http://www.momandhops.ca/winners-announ ... ng-awards/
Winners were announced today. Congrats to the winners.
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We have a trivia question in order to register to prevent bots. If you have any issues with answering, contact us at cass@bartowel.com for help.
Introducing Light Mode! If you would like a Bar Towel social experience that isn't the traditional blue, you can now select Light Mode. Go to the User Control Panel and then Board Preferences, and select "Day Drinking" (Light Mode) from the My Board Style drop-down menu. You can always switch back to "Night Drinking" (Dark Mode). Enjoy!
Ontario Brewing Awards
With that said, are these awards still relevant at all? I'm a fairly dialed-in consumer of Ontario craft beer and I honestly had no clue that the awards were happening. I'll also admit that I'm a little turned off by reading the rest of the list of winners when it starts with:
Light
Gold: Cool Beer Brewing Company – Stonewall Light
Standard Lager
Gold: Cool Beer Brewing Company – Cool Lager
Craft Lager
Gold: Creemore Springs Brewery – Lot 9 Pilsner
German Pilsner
Gold: Sleeman Breweries – Silver Creek Lager
Bohemian Pilsner
Gold: Mill Street Brewery – Pilsner Lager
Amber Lager
Gold: Hop City Brewing Co. – Barking Squirrel Lager
Which isn't meant to criticize the winners so much, but it's more a statement about how much a brewing award listed by style from lightest to strongest is divorced from the current trends in the craft beer geek world. There literally isn't a sour or wild beer category. Like how does this make sense?
Fruit Beer
Gold: Nickel Brook Brewing Co. – Raspberry Uber
Silver: The Blue Elephant Craft Brew House – Summer Harvest Strawberry Lager
Light
Gold: Cool Beer Brewing Company – Stonewall Light
Standard Lager
Gold: Cool Beer Brewing Company – Cool Lager
Craft Lager
Gold: Creemore Springs Brewery – Lot 9 Pilsner
German Pilsner
Gold: Sleeman Breweries – Silver Creek Lager
Bohemian Pilsner
Gold: Mill Street Brewery – Pilsner Lager
Amber Lager
Gold: Hop City Brewing Co. – Barking Squirrel Lager
Which isn't meant to criticize the winners so much, but it's more a statement about how much a brewing award listed by style from lightest to strongest is divorced from the current trends in the craft beer geek world. There literally isn't a sour or wild beer category. Like how does this make sense?
Fruit Beer
Gold: Nickel Brook Brewing Co. – Raspberry Uber
Silver: The Blue Elephant Craft Brew House – Summer Harvest Strawberry Lager
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darmokandjalad
- Posts: 262
- Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2013 8:04 pm
- Location: Ridgetown, ON
I think the fact that there's no sour categories implicitly answers that question. But honestly, were they ever relevant? Is this not the outfit that deemed Trafalgar to be the "best newcomer of the year" a few years back?Craig wrote:With that said, are these awards still relevant at all?
It's never been a contest of the "best beers in Ontario". Just the "best beers in Ontario, of the beers that were submitted by breweries that were interested in participating".
As an aside: there are several categories where the "gold medal" was not awarded, yet the silver/bronze medal winners are listed. What's up with that? Were the silver/bronze winners just not good enough to deserve a gold? I'm no cicerone (or IOC official) but I don't think that's how gold/silver/bronze rankings work.
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MatttthewGeorge
- Bar Fly
- Posts: 946
- Joined: Tue Apr 03, 2012 4:45 pm
- Location: Woolwich, ON
- Contact:
I believe tasting are based on points and there is a points threshold for gold/silver/bronze.darmokandjalad wrote:As an aside: there are several categories where the "gold medal" was not awarded, yet the silver/bronze medal winners are listed. What's up with that? Were the silver/bronze winners just not good enough to deserve a gold? I'm no cicerone (or IOC official) but I don't think that's how gold/silver/bronze rankings work.Craig wrote:With that said, are these awards still relevant at all?
OBA's where just bought by the CBA's. I've always found the CBA's better run and judged, so hoping the OBA's will be better in the years to come.
I used to sell beer. Now I don't.
Best of Show Gold: Lost Craft Brewing Co. – Revivale
Ratebeer gives it a 2.7 /5 (https://www.ratebeer.com/beer/lost-craf ... le/397944/ )
3.5 on Beer Advocate and untappd.
As always the story of these awards is often told by who is not represented / did not enter. From the results I assume that Bellwoods, BTP, Indie Alehouse, Side Launch and others did not participate.
Ratebeer gives it a 2.7 /5 (https://www.ratebeer.com/beer/lost-craf ... le/397944/ )
3.5 on Beer Advocate and untappd.
As always the story of these awards is often told by who is not represented / did not enter. From the results I assume that Bellwoods, BTP, Indie Alehouse, Side Launch and others did not participate.
I've always had mixed emotions about industry awards, mostly negative.
On one hand, it is probably useful for participants to get some peer feedback and certainly if the awards a open and fair, smaller players might get some much needed visibility.
Generally though, in most industries, these awards are just publicity machines for vested interests. A good example are all the B.S. awards shows in the entertainment industry. Just one big advertisement for the product of the day.
On one hand, it is probably useful for participants to get some peer feedback and certainly if the awards a open and fair, smaller players might get some much needed visibility.
Generally though, in most industries, these awards are just publicity machines for vested interests. A good example are all the B.S. awards shows in the entertainment industry. Just one big advertisement for the product of the day.
Brands are for cattle.
Fans are cash cows.
The herd will consume until consumed.
Fans are cash cows.
The herd will consume until consumed.
do you not have to pay for each beer you submit?
these awards are jokes. it's a weird Ontario circle jerk, with the best beer not even being submitted and with way too many categories.
these awards are jokes. it's a weird Ontario circle jerk, with the best beer not even being submitted and with way too many categories.
Good on Nickel Brook, they deserve it for the Raspberry Über.
I have no problem with Creemore either, they do the German thing very well.
I was at Thirsty the other night and people who could barely pronounce Gose and who were only newly acquainted with Sours were talking about beer styles quite a lot.It seems the market for beers like Bellwoods Jelly King and Bench Saison and GLB Octopus IPA was always there all along.
Best luck to Cool, they seem to know where their bread is buttered and it's probably a step up from adjunct lagers.
I have no problem with Creemore either, they do the German thing very well.
I was at Thirsty the other night and people who could barely pronounce Gose and who were only newly acquainted with Sours were talking about beer styles quite a lot.It seems the market for beers like Bellwoods Jelly King and Bench Saison and GLB Octopus IPA was always there all along.
Best luck to Cool, they seem to know where their bread is buttered and it's probably a step up from adjunct lagers.