Wee Laird Wee Heavy Scotch Ale from Vancouver’s Callister Brewing Named Best Beer at the 2022 Canada Beer Cup, highlighting 46 medals won by BC breweries at this first annual competition organized by the Canadian Craft Brewers Association.
Callister Brewing’s Wee Laird Wee Heavy Scotch Ale (9.2% ABV) is matured for 10 months in freshly emptied barrels previously employed for the aging of the famed Okanagan single malt whisky, Laird of Fintry, produced by Okanagan Spirits. The delicious beer boasts strong notes of caramel, vanilla and oak, with a smooth warming finish.
“We are very proud of all the BC breweries who entered the inaugural Canada Beer Cup,” commented Ken Beattie, Executive Director of the BC Craft Brewers Guild. “The regional diversity of the award winners showcases the strength of the brewing community across the province. We are especially pleased to congratulate Callister Brewery in East Vancouver for winning the inaugural Canada Beer Cup!”
Callister wins a specially designed trophy, which was hand blown by Gray Art Glass glassblowing studio in Merrickville, Ontario, and, like the NHL’s Stanley Cup, will be passed annually to the brewery creating the “Best of Show” beer as determined by a group of national and international judges.
In total, more than 200 breweries submitted over 1,300 entries. The judging took place over three intense days in Toronto in early October. The 40-member judging panel was individually selected by Canada Beer Cup’s head judge, beer writer and author Stephen Beaumont.
“Canadian beer was for the first time judged not simply by the best judges in this country, but also by top-ranked judges from the United States, Great Britain, Sweden, and Italy. This is a pivotal first step towards securing the Canadian craft brewing industry the sort of global recognition and respect it so richly deserves,” said Beaumont.
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The 2022 Canada Beer Cup results were announced as part of a livestream event on Sunday, October 23, with beer lovers tuning in from coast to coast to coast to see how their favourite local breweries fared in the competition. Overall, BC breweries fared extremely well, with 29 different breweries winning a total of 46 awards, about 26% of the 176 total awards given out.
Callister Brewing took home three medals in total. Wee Laird Wee Heavy won gold in the Wood Influenced category before being chosen as Best in Show; Cuban Taxi Guava Gose also won gold in the Gose category; and In Bloom Lambic Style Ale won bronze in the Spontaneously Fermented Beer category.
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Callister Brewing, which opened in 2015, is located on Franklin Street and is part of the Vancouver – Yeast Vancouver Ale Trail.
Three other BC breweries won three medals, too. Vancouver’s Container Brewing, which is also on the Vancouver – Yeast Vancouver Ale Trail, won two silver medals for Seawise Giant and Three Legged Mare and a bronze for Seeing Doppel.
The KPU Brew Lab won a gold for Das Fest in the Dortmunder/Export Style Lager category and bronze medals for Birra Rossa and Italian Pilsner. KPU is part of the Langley Ale Trail.
Burnaby’s Dageraad Brewing won a silver for Field Theory and bronze medals for Blonde and Brune. Dageraad Brewing is located on the North of the Fraser Ale Trail.
Among the other gold medal winners from BC were Dog Mountain Brewing, which won two golds for Lit Wit and Technically a Blonde. Located in Port Alberni, Dog Mountain is part of the Vancouver Island Part II Ale Trail.
Farm Country Brewing, which is part of the Langley Ale Trail, also won two gold medals for Farmhouse Ale and Sausage Party.
BC’s other gold medal winners were:
- Naked Fox IPA – Main Street Brewing
- Pursuit Pilsner – Neighbourhood Brewing
- Blue Buck Ale – Phillips Brewing and Malting
- The Lion: ESB – Silver Valley Brewing
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Several other BC breweries won medals:
- 33 Acres of Darkness – 33 Acres Brewing (bronze)
- 33 Acres of Life – 33 Acres Brewing (bronze)
- Wingman Pale Ale – Ace Brewing (silver)
- Backroads Saison – Backroads Brewing (silver)
- Tanada Rice Lager – Bomber Brewing (bronze)
- Slice of Paradise Yuzu Wheat Ale – Brewhall Beer (bronze)
- Azedo Tropical Fruit Sour – Brewhall Beer (silver)
- Lakeboat Lager – Cannery Brewing (bronze)
- Belgian Golden Strong – Category 12 Brewing (bronze)
- Continuum – Category 12 Brewing (silver)
- Crystal Chair Pilsner – Coast Mountain Brewing (silver)
- Salted Black Porter – Field House Brewing (bronze)
- Featherweight IPA – Four Winds Brewing (silver)
- Abbey Quad – Howe Sound Brewing (silver)
- Woolly Bugger – Howe Sound Brewing (silver)
- Happy Place Pale Ale – Neighbourhood Brewing (bronze)
- Banana Pancakes Hefeweizen – North Point Brewing (bronze)
- Working Class Hero Dark Mild – Riot Brewing (bronze)
- Good News – Settlement Brewing (silver)
- Leechtown Lager – Sooke Oceanside Brewery (silver)
- Frolf – Steel & Oak Brewing (silver)
- Lemon Lime Gose – Townsite Brewing (bronze)
- Chromograph – Twin City Brewing (bronze)
- Dissimulator – Twin City Brewing (silver)
- Retriever Golden Ale – Yellow Dog Brewing (silver)
Here is the complete list of winners.
