2021 Alberta Beer Award Winners

Canada has an incredibly healthy craft beer scene. And last week Western Canada’s beautiful Alberta province honored its best.

Top awards in this year’s competition include:

 Brewery of the Year
Gold – The Establishment Brewing Company
Silver – Eighty-Eighty Brewing
Bronze – Blindman Brewing

 Best in Show
Gold – Medicine Hat Brewing Gentlemen’s Stout
Silver – Annex Ale Project Etceteras
Bronze – Eighty-Eight Brewing Skeleton Crew

New Brewery of the Year
Gold – Delta Brewstillery
Silver – Longroof Brewing
Bronze – The Pass Beer Co.

The awards were judged and awarded in 31 categories by a panel overseen by BJCP master judges Jason Foster and Owen Kirkaldy, based on 464 entries from 66 breweries.

And here are the rest of this year’s big winners…

Category 1: Patio Beer
GOLD: Catalyst Lager Delta Brewstillery (Calgary)
SILVER: Get Lucky Lager Born Colorado Brewing (Calgary)
BRONZE: Daycation Lager Troubled Monk Brewing (Red Deer)

Category 2: Session Hoppy Beer
GOLD: Light Rail Pale Ale Campio Brewing (Edmonton)
SILVER: The Wolf Sea Change Brewing (Edmonton)
BRONZE: Brighten the Corners The Establishment Brewing Co. (Calgary)

Category 3: German/Czech Style Pilsner
GOLD: PilsGNAR The Establishment Brewing Co. (Calgary)
SILVER: O’Brewsky’s Campio Brewing (Edmonton)
BRONZE: Kinabik Pilsner Snake Lake Brewing (Sylvan Lake)

Category 4: American Style Wheat Beer
GOLD: Grasshopper Big Rock Brewing (Calgary)
SILVER: Hay City Wheat Olds College Brewery (Olds)
BRONZE: Golden Ale Hawk Tail Brewing (Rimbey)

Category 5: German and Belgian Style Wheat Beer
GOLD: Hefe Brauerei Fahr (Turner Valley)
SILVER: Don’t Hassel the Hefe Hubtown Brewing (Okotoks)
BRONZE: BS Wit Bent Stick Brewing (Edmonton)

Category 6: Amber Ale
GOLD: Cow Killa Tool Shed Brewing (Calgary)
SILVER: Irish Red Ale Sawback Brewing (Red Deer)
BRONZE: Red Rage Tool Shed Brewing (Calgary)

Category 7: Amber and Dark Lager
GOLD: Opposite Day Born Colorado Brewing (Calgary)
SILVER: Conductor Amber Lager Trolley 5 Brewery (Calgary)
BRONZE: Come ACME BRO Blind Enthusiasm Brewing (Edmonton)

Category 8: Brown Ale
GOLD: Brakeman Brown Siding 14 Brewing (Ponoka)
SILVER: Whiskey Jack Scottish Ale Spectrum Aleworks (Medicine Hat)
BRONZE: Whiskey Six Scotch Ale The Pass Beer Company (Crowsnest Pass)

Category 9: Porter
GOLD: Baltic Porter OT Brewing Co. (Calgary)
SILVER: Brick and Mortar Porter Medicine Hat Brewing (Medicine Hat)
BRONZE: Porter Good Mood Brewing (Calgary)

Category 10: Stout
GOLD: Gentleman’s Stout Medicine Hat Brewing (Medicine Hat)
SILVER: Flat Cap Stout Tool Shed Brewing (Calgary)
BRONZE: Decade of Darkness Campio Brewing (Edmonton)

Category 11: Pale Ale/Bitter
GOLD: Full Moon Pale ale Alley Kat Brewing (Edmonton)
SILVER: Dead Woodsman Apex Predator Brewing (Edson)
BRONZE: Ten Peaks Pale Ale Canmore Brewing (Canmore)

Category 12: India Pale Ale
GOLD: Cornerstone IPA Town Square Brewing (Edmonton)
SILVER: Gold Knuckle IPA Sea Change Brewing (Edmonton)
BRONZE: Moraine West Coast IPA Folding Mountain Brewing (Hinton)

Category 13: New England Style Ale
GOLD: Night Gallery ’88 Brewing (Calgary)
SILVER: Hazy Pale Ale Long Hop Brewing (Calgary)
BRONZE: Colour Burst 4 DDH NEIPA Ale Architect (Edmonton)

Category 14: Specialty IPA
GOLD: Day Tripper Snake Lake Brewing (Sylvan Lake)
SILVER: French Bay IPA Cold Lake Brewing (Cold Lake)
BRONZE: Winter Ale Travois Aleworks (Medicine Hat)

