition. Overall, out of a total of 197 awards given in 67 different categories, 71 medals went to BC breweries. That works out to 36% of the awards, which shows that the BC craft beer industry is definitely excelling on the national stage!
“Congratulations to Deadfall Brewing! It is so exciting that the Canada Beer Cup will be staying in British Columbia for a second straight year,” commented Ken Beattie, Executive Director of the BC Craft Brewers Guild. “The fact that more than a third of all the awards went to BC breweries says a lot about the high quality of beer being made by breweries all across our province.”
Deadfall Brewing wins a specially designed trophy, which was hand blown by Gray Art Glass glassblowing studio in Merrickville, Ontario, and, like the NHL’s Stanley Cup, will be passed annually to the brewery creating the “Best of Show” beer as determined by a group of national and international judges. Callister Brewing in Vancouver won the inaugural award for its Wee Laird Wee Heavy Scotch Ale.
Located on the Northwest BC Ale Trail, Deadfall Brewing opened in the spring of 2022, becoming Prince George’s third craft brewery. Three out of four of Deadfall Brewing’s owners are PhDs — the two couples who teamed up to build this brewery include three biologists with doctorates. One of those, Brandon Baerwald, is the full-time brewmaster.
The Canada Beer Cup judging session took place in Niagara Falls earlier this month with a panel of more than 40 beer judges from across Canada and around the world, including high-profile international judges from Europe, South America, and the USA. More than 1,200 beers from 250+ breweries across Canada were judged between Oct 2-4, 2023.
According to Head Judge Stephen Beaumont, “This year’s Canada Beer Cup went from strength to strength, with judges from across Canada and the United States, the U.K., Sweden, Belgium, and Chile. Simply put, it was, in my opinion, the most prestigious group of beer judges ever assembled in Canada, and the beers definitely measured up to the calibre of the jury! Without question, the Canada Beer Cup is putting Canadian beer on the global map.”
Beyond Deadfall’s big win, many other BC breweries fared well in this year’s awards, which were announced during a livestream on Wednesday, October 25.
Vancouver’s Parallel 49 Brewing won a total of five awards, including a gold medal for its Festbier, silver for Craft Pilsner, and three bronze medals for Schwarzbier, Hefeweizen and Craft Pale Ale.
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Boardwalk Brewing in Port Coquitlam won three medals: Palm Shade Salted Lime Gose (gold); Dank You Double IPA (silver); and Black Forest Schwarzbier (silver).
Kelowna’s Grey Fox Brewing, the only entirely gluten-free brewery on the BC Ale Trail, scored a huge win by sweeping the Gluten-Free Beer category: Quick Witted (gold); Humble Lager (silver); and Buckwild Stout (bronze).
Silver Valley Brewing in Maple Ridge also won three awards, including gold for All My Favourite Songs Oatmeal Stout, and bronze medals for Teardrop Hazy Pale Ale and The Highway Lager.
Tin Whistle Brewing in Penticton won two gold medals for Mythical Creatures IPA and Hazelnut Coffee Milk Stout.
Delta’s Four Winds Brewing also won two gold medals for: Featherweight IPA and Operis .
Strange Fellows Brewing in Vancouver won gold for its non-alcoholic pale ale, Nevertheless, and silver for its Kriek.
Other gold medal winners from BC included:
- Ember Red Ale – Beachfire Brewing (Campbell River)
- Skyline Lager – Bomber Brewing (Vancouver)
- Dark Arts Belgian Quadrupel – Container Brewing (Vancouver)
- Dark Matter – Hoyne Brewing (Victoria)
- Birra Rossa – KPU Brew Lab (Langley)
- Barrel Aged Smoked Doppelbock – Locality Brewing collab w/ Five Roads Brewing (Langley)
- Into the Woods Piwo Grodziskie – Main St. Brewing (Vancouver)
- High Country Kölsch – Mt Begbie Brewing (Revelstoke)
- Loki Lager – Nelson Brewing (Nelson)
- Kveik Wheat Ale – Shaketown Brewing (North Vancouver)
- Vienna Lager – Slow Hand Beer (Vancouver)
- Pilsner – Steamworks Brewing (Burnaby)
- Big Yikes Double IPA – Twin City Brewing (Port Alberni)
For the complete results, visit the Canada Beer Cup website.
