It’s awards season!
The outfits may not have been like what you see at the Oscars, but the who’s who of British Columbia’s craft beer industry gathered in their best button-ups, flannels and brewery tees on Friday night for the 2026 BC Beer Awards in New Westminster.
It was no easy task for judges to narrow down the list to three medal winners in each category this year. There were 866 beer entries submitted from 95 breweries representing communities all across the province.
Another 34 ciders were submitted by nine cideries in their first crack at a BC Beer Awards medal. Three of the four new categories introduced this year were added to include BC craft cideries in the awards for the very first time.
All submissions were blind-judged by certified experts, according to Beer Judge Certification Program guidelines, from Sept. 10-13 at Powell Brewery in Vancouver. The lone exception was the Fresh Hop Beer category, which was judged on Friday morning just hours before the awards gala began. The Fresh Hop category was another new category added in 2026 and exclusive to beers made with only BC hops.
You’re probably getting thirsty just thinking about all these award-winning beers, so we won’t make you wait any longer. Here’s a rundown of the big winners from the 2026 BC Beer Awards!
Gladstone Brewing and Tin Whistle Brewing took home the top honours!
For the second time in five years, Gladstone Brewing was named Brewery of the Year.
Gladstone has become a staple of the Courtenay community since opening its doors in 2015.
It had humble beginnings prior to that, however, as co-founders Daniel Sharratt and Alexandra Stephanson first began experimenting with home brewing in Victoria.
In fact, the brewery got its name from Gladstone Avenue, the street where Sharratt was living when those first beers were brewed in his garage.
Gladstone Brewing won four BC Beer Awards – one gold, two silvers and one bronze:
- 🥇 Gladstone Red Ale
- 🥈 Gladstone Matt’s PNW Pale Ale
- 🥈 Gladstone Kolsch
- 🥉 Gladstone Pilsner
Tin Whistle Brewing was another major winner on Friday night, winning Best in Show for its Black Widow Dark Lager.
The Penticton brewery can now boast back-to-back gold medals for Black Widow, which has now won the International Lager category two years in a row.
Tin Whistle has been around for over 30 years and Black Widow is one of the brewery’s signature creations. It’s a crisp, dry and light-bodied beer with notes of roasted chocolate.
While Black Widow earned the night’s top beer honour, it wasn’t the only Tin Whistle beer to go back-to-back. Cherry Blossom Japanese Lager also defended its gold medal in the Specialty & Experimental category.
The Legend Award makes it to the Okanagan: Ron and Patt Dyck, Cannery Brewing
Ron and Patt Dyck have been married for as long as they’ve been in the hospitality industry – 48 years.
Their journey started with 23 years running the Country Squire restaurant in Naramata, but the last quarter-century has been all about Cannery Brewing. One of the staples of Penticton’s thriving craft brewery scene, Cannery turned 25 on April 1, 2026.
Kim Lawton, Cannery’s long-time marketing director, said the words that stand out to her when she thinks of the Dycks are family, relationships, the community and unwavering hospitality.
In Lawton’s words:
“Patt and Ron created a place where we all belong. They care deeply about every member of our team. Everyone brings passion and loyalty to their jobs because of the leadership of Patt and Ron. They inspire us to take on more, to be better, to move the business forward.
Cannery is not just a business, it is a family. Many of the people on our team have been part of the Cannery team for many years. More than 15 people on our team have been with Cannery for over a decade.
From the beginning, I remember Ron talking about converting beer drinkers to craft beer drinkers. One beer at a time, one bottle at a time, one can at a time, one keg account at a time. As a craft beer missionary, Ron drove around BC in his van named Scruffy doing tastings, telling stories and converting people one craft beer at a time.”
Ron and Patt are big believers in community and they’ve showcased that through their actions. They support charities, non-profits, arts and cultural groups, sports teams, events, fundraisers and everything in between. They have both served on multiple boards and committees, and have helped shape the South Okanagan community and craft beer industry.
Cheers to you, Ron and Patt! 🍻
Farmhouse Abbotsford wins Rookie Brewery of the Year.
Farmhouse Brewing built something truly unique when it opened the doors to its original Chilliwack location in 2020.
The farm-based brewery has space to spare on agricultural land in Greendale, with a world-class outdoor setup that includes a putting green, playground, fire pits and, of course, farm animals.
Farmhouse’s new Abbotsford location opened in July 2026, and while there may not be a putting green, it offers much of the same peaceful outdoor experience. Darren Thiessen, a one-time brewer at Camp Beer Co. in Langley, is now running the brewing side.
The brewery only won one medal, but it was a gold for its Mosaic White IPA and that was enough to earn them Rookie Brewery of the Year.
Twelve Multiple Award Winners
The bulk of the multiple award winners were from the Greater Vancouver area, with a few spotted in Northern BC, the Island and the Okanagan.
Two breweries (aside from Gladstone) each received 4 awards: Dageraad Brewing and Parallel 49 Brewing.
Dageraad Brewing:
- 🥇 Blonde
- 🥈 Dart Lager
- 🥈 Tous Les Jours
- 🥉 Antigoon
Parallel 49 Brewing:
- 🥇 Craft Pilsner
- 🥈 Bierfest – Festbier
- 🥉 Craft Lager
- 🥉 Bierfest – German Pilsner
Dageraad calls its Belgian-style Blonde Ale “the pride of our brewery” and it’s not hard to see why. It has medalled in this category at seven of the last nine BC Beer Awards and won Judge’s Choice in 2024.
It’s a complex, medium-dry blonde ale that gets its depth and complexity of flavour form European hops, Dageraad’s house yeast and a secret blend of spices.
