Awards for Judges’ Choice Best in Show and Best in Class in 12 categories as well as the Cascades Casino People’s Choice for Best Beer, Best Cider, Best Food and the WestKey Graphics and Super Deluxe Creative Best Label Design and Runner Ups were presented onsite at the 24th Annual Okanagan Fest of April 12 & 13, 2019 in Penticton.
The difficult job of determining top honours for the Judges’ Choice awards fell upon a panel of 9 industry experts including Joe Wiebe (Beer Writer; Craft Beer Revolution and BC Ale Trail), Jason van Rassel (Original Levity & Avenue Edmonton), Wade Dhooge (Cask & Barrel), Lundy Dale (Pink Pints & BC Craft Beer Month), Mike Garson (podcaster and blogger with Pacific Beer Chat), Dave Smith (What’s Brewing Magazine), Rob Mangelsdorf (The Growler), Michelle Gowling (Beer Educator), and Aaron Johnson (Cascadian Beer Podcast & BC Ale Trail).
The judging panel put their palettes to test to determine which beers and ciders would take top honours from 127 different beers and ciders while the patrons put forward their preference for People’s choice winners by electronic ballot with the team from Canadian Craft Tours.
Hand crafted awards created by local artisans at Timber Child were distributed to the winners as listed below.
Judges’ Choice Award Winners
Best in Show Would Crush – Twin Sails Brewing, Port Moody BC
Best in Class
Best Amber/Dark Ale Smoke & Mirrors – Coal Harbour Brewing, Vancouver BC
Best Cider Broken Ladder Rosé – BC Tree Fruits Cider, Kelowna BC
Best Fruit Beer Would Crush – Twin Sails Brewing, Port Moody BC
Best IPA Loop Line IPA – Iron Road Brewing, Kamloops BC
Best Pale Ale Squirrel Chaser Hazy Pale Ale – Yellow Dog Brewing, Port Moody BC
Best Pilsner/Lager/Kölsch Nightwatch Coffee Lager – Lighthouse Brewing, Victoria BC
Best ESB English Subtitles ESB – Kettle River Brewing Co, Kelowna BC
Best Sour Tart Wild Ale with Pineapple & Guava – Luppolo Brewing, Vancouver BC
Best Specialty Beer Beermosa – Bad Tattoo Brewing, Penticton BC
Best Specialty IPA Dreamboat Hazy IPA – The Parkside Brewery, Port Moody BC
Best Stout/Porter Tennessee BBA Imperial Milk Stout – BNA Brewing, Kelowna, BC
Best Wheat Ale Dim Wit – The Parkside Brewery, Port Moody BC
Cascades Casino People’s Choice Award Winners
Best Beer What the Fog, Hazy IPA – Slackwater Brewing, Penticton BC
Best Cider Broken Ladder Rosé – BC Tree Fruits Cider, Kelowna BC
Best Food Surf Side California, Kelowna BC
Super Deluxe Creative/Westkey Graphics Best Label Design
Best Label Design Gold Ghost Ship Hazy IPA – Lighthouse Brewing, Victoria BC
Best Label Design Silver Lucky Pig Tangerine Ale – Red Racer Brewing, Surrey BC
Best Label Design Bronze Sunblink Berry Sour – Cannery Brewing, Penticton BC
Thank you to our industry sponsors; Air Liquide, WestKey Graphics, Super Deluxe Creative, and Direct Tap for supporting these great breweries and cideries year round and for supporting the 2019 Judges’ Choice Awards.
Congratulations to all and Cheers to all great beers and ciders.
Save the Date – Celebrate 25 Years of Cheer April 17 & 18 at Okanagan Fest of Ale 2020.