August 30, 2009
Golden Tap Awards 2009 Winners Announced
On Saturday night at a gala event at beerbistro in Toronto, the 2009 Golden Tap Awards winners were announced, representing the best in beer and brewing in Ontario.
The winners were as follows:
- Best micro/craft brewery in Ontario - Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company, Vankleek Hill
- Best micro/craft brewery in Ontario for cask-conditioned ale - Granite Brewery, Toronto
- Best bar in the Ontario in terms of draught beer selection - C’est What, Toronto
- Best bar in the Ontario in terms of bottled beer selection - Volo, Toronto
- Best bar in the Ontario in terms of cask-conditioned ale - Volo, Toronto
- Best brewpub or tied house in Ontario - Mill Street Brewpub, Toronto
- Best regularly-produced craft beer brewed in Ontario - Beau’s Lug-Tread Lagered Ale, Vankleek Hill
- Best seasonally-produced craft beer brewed in Ontario - Black Oak Saison, Toronto
- Best cask-conditioned ale brewed in Ontario - County Durham Hop Head, Pickering
- Best of the Fest - Beau’s Lug-Tread Lagered Ale, Vankleek Hill
Four Editor’s Circle awards were also handed out, recognizing significant achievements in the Ontario beer industry. The Editor’s Circle awards were determined by a panel of Bar Towel members and associates. They went to:
- Cask Ale Crawl, a weekend long event held in Toronto earlier this year that featured cask ale being served at 6 different bars across the city
- Rob Creighton & Grand River Brewing, for Rob's long participation on the Bar Towel forum and the brewery's quick rise to being one of the best in the province
- Derek Hyde & Amsterdam Brewing, for their Strong Spring Bock, the first high-profile collaboration between a homebrewer and a commercial brewer in Ontario
- Jim Brickman, founder of Brick Brewing, for his pioneering contribution to the Ontario craft brewing industry
And finally, the Ontario Craft Brewers presented a surprise award to Cass Enright, founder and president of The Bar Towel, recognizing 10 years of support for the province's craft brewing scene.
August 23, 2009
Countdown to the Golden Tap Awards
The voting is closed, and now the party's up next. This coming Saturday, August 29th is the gala event to announce the Golden Tap Awards at beerbistro (18 King Street East).
At the event we'll announce all the awards recognizing the best breweries, pubs and beers in Ontario, along with a special set of Editor's Circle awards. There will be a special all-Ontario craft beer festival featuring Beau’s, County Durham, Black Oak, Denison’s, Cheshire Valley, Neustadt, Great Lakes, Amsterdam, F&M, Grand River, Mill Street, Cameron’s, Flying Monkeys, Steam Whistle, Mike Duggan, King, Granite, C’est What and more.
You can read more about the event here. Doors open at 4pm and the awards are at 8pm. Free admission. Look forward to seeing you there.
August 12, 2009
Golden Tap Awards - Last Chance to Vote!
The Golden Tap Awards voting closes this Sunday, August 16th. Make sure you get your votes in for your favourite pubs, brewpubs, breweries and beers in Ontario.
Vote now at www.goldentap.com. Winners will be announced at a special event and Ontario-only beer festival at beerbistro on August 29th.
July 02, 2009
Golden Tap Awards 2009 Voting Commences
We are proud to announce the launch of voting for the 2009 Golden Tap Awards. The awards, now in its seventh year, recognizes the best in breweries, bars and beer in Ontario
This year the Golden Tap Awards has undergone a significant restructuring and expansion. Awards are no longer segmented as Greater Toronto Area and outside of Ontario - all categories recognize the full province.
All voting will take place online at www.goldentap.com. Winners will be announced at a special event and Ontario-only beer festival at beerbistro on August 29th.
