DEEP DIVE

BC Beer Awards 2018: Top 10 Takeaways

October 25, 2018
What's Brewing
Columnists & Editorials, Events & Festivals, Story Of The Week
0 Comments

It’s been a few days since the 2018 BC Beer Awards wound down, but the glow is still on for some of the big winners. By now you may know who they are, but there’s always that little bit of extra insight we like to provide by uncovering things you might not have thought about. Here are a handful of those nuggets, as we present the What’s Brewing Top 10 Takeaways from BC Beer Awards 2018.

Twin Sails Sweeps Again: four awards, including a stunning sweep of the Hazy IPA category, seemingly unprecedented barring their own sweep of Imperial IPAs last year. (But unfortunately they’re ‘slumping’ after 2017’s seven-medal haul)
Hat Trick and a Plaque: 33 Acres (Brewery of the Year) and Twin City (Best in Show) each won a hat trick for beers, then took home a championship plaque to boot
Under The Radar award: Steel & Oak, for winning FIVE awards that nobody is talking about
Sooke Brewing Co: with their six awards, reminiscent of the Twin Sails performance last year–but this was in their first try!
Sooke Oceanside Brewery: tiny brewery grabs a hat trick, makes it 9 for the town of Sooke. By the way: in case you still need a reason, here’s Why To Visit Sooke
Bouncing Baby Brewery awards:
1. Sundown Brewing based out of Yeast Van’s Callister since just July, with a hat trick out of the gate (and a booth!)
2. BREWHALL: Newcomer nabs the CBC People’s Choice award. Considering the food-and-beer-oriented brewpub was barely rebooted by early summer, that’s a major sign of public respect
Veteran Breweries can still kick it too: Dead Frog, Howe Sound and Steamworks quietly pulling down a hat trick each
“Business Of Beer” hat trick for Field House Brewing, for Best Bottle Label, Best Website and Innovator of the Year. Normally they win awards for their beer, but this time it was their business side that got recognized
Almost Sweep: two out of three for Dageraad Brewing in their “wheelhouse category”, Strong Belgian Ale
Keepin’ It Real award: Remember good old-fashioned non-hazy North American style IPA? So does Gold winner Three Ranges Brewing of Valemount (unless you consider their Tail Slap IPA more English). They were also probably the brewery farthest from Vancouver to win something (and then drive down to claim their prize)

THE LEGEND

Our very own Lundy Dale received a LEGEND plaque for her lifetime achievements in BC beer. Besides what she does for What’s Brewing, her contributions to the #BCCraftBeer scene include becoming Western Canada’s first female Cicerone Certification Program graduate, founding CAMRA Vancouver, founding BC Craft Beer Month, founding Pink Pints – Barleys Angels Vancouver, B.C., presiding over CAMRA BC, and working in the industry for many years. Watch as she gets the well-deserved surprise of her life.