Delta’s Four Winds Brewing once again proved why they are one of Canada’s most respected craft breweries after they took home 11 medals at the inaugural 2018 Growler Craft Beer Awards, including a whopping seven golds.
Pictured from left: Sean Hodgins, president of Century Group, Adam Mills, sales and marketing director and co-founder of Four Winds Brewing Company, Greg Mills, co-founder, Brent Mills, brew master and co-founder, and Kylo Hoy, head brewer. File photo.
Among Four Winds’ gold medal haul was Beer of the Year (Juxtapose Wild IPA), Best Sour Ale (Quadrennial IV), Best Belgian-style ale (Triplicity), Best Light/Golden Lager (Elementary Lager), Best Fruit Beer (Raspberry Jam), Best Barrel-Aged Beer (Pequeno Cabo) and Best Social Media. It also picked up silvers for Brewery of the Year, Most Innovative/Creative Beer (Vinland Saison), Best Branding/Packaging, and bronze for North American-Style Ale (Velo).
Abbotsford’s Field House Brewing won the coveted Brewery of the Year honour, along with golds for Most Creative/Innovative Beer (Viognier Farmhouse) and Best Brewery Tasting Room.
Some classic beers from Victoria won gold, with Driftwood Brewing’s Fat Tug IPA winning the highly competitive India Pale Ale category, while Hoyne’s Dark Matter won for Best Dark Ale and Vancouver Island Brewing’s Hermannator won for Best Strong Beer.
Vancouver factored heavily in the results with Electric Bicycle Brewing Co. winning for Best New Brewery, while The Alibi Room and Legacy Liquor both won gold for Best Beer Selection in the restaurant/bar and liquor store categories, respectively.
Unlike traditional beer awards, the Growler Craft Beer Awards (AKA, the Growlies) are decided by the beer-drinking public via an online readers’ poll. B.C.’s 169 craft breweries produced an estimated 5,000+ different beers this year, so with the help of a panel of craft beer experts, the field was narrowed to between five and 10 nominees in each category. Then the public had their say, with more than 40,000 votes being cast online during B.C. Craft Beer Month in October.
For the full Growlie results, visit The Growler’s website, here.
• The Winter 2018 issue of The Growler is out now! You can find B.C.’s favourite craft beer guide at your local brewery, select private liquor stores, and on newsstands across the province.