Category 15: Double/Imperial IPA
GOLD: Double Night Gallery ‘88 Brewing (Calgary)
SILVER: DIPA Apex Predator Brewing (Edson)
BRONZE: Irrational Things The Establishment Brewing Co. (Calgary)

Category 16: Belgian Ale
GOLD: Summer Wit Hub Town Brewing (Okotoks)
SILVER: All Ouvre Again Longroof Brewing (Edmonton)
BRONZE: Rich & Strange Sea Change Brewing (Edmonton)

Category 17: Strong Belgian Ale
GOLD: X Cabin Brewing (Calgary)
SILVER: Oh My Quad! Brewster’s Brewing Co. (Calgary)
BRONZE: Quarantine Quad Bent Stick Brewing (Edmonton)

Category 18: Farmhouse Ale
GOLD: Construction Saison Campio Brewing (Edmonton)
SILVER: A Magnificent Seven The Dandy Brewing Company (Calgary)
BRONZE: Party Farmer Bent Stick Brewing (Edmonton)

Category 19: Imperial Strength Beer
GOLD: Skeleton Crew ’88 Brewing (Calgary)
SILVER: Move Your Car Out of the Windrow Grain Bin Brewing (Grande Prairie) that Froze Overnight into a Concrete-Like Icy Mess
BRONZE: Fuego Cabin Brewing (Calgary)

Category 20: Fruit Beer
GOLD: Creamsicle Ale Medicine Hat Brewing (Medicine Hat)
SILVER: Golden Hour SYC Brewing (Edmonton)
BRONZE: Cherry Raz Wit Bow River Brewing (Calgary)

Category 21: Spiced Beer
GOLD: Luna & Fuego Cabin Brewing (Calgary)
SILVER: Ice Cutter Snake Lake Brewing (Sylvan Lake)
BRONZE: All Nighter Vanilla Cappuccino Porter Cold Garden Brewing (Calgary)

Category 22: Other Flavored Beer
GOLD: Okami Kasu Ol’ Beautiful Brewing (Calgary)
SILVER: Left My Wallet in El Segundo The Establishment Brewing Co. (Calgary)
BRONZE: Prairie Night Smoky Porter Bow River Brewing (Calgary)

Category 23: Sour Beer
GOLD: Passionfruit Coconut Sour Odd Company Brewing (Edmonton)
SILVER: Doutang ’88 Brewing (Calgary)
BRONZE: Pineapple Sour Medicine Hat Brewing (Medicine Hat)

Category 24: Barrel-Aged Beer
GOLD: 24-2 Brett Blindman Brewing (Lacombe)
SILVER: Barrel-Aged Baltistar Galactiporter Bent Stick Brewing (Edmonton)
BRONZE: Defense Against the Dark Arts Hell’s Basement Brewing (Medicine Hat)

Category 25: Mixed Fermentation Beer – Unfruited
GOLD: Etceteras Annex Ales Project (Calgary)
SILVER: Erlton Street The Establishment Brewing Co. (Calgary)
BRONZE: Harry Dunne Troubled Monk Brewing (Red Deer)

Category 26: Mixed Fermentation with Fruit
GOLD: Ruby My Dear The Establishment Brewing Co. (Calgary)
SILVER: Dwarf Sour Cherry Fruited Saison Blindman Brewing (Lacombe)
BRONZE: Solera the First Grain Bin Brewing (Grande Prairie)

Category 27: Trendy Beer of the Year: Low and No Alcohol Beer
GOLD: Vestige Blindman Brewing (Lacombe)
SILVER: Gold Past Life The Establishment Brewing Co. (Calgary)
BRONZE: Abbey Lane Ribstone Creek (Edgerton)

Category 28: All-Alberta Malt Beer
GOLD: Elevator Doppelbock Hell’s Basement Brewing (Medicine Hat)
SILVER: 5 Mile Rustic Saison Blindman Brewing (Lacombe)
BRONZE: Barley Trail Olds College Brewery (Olds)

Category 29: All-Alberta Malt and Hops Beer (collapsed into Category 28)

Category 30: Craft Soda and Lemonade (non-alcoholic)
GOLD: Craft Lemonade Snake Lake Brewing (Sylvan Lake)
SILVER: Orange Soda Trouble Monk Brewing (Red Deer)
BRONZE: Heck of a Root Beer Hell’s Basement Brewing (Medicine Hat)

Category 31: Seltzer and Ready-to-Drink Beverages
GOLD: Savage Love Tom Collins Campio Brewing (Edmonton)
SILVER: White Peaks Iced Tea w. Lemon Big Rock Brewing (Calgary)
BRONZE: Inglewood Iced Tea Cold Garden Brewing (Calgary)

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Bigtime H/T to Jason Foster’s excellent On Beer for his complete listing of this year’s winners.

And congratulations to all of this year’s winners…Live long and prosper!