Saturday November 5th saw the return of the 11th annual BC Beer awards. This was the first time the event has been held since the outbreak of COVID-19. To mark the occasion, a celebratory brew was created in collaboration with BREWHALL and Powell Brewery. The “Back in Session” brew is a blackberry and lemon salted sour. Proceeds of the beer go towards the BC Hospitality Foundation and scholarships supporting diversity at Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s brewing program.

The event, held at the Croatian Cultural Centre in Vancouver, saw more than 120 beers from 70 different B.C. breweries compete. Courtenay’s Gladstone Brewing Company was the biggest winner taking home the Brewery of the Year award in addition to its’ lineup winning 4 first-places and 1 second-place.

Full list of winners from the BC Beer Awards for 2022:

INTERNATIONAL PALE LAGER – 51 ENTRIES
3. Locomotive Lager – Iron Road Brewing Co.
2. Westy – Category 12 Brewing
1. Czech Pilsner – Wildeye Brewing

PALE MALTY GERMAN LAGER – 26 ENTRIES
3. Oktoberfest Festbier – Parallel 49 Brewing Co
2. Infinite Radness – Studio Brewing Corp
1. Bob’s Auto Lager – 101 Brewhouse and Distillery

PALE BITTER GERMAN LAGER – 32 ENTRIES
3. 3 Month Pils – Smuggler’s Trail Caskworks
2. Shaketown Leitchtbier – Shaketown Brewing Co
1. Farm Country Pilsner – Farm Country Brewing

AMBER LAGER – 25 ENTRIES
3. Sausage Party – Farm Country Brewing
2. Zoigl – Steel & Oak Brewing Co.
1. Marzen – Abandoned Rail Brewing Co
HM: Harkrider – Freddy’s Brewpub

DARK LAGER – 18 ENTRIES
3. 33 Acres of Darkness – 33 Acres Brewing Co
2. Oktoberfest Schwarzbier – Parallel 49 Brewing Co
1 . Gladstone Czech Dark Lager – Gladstone Brewing Company
HM: Dark Lager – Patina Brewing Co.

STRONG ALE & LAGER – 13 ENTRIES
3. Hellroaring Scotch Ale – Fisher Peak Brewing Company
2. Bear Beach Baltic Porter – Sooke Oceanside Brewery
1. Gale Force – Main Street Brewing

KOLSCH – 14 ENTRIES
3. Kolsch – Steamworks Brewing Co
2. Seventh Day Kolsch – Ucluelet Brewing Co
1. Klutz Kolsch – Brassneck Brewery

WEISSBIER – 26 ENTRIES
3. Umlaut – Brassneck Brewery
2. Beachcomber Hefeweizen – Vancouver Island Brewing
1. Der Klassiker – Steel & Oak Brewing Co.

HOPPY UK ALE – 26 ENTRIES
3. Elephant Run IPA – Fisher Peak Brewing Company
2. Flaskers British Ale – Smuggler’s Trail Caskworks
1. Pale Ale – Russell Brewing Co

MALTY UK & IRISH ALE – 24 ENTRIES
3. Invictus Dark Mild – Smuggler’s Trail Caskworks
2. Overcast – KPU Brew Lab
1. Gladstone Porter – Gladstone Brewing Co

UK & IRISH STOUT – 12 ENTRIES
3. Firkin Irish Stout – Shuswap Lake Brewing
2. Wheelbender Stout – Beach Fire Brewing Company
1. 52 Foot Stout – Barkerville Brewing Co

FRUIT BEER – 46 ENTRIES
3. Lemon Mandarin Radler – Strathcona Beer Company
2. A Many Splendored Things – Saison W/ Tangerines – Small Gods Brewing Co
1. “Thornless” Blackberry Porter – Cannery Brewing

SPECIALTY FRUIT BEER – 56 ENTRIES
3. The Floor is Guava – Backcountry Brewing
2. Agua de Jamaica Hibiscus Rose Sour – La Cerveceria Astilleros
1. Kirsche – Steamworks Brewing Co.

SPICED BEER – 29 ENTRIES
3. Thread the Needle Witbier – Whitetooth Brewing Company Ltd
2. Killer Cucumber Ale – Steamworks Brewing Co
1. One Piece Wonder – Tin Whistle Brewery

SMOKE & WOOD AGED BEER – 19 ENTRIES
3. Mayne Island Barrel Aged Brown Ale – Mayne Island Brewing
2. Sparkchaser – Twin City Brewing Company
1. 7109 Barrel Aged Imperial Stout – Brewhall Beer Co

EUROPEAN SOUR ALE – 16 ENTRIES
3. New Brighton Dry Hopped Sour – R&B Brewing Co
2. Pinot – Ile Sauvage Brewing Company
1. Roundhouse Oud Bruin – Iron Road Brewing Co.

