Thursday 9 April 2015

The 2015 Ontario Brewing Awards


Tonight Teena and I attended our first Ontario Brewing Awards which was held at the Corus Quay overlooking Toronto Harbour.


There were lots of beer to try.

 
 

One of my favorites of the night. It won Gold for British IPA

 
 
 

The place was a little empty when it opened at 6pm but quickly filled up.


Teena enjoying a nice beer.


Me too!


Roger Mittag of Thirst for Knowledge was the host for the awards. He started by explaining how the brewing industry has developed in Ontario since 1862. It was quite interesting. In 1862, there were 155 breweries in Ontario. By 1958, there were only five. Yes, just five! Now Ontario brewers are back up over the 150 mark once again.


Here are the winners and some pictures of them,

North American Light Lager
Gold: Cool Beer Brewing Co. - Stonewall Light (pictured)
Silver: Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery - Antigravity
Bronze: Laker Brewing Company - Laker Light


North American Lager
Gold: Triple Bogey Brewing Co. - Premium Lager
Silver: Laker Brewing Company - Laker Lager
Bronze: Sleeman Breweries - Original Draught

Pilsner
Gold: Steam Whistle - Pilsner
Silver: Creemore Springs Brewery Ltd - Lot 9
Bronze: Kichesippi Beer Co. - Donny's Dort

Amber Lager
Gold: Old Flame Brewing Co.- Red
Silver: Hop City Brewing Co.- Barking Squirrel
Bronze: Cool Beer Brewing Co. - Millennium Buzz

Dark Lager
Gold: Silversmith Brewing Company - Black Lager
Silver: Hop City Brewing Co. - 8th Sin Black Lager
Bronze: F&M Brewery- StoneHammer Dunkel 
Bock
Gold: Lake of Bays Brewing Company - Crazy Eyes Darcy Tucker
Silver: Creemore Springs Brewery Ltd - UrBock
Bronze: Cameron's Brewing Co. - Rye Pale Ale

Honey / Maple Beers Gold: Haliburton Highlands Brewing - Honey Brown Ale
Silver: Railway City Brewing Co. - Shambock (pictured)
Bronze: The 3 Brewers - Maple Ale


Hefeweizen
Gold: Side Launch Brewing Company - Wheat
Silver: Smithworks Brewing Company - Hefeweizen
Bronze: Muskoka Brewery - Summer Weiss

Witbier
Gold: Mill St. Brewery - Belgian Wit
Silver: Northwinds Brewhouse - Moonlit Wit
Bronze: Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery - Solstice Saison

Flavoured Beer
Gold: Wellington Brewery - 2014: A Spice Odyssey
Silver: Trafalgar Brewing Co. - Ginger Beer
Bronze: Mill St. Brewery - Lemon Tea

Farmhouse Ales
Gold: Nickel Brook Brewing Co. - Le Paysan Saison (pictured)
Silver: Cameron's Brewing Co. - Into the Shade Saison
Bronze: Amsterdam Brewing Co. - Howl


Lagered Ales
Gold: Sawdust City Brewing Co. - Gateway Kolsch
Silver: Nickel Brook Brewing Co. - Cause and Effect
Bronze: Sleeman Breweries - Cream Ale

British Pale / Bitter
Gold: Big Rig Brewery - ESB
Silver: Wellington Brewery - Arkell Best Bitter
No Bronze Awarded

American Pale Ale
Gold: Great Lakes Brewery - Canuck Pale Ale
Silver: Nickel Brook Brewing Co. - Naughty Neighbour
Bronze: Liberty Village Brewing Co. - 504 Pale Ale

British IPA
Gold: Longslice Brewery- Hopsta La Vista
Silver: Railway City Brewing Co. - Dead Elephant Ale
Bronze: Sleeman Breweries - India Pale Ale

West Coast IPA
Gold: Sawdust City Brewing Co. - Twin Pines IIPA
Silver: Stone City Ales - Green Goddess Imperial IPA
Bronze: Stone City Ales - Uncharted IPA

Dark IPA
Gold: Nickel Brook Brewing Co. - Malevolent Black Imperial Ale
Silver: Manantler Brewing Co. - Dark Prince
Bronze: Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery - Netherworld

Amber Ale
Gold: Kilannen Brewing Co. - New Zealand Red Ale
Silver: Orange Snail Brewers - Rattle N' Nemo
Bronze: Old Tomorrow Brewing - Canadian Pale Ale

Dark Ale
Gold: Wellington Brewery - County Dark Ale
Silver: Clocktower Brew Pub - Bytown Brown
Bronze: Wellington Brewery - Iron Duke Strong Ale

Porter
Gold: Clifford Brewing Co. - Porter
Silver: Innocente Brewing Company - Charcoal Porter
Bronze: Block Three Brewing Co. - Pushbroom Porter

Stout
Gold: Trafalgar Brewing Co.- Schwartzy
Silver: Liberty Village Brewing Company - Black Blessing (pictured)
Bronze: Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery - Cadillac Graveyard


Imperial Stout/ Baltic Porter
Gold: Wellington Brewery - Imperial Russian Stout
Silver: Big Rig Brewery - Cherry Bomb Imperial Chocolate Cherry Milk Stout
Bronze: 5 Paddles Brewing Co. - Midnight Paddler

Fruit Beer
Gold: Mill St. Brewery - Frambozen
Silver: Trafalgar Brewing Co. - Raspberry Mint
Bronze: Amsterdam Brewing Co. - KLB Raspberry Wheat

Vegetable Beer
Gold: Trafalgar Brewing Co. - Pumpkin Ale
Silver: Wellington Brewery - Farmers' Market Rhubarb Saison
Bronze: Garden Brewers - Green Thumb IPA

Flavoured Porters / Stouts
Gold: Trafalgar Brewing Co. - Schwartzy Xpresso
Silver: Barley Days Brewery - Scrimshaw Oyster Stout
Bronze: Amsterdam Brewing Co. - Full City Double Tempest

Strong Beer
Gold: Smithworks Brewing Company- Blonde
Silver: Side Launch Brewing Company - Belgian Hat Trick
Bronze: Amsterdam Brewing Co. - Vicars Vice

Gluten Free
Gold: Snowman Brewing Co. - The Rambam
Silver: Trafalgar Brewing Co. - Ginger Mead
No Bronze Awarded

Barrel Aged - Whisky
Gold: Amsterdam Brewing Co. - Double Tempest
Silver: Cameron's Brewing Co. - Deviator Doppelbock
Bronze: Amsterdam Brewing Co. - Recidivist

Barrel Aged - Wine
Gold: Nickel Brook Brewing Co. - Winey Bastard
Silver: Amsterdam Brewing Co. - Sour Cherry Imperial Stout
Bronze: Sawdust City Brewing Co. - ODB

Smoked Beer
Gold: Black Oak Brewing Co. - Nox Aeterna (pictured)
Silver: Covered Bridge Brewing - La CabaneĆ Sucre
Bronze: Mill St. Brewery - Rauchbier


Newcomer of the Year
Trafalgar Brewing Co.

Beer of the Year
Amsterdam Brewing Co. - Double Tempest

I enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere of the night. It was more of a get together than it was a competition. Afterwards everybody just enjoyed themselves and had a few beers. It was funny to see the awards sitting on tables, out of their hands. If I had one, I would hold on to it for the entire night.


It was a fun night and we had a chance to try many great beers that we can't get locally and meet many great people.

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