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.