The view from the stage at the Alberta Brewing Awards ceremony

Last night was the awards ceremony for the first annual Alberta Beer Awards. And what a night it was! The Alberta Small Brewers Association really went all out, turning the event into an Oscars-style gala. The venue, the historic and epic Palace Theatre in downtown Calgary, couldn’t have been more appropriate with its soaring pillars, spiraling staircases and art deco flourishes. The whole room had a celebratory buzz all-night, even before people dug into the wide range of Alberta beer for sale.

I haven’t found the winners list online yet, so I will reluctantly post the results below. But first I want to offer some initial observations on this grand event.

First, in the spirit of openness (and a bit of self-boasting) I will remind readers that myself and experienced beer judge Owen Kirkaldy were the genesis of the Alberta Beer Awards as we proposed the event to the ASBA last year and spent months designing and organizing it to be a credible, quality competition.

There were almost 320 entries from 57 breweries in this inaugural competition. A total of 66 medals were handed out in 22 categories, with additional medals for best of show and brewery of the year. To not bury the lead, best of show was Last Post Brown Ale by upstart Strathmore brewery Origin Malting and Brewing. Brewery of the Year was awarded to another newcomer, Blind Enthusiasm Brewing in Edmonton.

Owen and I explain the judging process

That two breweries that have been open for less than a year scooped up the highest honours of the night speaks to both the speed in which the beer industry is growing in Alberta and the quality of beer being brewed in this province. I also like that one is already a highly respected operation and the other a small, not well known brewery that mostly sells to local residents, also demonstrating the diversity of approaches we find in the province.

Overall,, I was impressed at the number of breweries who won medals. Thirty-three different breweries scooped up a medal, with 15 winning multiple medals. The most awards went to Troubled Monk and Blindman, each with 6 (not including BOS and BOY), followed by Alley Kat, Blind Enthusiasm and Cold Garden with 4 each.

I think as people peruse the list they will find many surprises – both which beer won and which beer were left off. Such is the adventure of blind judging. The judges had no idea whose beer they were drinking, meaning subtle inclinations and impressions for or against a brewery were eliminated. Some will be surprised at the number of medals won by newcomers – a large number of medals went to breweries open less than two years (and to some open only for a few months). It goes to show that it is possible to make great beer right of the start (and that consumers shouldn’t tolerate sub-standard beer just because the brewery is new).

Meanwhile others will be surprised at the number of medals won by older, longstanding breweries. In the past couple of years, I have heard talk in some quarters disparaging the more established Alberta breweries, mostly along the lines that they were no longer cutting edge and were more “boring” than some of the upstarts. Well, to those folks I point out that every single brewery that has been operating for more than 10 years won a medal last night, including Big Rock’s bronze in Best of Show and Alley Kat’s silver in Brewery of the Year.

Myself, I am heartened to see the diversity of winners. The depth and breadth of award winners tells me that Alberta’s beer scene, while still very young and still finding its rhythm has quickly developed a solid roster of beer. I think the results show that breweries are seeking to find their personality and space in the growing beer market by both dialing in on traditional styles and branching out with new flavours and approaches. It is a very encouraging sign.

I know there will be much talk in the coming days about which beer did or didn’t win a medal and which brewery should or shouldn’t have gotten medals. I am intentionally avoiding that talk here as I think it is both counterproductive and undermines the credibility of the judging. Many factors go into why a particular beer wins or doesn’t. How many entries in that category? Who else entered? How fresh was the sample? There are subtle differences in what different judges are looking for. I can say with honesty that in many categories the difference between a medal and falling just short of a medal was a matter of tiny perception differences. I am certain if the same beer were judged on a different day, the results would be quite different. That was certainly true in best of show, where for at least a dozen beer an argument could have been made that they deserved a medal. That is not a critique of the judging, but a recognition that judges are sometimes asked to choose between beer based on very fine points.

Breweries and their fans who think they deserved a better fate should do two things. First,take heart it is only one competition. There will be other opportunities to show your beer is world class. Second, carefully read the feedback you receive and seriously consider how you can tweak your beer to make it better. Because we all can do things to improve.

Conversely to those who think it is a travesty X beer/brewery won a medal, I simply remind you that the judging was blind and so there may be some pre-conceptions affecting your reaction. Maybe give that beer/brewery another try in light of the results.

Finally, I want to highlight that this was the FIRST annual Alberta Beer Awards. I have a long list of things I want to tweak to make next year’s even better, and I encourage everyone to tell the ASBA, Owen and myself what you think we could do differently to make the awards even stronger and more credible next year.

Congratulations to the winners. Huge thank you to the ASBA, the dozens of volunteers, judges and stewards and, in particular, Head Judge Owen Kirkaldy for all your efforts and commitment to make the first Alberta Beer Awards a huge success.

