Welcome to another edition of News and Notes—the monthly quick-hitter where we give you the scoop on all of the notable goings on of the craft beer and cider community that word count will allow!
First of all, Happy B.C. Craft Beer Month! If you haven’t already done so, do yourself a favour and check out B.C. Craft Beer Month’s #beeroftheday series on Instagram (@bccraftbeermonth) for 31 days of styles, pairings and made-in-B.C. examples to try.
It’s awards season, with the B.C. Beer Awards (and B.C. Beer Con) less than a week away, and judging for the Canada Beer Cup in November having just wrapped up. As such, it feels appropriate to lead with news of the demise of a prestigious competition:
NEWS
RIP Canadian Brewing Awards
It appears that the Canadian Brewing Awards are no more. This according to a September 26th social media post that didn’t get much attention and, frankly, left some room for interpretation. The post cites the economy, limited resources, communication issues, and a focus on bestbeer.com as the culprits. It goes on to apologize to judges and breweries for “communication gaps and disruptions caused by this year’s logistical challenges.” Feels like there’s more of a story there…
The CBAs were a national competition recognizing excellence in Canadian brewing. Another slide acknowledges that the need for two national competitions no longer exists and appears to endorse the Canada Beer Cup: “without clear differentiation, a second, near-identical traditional competition seems unnecessary. We support the Canada Beer Cup and its initiative, and feel that having a single national competition will make winning a national medal more meaningful.”
We reached out for further comment, but did not hear back as of press time.
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Coming Soon: Farmhouse Brewing Abbotsford!
It’s official: the Chilliwack favourite is set to open a second location in Abbotsford at Bakerview Farm!
Having just marked its fifth anniversary, Farmhouse Brewing made the announcement via social earlier this summer.
While work is already underway, details are still rather hush-hush. The anticipated opening is summer 2026.
EVENTS
BC Beer Awards — October 17, 2025
An all-out industry party turned beer festival, the BCBAs celebrate excellence in B.C.’s craft beer community! This province-wide competition is judged by certified beer experts across a wide range of styles.
Join the fun October 17th following B.C. Beer Con at New Westminster’s Anvil Centre. Grab your tickets at the link below while you still can!
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Dinneraad Séance — October 25-26, 2025
In partnership with Explore Burnaby and Beaumont catering, Dageraad is hosting a four course family-style dining experience for the living and the slightly less-so as part of the Burnaby Halloween Festival.
With beer a-plenty, live tarot readings, and seasonal menu that includes veggie options, this is sure to send shivers down your spine.
Tickets here.
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Dead Fellows Haunted Brewhouse —October 23-25 & 30-31, 2025
It’s back! Enter if you dare…
Dead Fellows Haunted Brewhouse has become synonymous with the season and is the most frightfully delightful way to spike your heart rate at a brewery.
Get the whole cursed story (and your tickets) here.
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Vancouver’s North Shore Craft Beer Festival — November 7-20, 2025
This annual celebration showcases the North Shore’s growing craft beverage scene and kicks off with a launch party at The Pipe Shop November 7th!
For a complete list of events, click here.
MIX PACK
Spinnaker’s Transatlantic Collaboration IPA
You may have noticed that we kind of have a thing for historical beers and brews with a story…well, this collab’s backstory helped shape Canadian craft beer!
The story goes that in 1982, Fuller’s Brewery (UK) donated yeast to the legendary John Mitchell that he would use to make Canada’s first craft beer, Horseshoe Bay Brewing’s Bay Ale. Over 40 years later, Spinnakers is recreating this collab as part of their historical beer project, once again using Fuller’s yeast. Literally a living connection to the past!
Join Spinnakers October 14th as they host Guy Stewart, Brewing Manager of Fuller’s (UK), and John Ohler, long-time colleague of John Mitchell and the force behind the John Mitchell Foundation, for a beer launch that’s a little taste of history.
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Small Gods x Whistle Buoy: Fields of Plenty
This hyper-local collab celebrates the terroir of Vancouver Island using malts from Field Five Farm in North Saanich and fresh hops from Maple Bay Hop Farm in the Cowichan Valley. This is the third year of the “Small Buoys x Whistle Gods” partnership.
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Have something you think we should include in our next round up? Email editor@thegrowler.ca for consideration. Cheers!
