Twin City Brewing Repeats as Brewery
of the Year at the 2024 BC Beer Awards

There must be something in the water in Port Alberni — Twin City Brewing just keeps on winning awards for its beer!

After winning Beer of the Year at the 2018 BC Beer Awards shortly after it opened, Twin City Brewing won the BC Ale Trail’s Best Brewery Experience award in 2020 before winning Brewery of the Year at last year’s BC Beer Awards.  Twin City Brewing is located in Port Alberni, which is home to two other craft breweries, and is part of the Vancouver Island Part II Ale Trail.

Overall, Twin City won five awards, including two golds for Falltoberfest in the Pale Malty German Lager category and Out On A Limb (Specialty Fruit Beer), two silvers (Swedish Gymnast and Big Yikes!) and a bronze (Spruce Tip Swedish Gymnast).

Best of Show Goes to Strange Fellows Brewing

Sharing the podium with Twin City Brewing was Vancouver’s Strange Fellows Brewing, which won Best of Show for its Coolship Lambic beer as part of a four-award haul. Notably, Strange Fellows won one of its awards for a non-alcoholic beer, Nevertheless IPA:

• Gold – Coolship Lambic (Sour & Wild Ale )
• Silver – Ludwig Festbier (Pale Malty German Lager)
• Silver – Jongleur Wit (Belgian Ale)
• Bronze – Nevertheless IPA (Specialty/Experimental Beer)

North Vancouver’s Beva Brewing & Blending Wins Rookie of the Year

Beva Brewing  & Blending has been garnering lots of attention for its beer and food. The North Vancouver brewery won two awards, including one gold and a bronze:

• Gold – Brico (Malty UK & Irish Ale)
• Bronze – Figurati (Sour & Wild Ale)

Judge’s Choice Award Goes to Dageraad Brewing

Burnaby’s Dageraad Brewing was highlighted by the judges who selected Dageraad’s Blonde for special attention in addition to awarding the brewery two gold medals:

• Gold – Blonde (Belgian Strong Ale)
• Gold – Burnabarian (Belgian Ale)

Legend Award Honours Tony Dewald Posthumously

The BC Beer Community mourned the loss of a longtime brewer, mentor and friend in 2024. Tony Dewald began brewing in Ontario after an early career as a touring musician with Deja Voodoo, and then followed his friend Harley Smith (Longwood Brewery) to BC. Tony began brewing at Dix BBQ & Brewery in 2002 and developed a great reputation there, helping to turn Dix into one of the go-to venues for beer lovers and local brewers alike. Later, Tony brewed at Dead Frog Brewery and Trading Post Brewing in Langley.

Last year, Tony Dewald received the inaugural John Mitchell Lifetime Achievement Award for Brewing Excellence. For the full story check out our blog.

Multiple Winners

Several other breweries had strong showings as well, taking home multiple awards. Notably, Bayview Brewing of Ladysmith won three trophies, including two golds and one silver:

• Gold – Famous Ladysmith Blonde (North American Light Ale)
• Gold – Cowichan Valley Common (North American Amber & Brown Ale)
• Silver – Bayview Brunette (North American Amber & Brown Ale)

Vancouver’s Brassneck Brewery also won two golds and a silver:

• Gold – No Brainer (North American Light Lager)
• Gold – Rose Changeling (Specialty Wild Ale)
• Silver – Umlaut (Weissbier)

Gladstone Brewing (Courtenay) won three awards, including one gold:

• Gold – Gladstone Glad Light (Pale Bitter German Lager) 
• Bronze – Gladstone Kolsch (Kölsch)
• Bronze – Gladstone Red Ale (North American Amber & Brown Ale)

Nearby in Comox, Land & Sea Brewing also won three awards: 

• Bronze – Goldfinch Helles (Pale Malty German Lager)
• Bronze – Glacier Cream Ale (North American Light Ale)
• Bronze – Westward IPA (North American IPA)

Smugglers Trail Caskworks (Langley) also won three third-place awards:

• Bronze – Flaskers British Ale (Hoppy UK Ale)
• Bronze – Picnic (Specialty Fruit Beer)
• Bronze – Scrumpers Blueberry Peach Sour (Fruit Beer)

Based in Burnaby, Steamworks Brewery won three awards including two golds:

• Gold – Halo (Specialty IPA)
• Gold – Empress (Imperial IPA)
• Silver – John Oliver Lager (North American Light Lager)

Port Moody’s Yellow Dog Brewing won a gold, silver and bronze:

• Gold – Chase My Tail Pale Ale (North American Pale Ale )
• Silver – Retriever Golden Ale (Hoppy UK Ale)
• Bronze – Rollover Cerveza Negra (Amber Lager)

Also of note, Parallel 49 Brewing (Vancouver) won two gold medals:

• Gold – Bierfest Hefeweizen (Weissbier)
• Gold – Filthy Dirty (North American IPA)

For the full list of awards, visit the BC Beer Awards website.