There are several different beer award programs B.C. breweries can submit their beers to for adjudication. Around the time this issue comes out, I will be in Niagara Falls tasting beers as part of the judging panel for the Canada Beer Cup, which was launched last year by the Canadian Craft Brewers Association. Of course, the Canadian Brewing Awards have been around for a long time already, and the B.C. Beer Awards are another important measuring stick, especially since that competition only considers beer from our province. 

But The Growlies are different. First of all, the breweries do not get to choose which beers to submit, nor can they decide not to enter, which is what often happens with formal competitions. Essentially, every beer produced in B.C. has a chance to win. First, our diverse panel of beer experts narrows down the list from all the thousands of beers produced by B.C. breweries into categories with no more than 10 nominations to choose from. (Thanks, especially, to Matthew Poirier for coordinating this part of the process.) And then comes the part that really makes The Growlies special. You get to decide who wins! 

Thank you, dear reader, for doing your part and voting for your favourite beers. And congratulations to the winners! The results certainly speak for themselves.

—Joe Wiebe

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Best Beer in B.C.

1. Driftwood Brewery // Fat Tug IPA 

2. La Cerveceria Astilleros // Salted Lime Lager 

3. Camp Beer Co. // Upstream Pale Ale 

HM. Superflux Beer Co. // Colour & Shape IPA 

 

Best Brewery in B.C.

1. Camp Beer Co. 

2. Twin City Brewing Co.

3. Field House Brewing

 

Best New Brewery 

(opened between June 1, 2022 and June 1, 2023)

1. Small Gods Brewing Co. 

2. Sidekick Brewing

3. Rusted Rake Brewing

HM. Rewind Beer Co. 

 

Best Light Lager

1. Four Winds Brewing // Hüftgold Pilsner

2. Cannery Brewing // Lakeboat Lager

3. Farm Country Brewing // German Pilsner

 

Best Light Ale

1. Four Winds Brewing // Vélo

2. Persephone Brewing Co. // Pale Ale

3. Dageraad Brewing // Burnabarian

 

Best Dark Lager

1. Camp Beer Co. // Dark Lager

2. Twin City Brewing Co. // Dissumulator Doppelbock

3. Abandoned Rail Brewing // Märzen

 

Best Dark Ale

1. Hoyne Brewing Co. // Dark Matter

2. Crannóg Ales // Back Hand of God Stout

3. Cannery Brewing // Heist Maple Stout

 

Best Fruit Beer

T-1. La Cerveceria Astilleros // El Valle Salado Salted Lime Lager

T-1. Twin Sails Brewing // Would Crush

2. Sooke Oceanside Brewery // Patio Lanterns Apricot Ale

3. Tin Whistle Brewing Co. // Peach Cream Ale

 

Best Wheat Ale

1. 33 Acres Brewing Co. // 33 Acres of Sunshine

2. Phillips Brewing Co. // Solaris Peach Ale

3. Strange Fellows Brewing // Jongleur Wit

 

Best Belgian-style ale 

1. Brassneck Brewery // Stockholm Syndrome

2. Dog Mountain Brewing // BEES!

3. Dageraad Brewing // Amber

 

Best Sour Ale

1. Île Sauvage Brewing // Raspberry Sour

2. Twin City Brewing Co. // Vanishing Act Pineapple Coconut Sour

3. Townsite Brewing // White Peach Gose

 

Best West Coast IPA

1. Driftwood Brewery // Fat Tug IPA

2. Superflux Beer Co. // Craft Beer is Dead IPA

3. Four Winds Brewing // Greg IPA

 

Best East Coast/Hazy IPA

1. Superflux Beer Co. // Colour & Shape IPA

2. Small Gods Brewing Co. // Promised Land Hazy

3. Category 12 Brewing // Juicy Data IPA

 

Best Specialty IPA

1. Four Winds Brewing // Juxtapose Wild IPA

2. Twin City Brewing Co. // Chromograph Cold IPA

3. Brassneck Brewery // Unconventional Wisdom

 

Best Imperial Ale

1. Tofino Brewing Co. // Cosmic Wave IIPA

2. Vancouver Island Brewing // Hermannator Ice Bock

3. Cannery Brewing // Kindling Imperial Stout

 

Best Weird Beer

1. Whistler Brewing Co. // Hello Limoncello Radler

2. Small Gods Brewing Co. // Sea of Tranquility Smoked Dulse Stout

3. Loveshack Libations // Date with a Dynasty Ancient Ale

 

Best B.C. Collab

1. Backcountry Brewing & Field House Brewing // Mai Tai Sour

2. Small Gods Brewing Co. & Boomtown Burritos // Bruja Tajin & Lime Cerveza

3. Whistle Buoy Brewing Co. & Nonny // Little Galaxy Hazy IPA

 

Best Low Alcohol Beer or Cider

1. Parallel 49 Brewing Co. // Tricycle Radler

2. Steel & Oak Brewing Co. // Easy Lime Pilsner

3. Superflux Beer Co. // Experimental Non-Alcoholic IPA #37 with Citra

 

Unsung Hero 

(brewery outside of Metro Vancouver/Victoria)

1. Twin City Brewing Co., Port Alberni

2. Dog Mountain Brewing, Port Alberni

3. Cannery Brewing, Penticton

 

Cidery of the Year

1. The Bricker Cider Co. 

2. Banditry Cider

3. Sea Cider Farm & Ciderhouse

 

Best New Cidery 

(opened between June 1 2022 and June 1 2023)

1. Victoria Cider Co. 

 

Best New World Cider

1. Nomad Cider // Apple Cider

2. Windfall Cider // Joyride

3. Howling Moon Craft Cider // Cucumber Mint Cider

 

Best Old World Cider

1. Sea Cider Farm & Ciderhouse // Flagship

2. Merridale Cidery & Distillery // Scrumpy

3. Salt Spring Wild Cider // Ancestral Style Pet Nat

 

Best Specialty Cider

1. Sea Cider Farm & Ciderhouse // Rum Runner

2. Fraser Valley Cider Co. // Peach Bellini

3. Merridale Cidery & Distillery // Mo’moro

 

Best Brewery/Cidery Tasting Room

1. The Bricker Cider Co. 

2. Camp Beer Co. 

3. Field House Brewing 

 

Best Food Program

1. Twin City Brewing Co.

2. Rusted Rake Brewing

3. Camp Beer Co. 

 

Best Branding/Packaging

1. Camp Beer Co. 

2. Backcountry Brewing

3. Field House Brewing

 

Best Local Homebrewing Store

1. Barley’s Homebrewing Supplies

2. That Homebrew Shop

3. Centennial Homebrewing Supplies

 

Best Craft Beer/Cider Bar

1. The Barley Merchant Taproom & Kitchen

2. The Magnet

T-3. The Alibi Room

T-3. The Drake Eatery & Craft Beer Parlour

 

Best Craft Beer/Cider Retail Store

1. Brewery Creek Cold Beer & Wine

2. Cascadia Liquor

3. Jak’s Beer Wine Spirits

 

Best Craft Beer/Cider Event 

1. Okanagan Fest of Ale

2. Great Canadian Beer Festival

3. Brewhalla (various)