And now, here is the full list of winners:

2018 Alberta Beer Awards

PATIO BEER
Gold: Crisp Pils, Jasper Brewing
Silver: 10 Peaks Pale Ale, Canmore Brewing
Bronze: Scona Gold, Alley Kat Brewing

AMBER/DARK HOPPY SESSIONABLE BEER
Gold: East Lake Amber, Fitzsimmons
Silver: Red Rage, Tool Shed
Bronze: Altbierta, Olds College

GERMAN/CZECH STYLE PILSNER
Gold: License to Pil, Wild Rose
Silver: Cryostasis, Zero Issue
Bronze: House of Pilsner, Coulee

FARMHOUSE BEER
Gold: Mango Saison, 4th Meridian
Silver: Homesteader, Troubled Monk
Bronze: One Summer in Saskatoon, Cold Garden

LIGHT HOPPY SESSIONABLE BEER
Gold: Plainsbreaker, Banded Peak
Silver: River Session Ale, Blindman
Bronze: 9 Mile Session Pale Ale, Dog Island

BROWN BEER
Gold: Last Post Brown Ale, Origin Brewing and Malting
Silver: Barrracks Brown, Wild Rose
Bronze: Open Road Brown, Troubled Monk

STOUT
Gold: Tamarack, Grain Bin
Silver: Velveteen Nitro Stout, Cold Garden
Bronze: Flat Cap, Tool Shed

BARREL-AGED BEER
Gold: Tequila Barrel Aged Barley Wine, Grizzly Paw
Silver: Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout, Blindman
Bronze: 11:59 PM, Bent Stick

EXTRA STRONG BEER
Gold: KGB Imperial Stout, Elbeck Brews
Silver: Blue Monk Barley Wine, Brewsters
Bronze: Winter Warmer, Medicine Hat Brewing

AMBER BEER
Gold: OKT, Blind Enthusiasm
Silver: Pond Surfer California Common, Town Square
Bronze: Rutting Elk Red, Grizzly Paw

CANADIAN CEREAL ALE
Gold: Papa Bear Prairie Ale, Half Hitch
Silver: Canadian Cereal Ale Vol. 1, Cold Garden
Bronze: Parti-Gyle Best Bitter, Blindman

WHEAT BEER
Gold: ZuS, Blind Enthusiasm
Silver: Passion d’Ale, Two Sargeants
Bronze: Wild Wolf Witbier, Minhas

FRUIT BEER
Gold: Main Squeeze, Alley Kat
Silver: Belly Flop Apricot Grisette, Big Rock
Bronze: Aprikat, Alley Kat

SPICED BEER
Gold: Barrel Aged Imperial Stout with Coconut, Troubled Monk
Silver: The Darkness Chocolate Porter, Origin
Bronze: Moreau Cinammon Coconut Tropical Stout

PALE ALE/BITTER
Gold: Forward Progress, Annex Ales
Silver: Full Moon Pale Ale, Alley Kat
Bronze: Multiverse, Zero Issue

OTHER FLAVOURED BEER
Gold: Batch #500, Last Best
Silver: Javalanche, Banded Peak
Bronze: Street Beat Pollen Wheat, Blind Enthusiasm

SOUR BEER
Gold: Oak Aged Flemish Red, Big Rock
Silver: Sour Saison Dark, Blindman
Bronze: Beets by Sinden, Town Square

BELGIAN ALES
Gold: Belgian Dip, Tool Shed
Silver: Corvus Belgian Dark Strong, Troubled Monk
Bronze: Tripel Cross, Situation

DOUBLE IPA
Gold: Argyll Dragon, Alley Kat
Silver: Triple Sow Pow, Troubled Monk
Bronze: Howling Fantods, Annex Ales

OTHER STRONG HOPPY BEER
Gold: Acme Red, Blind Enthusiasm
Silver: Venom, Zero Issue
Bronze: Cascadian Dark Ale, Blindman

IPA
Gold: This Must Be The IPA, Cold Garden
Silver: High 5 IPA, Trolley 5
Bronze: Railway Ave Rye IPA, Canmore

TRENDY BEER OF THE YEAR: NEW ENGLAND STYLE ALE
Gold: New England Pale Ale, Blindman
Silver: Gettin’ All Hopped Up, Origin
Bronze: Wickid Smaht, Troubled Monk

BEST OF SHOW
Gold: Last Post Brown Ale, Origin
Silver: New England Pale Ale, Blindman
Bronze: Oak Aged Flemish Red, Big Rock

BREWERY OF THE YEAR
Gold: Blind Enthusiams Brewing Company
Silver: Alley Kat Brewing Company
Bronze: TIE Troubled Monk Brewery & Blindman Brewing