August 25, 2008
Golden Tap Awards Winners Announced
On Saturday night at a gala event at beerbistro in Toronto, the 2008 Golden Tap Awards winners were announced. The winners were as follows:
- Best microbrewery in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) - Mill Street, Toronto
- Best microbrewery in Ontario (outside of the GTA) - Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company, Vankleek Hill
- Best beer brewed in the GTA - Steam Whistle Pilsner, Toronto
- Best beer brewed in Ontario (outside of the GTA) - Beau’s Lug-Tread Lagered Ale, Vankleek Hill
- Best bar in the GTA in terms of draught beer selection - C’est What, Toronto
- Best bar in the GTA in terms of bottled beer selection - beerbistro, Toronto
- Best bar in Ontario (outside of the GTA) - The Manx, Ottawa
- Best brewpub or tied house in Ontario (including the GTA) - Mill Street Brewpub, Toronto
- Best beer of the festival - Grand River Bumbleberry Wheat, Cambridge
Four Editor’s Circle awards were also handed out, recognizing significant achievements in the Ontario beer industry. The Editor’s Circle awards were determined by a panel of Bar Towel members and associates. They went to:
- St. Veronus, Belgian bistro in Peterborough
- Cameron’s Cask Nights, a series of tasting events hosted by Cameron’s Brewing
- Dogfish Head Dinner, an event hosted by beerbistro
- Steve Peters, speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
August 21, 2008
Golden Tap Awards Beer List Announced
The beer list for the Ontario Beer Festival at this weekend's Golden Tap Awards has been finalized. The following beers will be available for sampling at the party:
DRAUGHT and BOTTLE
Beau's Festivale Plus
Nickel Brook Organic Lager, Uniek Kriek, Apple Pilsner and Maple Porter
Black Oak Pale Ale and Nut Brown Ale
Cameron's Auburn Ale and Dark266
C'est What Caraway Rye
Church Key West Coast IPA, Holy Smoke Scotch Ale and Grains of Wrath
Durham Witbier
Denison's Weissbier
Grand River Galt Knife Old Style Lager, Bumbleberry Wheat, Ploegers Vlaams Rood and Plowman's Ale
Granite Best Bitter Special
Great Lakes Superior IPA, Green Tea & Ginseng Ale, Devil's Pale Ale and Orange Peel Ale
King Pilsner
Mill Street Pilsner, Coffee Porter and Tankhouse Ale
Neustadt Springs Big Dog Pelee Island Porter and Scottish Ale
Pepperwood Cream Ale
Railway City Iron Spike Blond, Amber and Copper
Saint Andre Vienna Lager
Steam Whistle Pilsner
Wellington Imperial Stout and Iron Duke Strong Ale
CASK
Black Oak Double Chocolate Cherry Stout
Cameron's Cream-sic-ALE
Granite Double Dry Hopped Summer Ale
Mill Street Dry Hopped Scotch Ale
There are more beers available at this year's fest than any previous year. The Golden Tap Awards will be taking place on Saturday, August 23rd at beerbistro, located at 18 King Street East in Toronto. Doors open at 4pm and the awards show is at 8pm. Admission is free and all are welcome.
August 11, 2008
Golden Tap Awards Voting Closes; Party Up Next
The 2008 Golden Tap Awards voting closed on the weekend, setting a new high in voting for the sixth consecutive year.
Up next will be the gala event to announce the winners of the voting awards and the Editor's Circle awards, which will take place on Saturday, August 23rd at beerbistro, located at 18 King Street East in Toronto.
The event will feature an all-Ontario craft beer festival featuring the top breweries in the province, including Black Oak, Beau's, Great Lakes, Grand River, Mill Street, Church Key and many others. Expect to find some interesting and unique brews available nowhere else.
Doors to the Golden Tap Awards open at 4pm, with the awards presentation beginning at 8pm. Admission is free, with tokens available for purchase redeemable for beer samples and beer cuisine.
Everyone is welcome and encouraged to come out to the event. It's always a great time.
August 08, 2008
Golden Tap Awards Voting Closes Soon
Just a quick reminder that the Golden Tap Awards voting closes tomorrow, August 9th. So get your vote in if you haven't already!
All winners will be announced at a gala event at beerbistro on Saturday, August 23rd. More details will be announced shortly.
You can vote for the Golden Tap Awards here.
