TORONTO, ON – The winners of the 2018 Golden Tap Awards (GTAs) and Ontario Brewing Awards (OBAs) were announced last night during a joint event at the Berkeley Church in Toronto.
The GTAs are overseen by Cass Enright, founder of The Bar Towel, with winners selected by the general beer-drinking public via online voting. Several Editor’s Circle awards recognizing significant achievements in the Ontario beer industry were also handed out, as determined by Enright and a panel of Bar Towel members and associates.
The OBAs are owned and operated by Taps Media, with entries from Ontario breweries evaluated in more than 40 categories by a panel of BJCP-certified judges.
The winners of the 2018 GTAs and OBAs are listed below.
GOLDEN TAP AWARDS 2018
Best brewery: Beau’s All Natural Brewing
Best bar for draught beer selection: Bar Hop
Best bar for bottled and/or canned beer selection: Birreria Volo
Best brewpub or tied house: Bellwoods Brewery
Best regularly-produced craft beer: Beau’s Lug Tread Lagered Ale
Best seasonal, limited release or specialty craft beer: Great Lakes Karma Citra IPA
Best craft cidery: Revel Cider Co.
Best Beer Design and Branding: Collective Arts Brewing
Most Innovative Brewery: Bellwoods Brewery
Best Newcomer (Bar): Bar Lupulus
Best Newcomer (Brewery): Little Beasts Brewing
Best Event: Cask Days
Best Staff: Beau’s All Natural Brewing
Best Beer Writer: Robert Arsenault a.k.a. Drunk Polkaroo
Brewmaster’s Choice: Tooth and Nail Vim and Vigor
Editor’s Circle Award: Liquid Art Festival
Editor’s Circle Award: Huether Hotel/Lion Brewery
Editor’s Circle Award: Kingston Brewing Company
Editor’s Circle Award: Evergreen Craft Ales
Editor’s Circle Award: People’s Pint Brewing Company
ONTARIO BREWING AWARDS 2018
Light
Bronze: 3 Speed – Amsterdam Brewing
Silver: Light – Ace Hill Beer
Gold: Grass Roots Lager – Sleeping Giant Brewing
Standard Lager
Bronze: Old Flame Blonde – Old Flame Brewing
Silver: Beach One Cerveza – Wasaga Beach Brewing
Gold: Cool Beer Lager – Cool Beer Brewery
Craft Lager
Bronze: Vintage Lager – Hogsback Brewing
Silver: Paradise Lager – The Grove Brew House
Gold: Helles Lager – Wellington Brewery
German Pils
Bronze: East Hamilton Lager – Clifford Brewing
Silver: LagerShed Original – Shawn & Ed Brewing
Gold: #LagerDave Pils – Wellington Brewery
Bohemian Pilsener
Bronze: Pembroke Pils – Square Timber Brewing
Silver: Pilsner Elora – Elora Brewing
Gold: Bohemian Pilsner – Brock Street Brewing
Amber Lager
Bronze: Old Flame Red – Old Flame Brewing
Silver: Amber Lager – Sleeping Giant Brewing
Gold: Mad Quacker – Lake Wilcox Brewing
Oktoberfest/Märzen
Bronze: 1933 Marzen – The Grove Brew House
Silver: Loose Lips Lager – Longslice Brewery
Gold: Oktoberfest – Royal City Brewing
Dark Lager
Bronze: Spring – Anderson Craft Ales
Silver: Bonfire Black Lager – Perth Brewery
Gold: Black Forest Dark Lager – Camerons Brewing
Bock
Bronze: Fest – Henderson Brewing
Silver: No. 13 Bock – Common Good Beer
Gold: not awarded
Doppelbock
Bronze: not awarded
Silver: Escalator – Royal City Brewing
Gold: Deviator Doppelbock – Camerons Brewing
Hefeweizen
Bronze: Wheat Beer – Vimy Brewing
Silver: Haberdasher Hefeweizen – Muddy York Brewing
Gold: Hefeweizen – Northern Maverick Brewing
Witbier
Bronze: Belgian Wit – Riverhead Brewing
Silver: Waterfront Wit – Walkerville Brewery
Gold: Spotted Cow – Amsterdam Brewing
Herb/Spice Beer
Bronze: Hibiscus Belgian Wit – Brock Street Brewing
Silver: The Trews’ North Strong – Mash Paddle Brewing
Gold: Hibiscus Saison – Royal City Brewing
Farmhouse Blonde
Bronze: Patio Season – Northern Maverick Brewing
Silver: Brett Saison – Flora Hall Brewing
Gold: Peppercorn Rye Saison – The Exchange Brewery
Farmhouse Dark
Bronze: Potre de L’Enfer – Stack Brewing
Silver: Farmhouse Dark – Stack Brewing
Gold: Ladder to the Moon – Henderson Brewing
Lagered Ale
Bronze: Reynard The Fox Golden Rye Ale – Descendants Beer & Beverage Co.
Silver: Brown Van Kolsch Style Ale – Brown Van Brewing Corp.
