Port Alberni’s Twin City Brewing has repeated as BC’s top brewery, taking home the big prize along with five individual awards at the 2024 BC Beer Awards, which were announced in New Westminster on October 19.
Prior to winning Brewery of the Year in 2023, Twin City also won Best in Show at the 2018 BC Beer Awards not long after it opened.
Twin City Brewing’s five awards included two first-place, two second-place and one third-place trophy:
- Gold – Falltoberfest (Pale Malty German Lager)
- Gold – Out On A Limb (Specialty Fruit Beer)
- Silver – Swedish Gymnast (North American Light Ale)
- Silver – Big Yikes! (Imperial IPA)
- Bronze – Spruce Tip Swedish Gymnast (Spice, Herb and Vegetable Beer)
Strange Fellows Brewing Wins Best of Show
The other top honour of the evening went to Vancouver’s Strange Fellows Brewing, which won Best of Show for its Cool Ship Lambic. Overall, Strange Fellows won four awards:
- Gold – Cool Ship Lambic (Sour & Wild Ale) ** BEST OF SHOW **
- Silver – Ludwig Festbier (Pale Malty German Lager)
- Silver – Jongleur Wit (Belgian Ale)
- Bronze – Nevertheless IPA (Specialty/Experimental Beer)
Rookie of the Year: North Vancouver’s Beva Brewing & Blending
Italian-themed Beva Brewing & Blending has been earning high praise for its beer and food. The North Vancouver brewery won two awards, including one gold and a bronze:
- Gold – Brico English Porter (Malty UK & Irish Ale)
- Bronze – Figurati (Sour & Wild Ale)
BC Beer Legend Award: Tony Dewald
Earlier this year, many of us mourned the loss of Tony Dewald, who had been ill for some time. As a brewer, Tony first became well known at Dix BBQ & Brewery in 2002. Later, Tony also 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.
The BC Beer Awards honoured Tony posthumously with the Legend award for 2024.
Multiple Winners
Several other breweries won multiple awards. Burnaby’s Dageraad Brewing won two gold medals and was also awarded Dageraad Blonde with the Judges’ Choice Award.
- Gold – Blonde (Belgian Strong Ale) ** Judges’ Choice Award **
- Gold – Burnabarian (Belgian Ale)
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)
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.