Parallel 49’s Craft Lager and Craft Pilsner are two of the best bang-for-your-buck beers in BC and they’re available year-round at BC Liquor stores, usually in the cooler of tall cans right near the checkout.
The Vancouver brewery’s Bierfest pack is not so readily available, however, as the eight-pack only makes an appearance at this time of year. Read more about the Bierfest pack in the BC Ale Trail’s fall seasonal roundup and make sure to grab yours before they’re all gone!
Steamworks Brewing, Smithers Brewing and KPU Brew Lab each won three awards.
Steamworks Brewing:
- 🥇 John Oliver Lager
- 🥇 Non-Alcoholic Hazy IPA
- 🥉 EXP IPA
Smithers Brewing:
- 🥇 Last Cast Lager
- 🥉 Trà Chanh Hà Nội Jasmine Tart Ale
- 🥉 Son of a Birch Pilsner
KPU Brew Lab:
- 🥇 Knotty Bee
- 🥈 MacToff
- 🥉 Schwarz
Do you have an interest in learning how to brew? The KPU Brew Lab is a place that even some of the biggest craft beer lovers in BC may not have heard of, but it’s where many of the people who make their favourite beers got their start.
It’s a custom-built 4,500 sq. ft. teaching brewery located on Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s Langley campus. Not only do students learn how to become great brewers, they also produce award-winning beer that is available to the public.
This year’s medals aren’t the first that the KPU Brew Lab has earned at the BC Beer Awards and it even won Brewery of the Year back in 2019. It also has national awards to its name and is considered one of the best teaching breweries in North America.
You can’t just drop by any time though, as the KPU Brew Lab is only open for public sales from 1-6 pm on Fridays. You can check what’s on tap at the moment online and whether the beers are available in cans or for growler fills only.
Seven breweries won two awards this year.
From the Vancouver Coast & Mountains:
- Main Street Brewing
- Superflux Beer Company
- Mariner Brewing
- Patina Brewing
- Smugglers Trail Caskworks
From Vancouver Island:
- Serious Brewing
From Thompson/Okanagan:
- Tin Whistle Brewing
Tin Whistle’s two gold medal winners were detailed above, but it isn’t the only brewery that had a pair of beers top the podium in their respective categories. Both Superflux and Mariner accomplished that feat as well.
Superflux is best-known for its hop-forward beers so it’s no surprise that those medals came in the American IPA and Hazy IPA categories with Happyness and Solano. Mariner’s gold medal winners showcased the brewery’s ability to mix it up, as its Hefeweizen topped the Wheat Beer category and its Winter Ale beat the rest in the Spice, Herb, or Vegetable category.
This impressive list of two-medal winners also includes a trio of breweries that accomplished the same feat at the Canada Beer Cup earlier this month. Patina, Smugglers Trail and Serious all won multiple medals at the national awards show in Calgary on Oct. 8. These breweries may be looking for bigger trophy cases soon!
Find BC’s Best Near You
There are so many incredible, award-winning beers to try around BC, but the unfortunate reality is that the one that catches your eye the most may not be available where you live.
Some of the beers that earned medals at the 2026 BC Beer Awards are only available on tap at their brewery. Others will only be canned for regional distribution. That means a Prince George resident might have trouble finding an award-winning beer from Victoria.
But there is always something to try close to home! Here’s a winner from each BC Ale Trail region that should be on your radar:
Vancouver Island
Mount Arrowsmith Brewing’s Weekend Rambler Bumbleberry Sour was a gold medal winner in the Fruit Beer category, beating out 56 other entries!
Raspberries and blackberries provide a burst of juicy tartness in this vibrant and balanced sour from the Parksville brewery.
Vancouver, Coast & Mountains
Luppolo Brewing’s La Piazza Italian Pilsner was a gold medal winner in the Hop Forward Lager category, beating out 23 other entries!
The Vancouver brewery combines locally-sourced and traditional European pilsner malts to give this core beer a rich and crisp character.
Thompson Okanagan
BNA Brewing’s Seaside Cerveza was a gold medal winner in the International Lager category, beating out 48 other entries!
It’s the Kelowna brewery’s take on a classic Mexican-style lager, offering a crisp and clean taste that is best enjoyed with a slice of lime.
Northern British Columbia
Smithers Brewing’s Last Call Lager was a gold medal winner in the Pale Malty European Beer category, beating out 28 other entries!
This German-style helles lager is crisp and refreshing. The brewery describes it as “entry-level,” meaning it’s a classic beer that everyone should enjoy.
Kootenay Rockies
Encore Brewing’s Retrowave West Coast Pale Ale was a gold medal winner in the American Pale Ale category, beating out 59 other entries!
It’s a bright, refreshing beer with tropical and citrus notes from Talus and Krush hops. The Cranbrook brewery calls it “a hoppy ray of sunshine” and its retro-inspired label art reflects that.
Cariboo Chilcotin Coast
Unfortunately, there were no medal winners from this region in 2026, but we expect them to bounce back strong in 2027! In the meantime, consider a couple of past winners from this region.
Whistler Brewing’s Forager Grapefruit Ale won bronze in the Alternative Fermentables Beer in 2025. It’s a great gluten-free option!
Lillooet Brewing’s Mountain Goat Apricot Sour won silver in the Fruit Beer category in 2024. It has a refreshingly complex profile that hits the spot at any time of year.
For the full list of awards, visit the BC Beer Awards website.
The BC Beer Awardshas been running since 2010 (spanning 17 years, with 15 active editions after a two-year hiatus in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic). This is the premier awards event for the BC craft industry.
Check out the BC Beer Awards YouTube page to rewatch the livestream 🎥
