Canadian Brewing Awards Winners for 2008

The 2008 Canadian Brewing Awards were handed out last Thursday evening at a special event hosted by beer writer Stephen Beaumont and presented by TAPS Magazine at The Richmond. This was the largest year yet for the awards, with 239 beers entered from over 50 breweries across the country.
Even with all of that competition, Ontario breweries cleaned up, taking 35 of the 68 medals awarded. Toronto’s very own Mill Street Brewery did especially well, winning 9 medals (6 Gold, 2 Silver, 1 Bronze) as well as the Brewery Of The Year award for the second year in a row.
The full results appear below, and more information about the awards and the judging process can be read in the Fall, 2008 issue of TAPS.

(Note: Some categories did not have all three medals awarded due to the scoring thresholds used to decide on the winners.)
North American Style Lager
GOLD – Carling, Molson-Coors Canada (ON)
SILVER – Laker Lager, Brick Brewing Co. (ON)
BRONZE – Cool Beer, Cool Beer Brewing Co. (ON)
North American Style Premium Lager
GOLD – Lighthouse Lager, Lighthouse Brewing Co. (BC)
SILVER – Old Credit Pale Pilsner, Old Credit Brewing Co. (ON)
BRONZE – Great Western Premium, Great Western Brewing Co. (SK)
European Style Lager (Pilsner)
GOLD – Pilsner, Mill Street Brewery (ON)
SILVER – Rocky Mountain Genuine Lager, Fernie Brewing Co. (BC)
BRONZE – Traditional Pilsner, Creemore Springs (ON)
North American Style Amber Lager
GOLD – Millennium Buzz Beer, Cool Brewing Co. (ON)
SILVER – Dutch Amber, Amsterdam Brewing Co. (ON)
BRONZE – Red Leaf Smooth Leaf Lager, Great Lakes Brewing Co. (ON)
Bock – Traditional German Style
GOLD – Helles Bock, Mill Street Brewery (ON)
SILVER – Nickel Brook Ice Bock, Best Bitters Brewing Co. (ON)
North American Style Dark Lager
GOLD – Cameron’s Dark Lager, Cameron’s Brewing Co. (ON)
SILVER – Two Rivers Red, Fort Garry Brewing Co. (MB)
BRONZE – Waterloo Dark, Brick Brewing Co. (ON)
Light (Calorie Reduced) Lager
GOLD – Brewhouse Light, Great Western Brewing Co. (SK)
SILVER – Coors Light, Molson-Coors Canada (ON)
BRONZE – Moosehead Light, Moosehead Brewing Co. (NB)
Wheat Beer – Belgian Style “White”
GOLD – Tessiev’s Witbier, Buckerfield’s Brewery (Swans) (BC)
SILVER – Belgian Wit, Granville Island Brewery (BC)
BRONZE – Blanche de Chambly, Unibroue (QU)
Wheat Beer – German Style Hefeweizen
GOLD – Hefeweizen, Tree Brewing Co. (BC)
SILVER – Denison’s Weissbier, Denison’s (Michael Hancock) (ON)
BRONZE – Whistler Weissbier, Whistler Brewing Co. (BC)
Wheat Beer – North American Style
GOLD – Sungod Wheat Ale, R&B Brewing Co. (BC)
SILVER – Velvet Fog, Wild Rose Brewery Ltd. (AB)
Strong or Belgian Style Ale
GOLD – La Fin Du Monde, Unibroue (QU)
SILVER – La Maudite, Unibroue (QU)
BRONZE – Surley Blonde, Phillips Brewing Co. (BC)
North American Style Amber/Red Ale
GOLD – Yukon Red Amber Ale, Yukon Brewing Co. (YK)
SILVER – Cameron’s Auburn Ale, Cameron’s Brewing Co. (ON)
BRONZE – Fire Chief’s Red Ale, Pump House Brewery Ltd. (NB)
Cream Ale
GOLD – Sleeman Cream Ale, Sleeman Brewing & Malting Co. (ON)
SILVER – Cameron’s Cream Ale, Cameron’s Brewing Co. (ON)
BRONZE – True North Cream Ale, Magnotta Brewery Ltd. (ON)
North American Style Blond or Golden Ale
GOLD – Stock Ale, Mill Street Brewery (ON)
SILVER – Griffon Extra Pale Ale, McAuslan Brewing Co. (QU)
English Style Pale Ale (Bitter)
GOLD – Picaroons Best Bitter, Northampton Brewing Co. (NB)
SILVER – ESB, Mill Street Brewery (ON)
BRONZE – Swans ESB, Buckerfield’s Brewery (Swans) (BC)
North American Style Pale Ale/Bitter
GOLD – Tankhouse Ale, Mill Street Brewery (ON)
SILVER – Plowman’s Ale, Grand River Brewing Co. (ON)
BRONZE – SOB (Special Old Bitter), Pump House Brewery Ltd. (NB)
Barley Wine
GOLD – Barley Wine 2007, Mill Street Brewery (ON)
SILVER – Barley Wine, Wild Rose Brewery Ltd. (AB)
BRONZE – Barley Wine, Pump House Brewery Ltd. (NB)
India Pale Ale
GOLD – Garrison Imperial Pale Ale, Garrison Brewing Co. (NS)
SILVER – Hop Head India Pale Ale, Tree Brewing Co. (BC)
BRONZE – Amnesiac IPA, Phillips Brewing Co. (BC)
Brown Ale
GOLD – Hockley Dark Traditional English Ale, Hockley Valley Brewing Co. (ON)
SILVER – Swans Appleton Brown Ale, Buckerfield’s Brewery (Swans) (BC)
BRONZE – First Trax Brown Ale, Fernie Brewing Co. (BC)
Scotch Ale
GOLD – Scotch Ale, Pump House Brewery Ltd. (NB)
SILVER – Scotch Ale, Mill Street Brewery (ON)
Stout
GOLD – St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout, McAuslan Brewing Co. (QU)
SILVER – Hockley Stout Traditional Irish Ale, Hockley Valley Brewing Co. (ON)
BRONZE – Cobblestone Stout, Mill Street Brewery (ON)
Porter
GOLD – Coffee Porter, Mill Street Brewery (ON)
SILVER – John Sleeman Presents Fine Porter, Sleeman Brewing & Malting Co. (ON)
BRONZE – Man’s Best Friend Porter, Picaroons, Northampton Brewing Co. (NB)
Fruit & Vegetable Beer
GOLD – Longboat Chocolate Porter, Phillips Brewing Co. (BC)
SILVER – Pommegranate Wheat, Amsterdam Brewing Co. (ON)
BRONZE – Framboise, Amsterdam Brewing Co. (ON)
Special Honey/Maple Lager or Ale
GOLD – Great Lakes Winter Ale, Great Lakes Brewing Co. (ON)
SILVER – Honey Brown, Niagara Falls Brewing Co. (ON)
BRONZE – Old Credit Holiday Honey, Old Credit Brewing Co. (ON)
Beer of the Year
Garrison Imperial Pale Ale, Garrison Brewing Co. (NS) (Highest scoring beer of the judging)
Brewery of the Year
Mill Street Brewery (ON)