NIAGARA FALLS, ON – The 1st annual edition of the Great Ontario-Hopped Craft Beer Competition (GOHCBC) took place last week in Niagara Falls, and a Toronto brewer partnered with a hop grower from Barrie took first place in the inaugural showdown.
Brewmaster Mike Duggan, who currently brews his Duggan’s Brewery brands out of the Cool Brewing facility in Etobicoke, teamed up with Heritage Hill Organics to produce the award winning beer, which like all beers in the competition was an American-style IPA made with Ontario-grown hops.
As announced last summer, the GOHCBC was founded in recognition of the formation of the Ontario Hop Grower’s Association, a non-profit association of hop growers, families and enthusiasts in the province. Held in conjunction with the annual Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Convention at the Scotiabank Convention Centre in Niagara Falls, the competition featured entries from 13 breweries and brewpubs from across Ontario, partnered with 10 different commercial hop growers.
Details for the 2014 edition of the GOHCBC will be announced later this year.