SPECIALTY BEER – 24 ENTRIES
3. Undersea Gose – Whistle Buoy Brewing Co
2. Capacitor – Beacon Brewing Ltd.
1. Loral – Ile Sauvage Brewing Company

NORTH AMERICAN LIGHT LAGER – 49 ENTRIES
3. Shaketown Pre-Prohibition Pilsner – Shaketown Brewing Co.
2. No Brainer – Brassneck Brewery
1. North Point Lite Lager – North Point Brewing Co.

NORTH AMERICAN LIGHT ALE – 33 ENTRIES
3. Whitetooth Session Ale – Whitetooth Brewing Company Ltd.
2. Gladstone Cream Ale – Gladstone Brewing Company
1. Droptank – Ace Brewing Co.

NORTH AMERICAN PALE ALE – 71 ENTRIES
3. Salish Sea Pale Ale – Mount Arrowsmith Brewing Company
2. Valley Trail Pale Ale – Coast Mountain Brewing
1. Hazy Citra Pale Ale – 4 Mile Brewing Co

NORTH AMERICAN AMBER & BROWN ALE – 23 ENTRIES
3. Mizaru – Monkey 9 Brewing Pub Corp
2. Blue Buck Ale – Phillips Brewing & Malting Co
1. Gladstone Red Ale – Gladstone Brewing Company

NORTH AMERICAN PORTER & STOUT – 19 ENTRIES
3. Ten Tonne Skeleton – Silver Valley Brewing Co
2. Felix – Studio Brewing Corp
1. Commander Imperial Stout – Dead Frog Brewery

NORTH AMERICAN IPA – 62 ENTRIES
3. Best Coast IPA – Trading Post Brewing
2. Ruff Westcoast IPA – Yellow Dog Brewing
1. West Coast IPA – Moody Ales & Co

SPECIALTY IPA – 37 ENTRIES
3. Little Twin – Fern & Cedar Brewing Co
2. Spruce Tip IPA – Rossland Brewing Co
1. Unconventional Wisdom – Brassneck Brewery

HAZY IPA – 99 ENTRIES
3. 445 Galaxy IPA – Faculty Brewing Co
2. Widowmaker – Backcountry Brewing
1. Gladstone NEIPA – Gladstone Brewing Company

IMPERIAL IPA – 11 ENTRIES
3. Undertow – Steel & Oak Brewing Co
2. Numbskull Rakau Edition – Lighthouse Brewing Co
1. Empress Double IPA – Steamworks Brewing Co

BELGIAN ALE – 16 ENTRIES
3. It’s Always Sunny in East Van Witbier – R&B Brewing Co
2. Blanche Devereaux – Bayview Brewing Company
1. Farmer’s Daughter White – The Beer Farmers

SAISON – 19 ENTRIES
3. Mimosa Summer Ale – Russell Brewing Co
2. Picnic Table Beer – R&B Brewing Co
1. Field Theory – Dagerad Brewing

BELGIAN STRONG ALE – 9 ENTRIES
3. Blonde – Dageraad Brewing
2. Brune – Dageraad Brewing
1. 33 Acres of Euphoria – 33 Acres Brewing Co

WILD ALE – 21 ENTRIES
3. Greehorn Wild Ale – Strange Fellows Brewing
2. Barreled Series – Batch #001 – Tofino Brewing Company
1. 10th Anniversary Brett Saison – Parallel 49 Brewing Co

SPECIALTY WILD ALE – 63 ENTRIES
3. Rose & Hibiscus Sour – The Beer Farmers
2. Dinosour Blackberry – Phillips Brewing & Malting Co.
1. Circa 1775 – Main Street Brewing

CREATIVE INDUSTRY AWARDS

BEST MERCH – PRESENTED BY THE BARLEY MERCHANT
Rusted Rake Brewing

BEST TAP HANDLE – PRESENTED BY SMOOTH EDGE DESIGN
Slackwater Brewing

BEST PACKAGING DESIGN – PRESENTED BY GREAT LITTLE BOX
Slackwater Brewing – Lo-Tide Lager

BEST BOTTLE DESIGN – PRESENTED BY GREAT LITTLE BOX
Field House Fresh Batch Barrel Series – Mango Plum Sour

BEST CAN DESIGN – PRESENTED BY VESSEL
Main Street Brewing – King Pin Pale Ale

BEST TASTING ROOM EXPERIENCE – PRESENTED BY AXIS INSURANCE
Camp Beer Co.

BEST SOCIAL MEDIA – PRESENTED BY MAJOR TOM
Backcountry Brewing

BEST WEBSITE – PRESENTED BY MAJOR TOM
Rusted Rake Brewing

INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR – PRESENTED BY KEGSHARE
Locality Brewing

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR – PRESENTED BY GLENMORE PACKAGING
Smuggler’s Trail Caskworks

LEGEND AWARD – PRESENTED BY BCBA
Nigel Springthorpe

BEST IN SHOW – PRESENTED BY COUNTRY MALT GROUP
Parallel 49 Brewing – 10th Anniversary Brett Saison

BREWERY OF THE YEAR – PRESENTED BY TAP & BARREL
Gladstone Brewing Co.

JUDGES’ CHOICE – PRESENTED BY CBC
The Beer Farmers – Farmers Daughter White