Gold: Cream Ale – Vimy Brewing
Blonde Ale
Bronze: Back Shop Brew – GL Heritage Brewing
Silver: Northern Logger – Sleeping Giant Brewing
Gold: Bombshell – FRANK Brewing
British Pale Ale
Bronze: English Ordinary Bitter – Flora Hall Brewing
Silver: Special Pale Ale – Wellington Brewery
Gold: Beer 101 Bitter – Niagara College Teaching Brewery
American Pale Ale
Bronze: Bangkok Crosswalk North East Pale Ae – Overflow Brewing
Silver: Naughty Neighbour American Pale Ale – Nickel Brook Brewing
Gold: Elora Borealis Citra Pale Ale – Elora Brewing
British India Pale Ale
Bronze: Hops & Robbers Extra Delicious IPA – Double Trouble Brewing
Silver: Geronimo IPA – Walkerville Brewery
Gold: Off the Leash Unfiltered IPA – High Park Brewery
American IPA
Bronze: Shaggin’ Wagon – Stray Dog Brewing
Silver: Wicked Awesome IPA – Nickel Brook Brewing
Gold: Hazed and Confused – Muskoka Brewery
Imperial IPA
Bronze: Scary Mary – Old Flame Brewing
Silver: Kodiak – Market Brewing
Gold: Immodest Imperial IPA – Nickel Brook Brewing
Dark IPA
Bronze: Double Drooling Dog Black IPA – Magnotta Brewery
Silver: Dark & Sticky IBA – Camerons Brewing
Gold: Super Dank Osborne – Chronicle Brewing
Amber Ale
Bronze: This One – Stray Dog Brewing
Silver: Dockside Red Ale – Bobcaygeon Brewing
Gold: Ambear Ale – Camerons Brewing
Altbier
Bronze: Monday Night Piper – The Second Wedge Brewing Co.
Silver: North Country Kellerbier – Boshkung Brewing
Gold: Impact – Stack Brewing
English Brown Ale
Bronze: Brown – Anderson Craft Ales
Silver: Walk on the Mild Side – Covered Bridge Brewing
Gold: Hockley Dark Traditional English Ale – Hockley Beer
American Brown Ale
Bronze: Workhorse Brown Ale – The Grove Brew House
Silver: Henry’s Irish Ale – Publican House Brewery
Gold: No. 2 Brown Ale – Common Good Beer
Porter
Bronze: Porter – Muddy York Brewing
Silver: Porter – Clifford Brewing
Gold: Rain Maker – The Second Wedge Brewing Co.
Stout
Bronze: Crooked Nose Stout – Camerons Brewing
Silver: Clubhouse Stout – The Grove Brew House
Gold: Stork Derby Stout – Muddy York Brewing
Milk Stout
Bronze: Easy Stout – Walkerville Brewery
Silver: Chocolate Milk Stout – Brock Street Brewing
Gold: Starry Night Chocolate Stout – Bobcaygeon Brewing
Imperial Stout
Bronze: Kremlin Russian Imperial Stout – Walkerville Brewery
Silver: Love & Happiness – Sleeping Giant Brewing
Gold: Imperial Russian Stout – Wellington Brewery
Fruit Beer
Bronze: Cervisia Saison with Guava – Muddy York Brewing
Silver: Bandwagon Raspberry Pale Ale – Shillow Beer
Gold: Changeling – Little Beasts Brewing
Vegetable Beer
Bronze: Cool as Cuke – Muskoka Brewery
Silver: Cucumber-Lime Gose – Nickel Brook Brewing
Gold: Summer Slam – Stray Dog Brewing
Flavoured Porter
Bronze: not awarded
Silver: not awarded
Gold: Pecan Pie Porter – Double Trouble Brewing
Flavoured Stout
Bronze: Matrimonial Cake Stout – Square Timber Brewing
Silver: Shinnicked Stout -Muskoka Brewery
Gold: Awakening Shot – Lake Wilcox Brewing
Barrel Aged – Whisky
Bronze: Double Tempest – Amsterdam Brewing
Silver: Cafe Del Bastardo – Nickel Brook Brewing
Gold: UVB-76 Boris – Wellington Brewery
Barrel Aged – Red Wine
Bronze: Grand Cru – The Exchange Brewery
Silver: Gravity Well – Halcyon Barrel House
Gold: Rational Energy – Amsterdam Brewing
Rauchbier
Bronze: Campfire Rye – Boshkung Brewing
Silver: Bamberg Castle Smoked Ale – Camerons Brewing
Gold: Jail Fire Rauchbier – Muddy York Brewing
Belgian Style Dubbel
Bronze: Dubbel – Royal City Brewing
Silver: Dubbel – Lowertown Brewing
Gold: La saison d’hiver – Little Beasts Brewing
Belgian Style Tripel
Bronze: not awarded
Silver: not awarded
Gold: Rube Goldbeer – Henderson Brewing
Belgian Style IPA
Bronze: not awarded
Silver: Bob and Frank’s Not Your Mother’s Whit – Henderson Brewing
Gold: Infinite Zest – Muddy York Brewing
Scottish Ales
Bronze: Rob Roy Scotch Ale – Walkerville Brewery
Silver: Beer 101 Strong – Niagara College Teaching Brewery
Gold: Beam Me Up – Grand River Brewing
Irish Ale
Bronze: not awarded
Silver: Red Ale – Vimy Brewing
Gold: Irish Ale – Niagara Brewing
Barley Wine
Bronze: not awarded
Silver: not awarded
Gold: Yuletide Barley Wine – Wellington Brewery
Best Of Show
Rational Energy – Amsterdam Brewing