Canadian craft beer fans have long had pet theories about regional differences in the craft beer industry. B.C. is reputed to be a province of hopheads, while Atlantic Canada is supposedly more influenced by traditional British styles. And so on. Even I have expounded such theories in the past (read here). None of the theories went beyond anecdotal observation and general industry insight. So, I decided to run some numbers to dig up some actual evidence.

In preparation of my upcoming University of Alberta Faculty of Extension beer class (read about it here) and inspired by a recent episode of the Beervana Podcast that did a regional breakdown of the most recent GABF Awards, I tabulated the results from the last five Canadian Brewing Awards (CBAs) (2016-2020) to see if there were any regional patterns to the medal winners.

I recognize CBA winners only tell us so much. Not every brewery enters. There has been wide variation in who wins from year to year (which does not suggest the results are invalid), but the CBAs are the only truly national beer competition in Canada. I believe their medal winners are a useful proxy for our purposes.

I divided their 55 categories into 10 groupings of related-styles. I then added up the medals won in each grouping by region (B.C., Prairies and Territories, Ontario, Quebec, Atlantic) and compared the percentage of medals one per grouping to the region’s overall percentage of medals. This simple method isolates where regions perform relatively stronger or weaker by factoring out how many medals they win in total. So my calculations determine relative strength for each type of beer. My 10 groupings are:

• European-Style Lagers
• Wheat Beer
• Belgian-Style Ales
• Dark and Malt-Accented Beer
• Bitter and Hop-Accented Beer
• North American-Style Lagers and Ales
• Sour and Brett Beer
• Wood and Barrel-Aged Beer
• Fruit, Spiced and Other Flavoured Beer
• Gluten-Free Beer

In the interests of not boring people to tears, I will omit my rationale for these groupings and which categories fell where (for the most part they are obvious – I only had a couple tough decisions).

I could have but did not run a statistical analysis on the results, opting for a visual analysis (highlighting groups that fell far from the overall percent). I admit this is due mostly to laziness, as I do have both the knowledge and software to run such an analysis. But entering all the data points (814 in total) seemed tedious and time consuming, so I opted to just trust my eyes (remember I do have a day job and a life). Stats geeks take that as my statement of limitations.

Results

To the results! You can find a PDF of the full results here. First, here is the overall breakdown of medals by region:

The next table examines each region’s areas of relative strength and weakness, defined by significantly deviating from the overall share of medals won by that region. Again, each region is being compared to itself.

Analysis

What do these results tell us? I think they offer a glimpse into which styles of beer each region tends toward both in terms of quality and quantity. The data speaks, to a degree, to the preferences and traditions of craft beer in each region and so offers some insights into the regional differences in Canada. I will briefly discuss each region’s results, moving east to west.

Atlantic: All but one group was within 1.5% of their average, and even the one was just that number away. I could easily have said there were no significant deviations. I think this region was confounded by their low numbers of medals overall. This is not a statement about the quality of beer brewed in Atlantic Canada but more about their smaller industry overall. This examination doesn’t give us enough to discuss the Atlantic region with any confidence.

Quebec: Quebec’s results seem to confirm longstanding theories about their beer culture. They tend toward Belgian influences and other adventurous approaches such as sour and flavoured beer. In contrast, they eschew traditional European and North American lager flavours. It is also interesting to me they perform less well in bitter categories. Overall it speaks to a province that goes its own way with quality Belgian and edgy beer and mainstream offerings (rousse, blanche, noir, etc.) that don’t align with other regions in North America. The gluten-free thing is all about the dominance of Brasserie Sans Gluten in the category.

Ontario: Ontario also seems to fit its reputation. Craft versions of Euro and North American lagers are a staple of Canada’s largest province, while the more boundary pushing sour and flavoured beer may not be as anchored. The issue here is the opposite of Atlantic Canada. They win such a large share of the medals overall, meaning they perform well in every group by sheer weight of their numerous breweries. There are quality versions of every style in Ontario, but their relative results do suggest a preference for more accessible options.

Prairies: This region has a less defined history in terms of craft beer, so these results are illuminating. I am not surprised by the relative strength in Wheat Beer, a staple style for many prairie breweries, and in North American styles, which reflects the relatively recent emergence of craft beer. It is similarly not surprising that bitter, sour and barrel-aged beer lag, again reflecting the recent rise of the industry. I am curious about the success in dark beer, but that may related to Big Rock’s long history establishing an openness for darker hued beer with its ubiquitous Traditional Ale.

British Columbia: B.C. does well in bitter beer styles? Quelle surprise! Flavoured beer is their other area of strength. Again, not particularly unexpected. Their lack of wheat beer or North American styles seems to fit their reputation as well. I also feel the need to note they are the only other province to pick up even a single gluten-free medal (one in total). So that is saying something.

Overall, I believe these results support the broad assertions people make about Canada’s beer regions. Ontario is anchored in accessible styles and does them well. B.C. has more quality hoppy beer, while the Prairies are building their industry through styles familiar to their consumers. Quebec does seem to provide a different range of beer options reflecting a distinct beer industry with different influences.

I can hear many of you yelling out examples of amazing beer made in your region that fall into areas I call “weakness”. Of course. This is a macro-analysis. Every region offers great beer in all of these groupings. And the CBAs are not a perfect proxy. But by aggregating the data we can start to see legitimate trends.

I think it is relevant that most of the results support the common wisdom about each region’s personality. B.C. is about bitter. Ontario about accessible craft lagers and ales. The prairies are younger and so produce recognizable styles. Quebec charts its own course. It is a shame we can’t deduce much for the Atlantic region.

This is only one analysis from an imperfect dataset. So take it for what it is. But I am happy I spent the time crunching these numbers, for I feel more confident in making statements about the state of the craft beer industry in each region.

You are more than welcome to disagree. I look forward to the discussion.