July 07, 2008
Golden Tap Awards 2008 Voting Launches
The Golden Tap Awards, which recognizes the best achievements in beer in Ontario, has launched voting for 2008. Now in its sixth year, the Golden Tap Awards allows the public to vote for their favourite breweries, pubs, beers and brewpubs across Ontario. A Bar Towel "Editor's Circle" committee also determines special achievements not recognized in the regular categories.
The voting will continue until Saturday, August 9th. All winners will be announced at a gala event at beerbistro on Saturday, August 23rd.
You can vote for the Golden Tap Awards here.
August 19, 2007
Golden Tap Awards Announced
Last night at a gala event at beerbistro, the 2007 Golden Tap Awards were announced. These were the winners:
Best microbrewery in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) - Mill Street
Best microbrewery in Ontario (outside of the GTA) - Church-Key
Best beer brewed in the GTA - Mill Street Tankhouse
Best beer brewed in Ontario (outside of the GTA) - Beau's Lug-Tread Lagered Ale
Best bar in the GTA in terms of draught beer selection - C'est What
Best bar in the GTA in terms of bottled beer selection - beerbistro
Best bar in Ontario (outside of the GTA) - Winking Judge
Best brewpub or tied house in Ontario (including the GTA) - Mill Street Brewpub
Best beer of the festival - Black Oak Transvestite's Tipple
New this year were Editor's Circle awards, to recognize unique and significant achievements in the Ontario beer industry. Four were handed out:
Michael Hancock
Great Lakes Brewing
Roland + Russell
Volo Cask Days
Congratulations to all the winners and thanks to everyone for attending the Golden Tap Awards event.
The complete audio recording of the Golden Tap Awards ceremony is available through Bar Towel Radio.
August 13, 2007
Golden Tap Awards Winners to be announced August 18th
The Golden Tap Awards voting has closed, and now it is time to announce the winners! On Saturday, August 18th at beerbistro in Toronto, the winners will be announced at a special event which is open to the public, free to attend and will feature an exclusive Ontario craft beer festival.
WHEN: Saturday, August 18th - Doors open at 4pm - Awards show at 8pm
WHERE: beerbistro - 18 King Street East, Toronto
COST: Free admission, open to the public - Paid tokens for beer and food
All awards will be handed out at the event on August 18th, across the following categories:
• Best microbrewery in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA)
• Best microbrewery in Ontario (outside of the GTA)
• Best beer brewed in the GTA
• Best beer brewed in Ontario (outside of the GTA)
• Best bar in the GTA in terms of draught beer selection
• Best bar in the GTA in terms of bottled beer selection
• Best bar in Ontario (outside of the GTA)
• Best brewpub or tied house in Ontario (including the GTA)
The Golden Tap Awards event will feature an exclusive Ontario beer festival with one of the most unique selections of beers available at one time. Some of the beers available at the event will include:
• Beau’s Lug-Tread Lagered Ale (not currently available anywhere in Toronto)
• Great Lakes Project X and Orange Peel Ale
• Nickel Brook Organic White
• Church-Key West Coast Pale Ale
• Trafalgar Oak Aged Dry
• Grand River Ploughman’s Ale and Mill Race Mild
• Mill Street Belgian Frambozen
• Black Oak Double Chocolate Cherry Stout and Summer Saison
• Denison’s Weissbier
• Cameron's Dark 266
• King Dunkel
• C’est What Caraway Rye
• Scotch Irish Stuart’s Organic Session Ale and Black Irish Plain Porter
Black Oak Brewing, a former winner of best microbrewery in Ontario, has also produced an exclusive beer only for the Golden Tap Awards event. Other participating breweries include Amsterdam, Steam Whistle, Robert Simpson, Durham, Granite and others.
Part of what makes the awards party so exciting is a real-time vote for “Best of the Fest”. Event attendees can vote for their favourite beer available at the party and the winner will be awarded a special Golden Tap Award at the end of the evening. And for the first time ever, a special set of “Editor’s Circle” awards, recognizing significant beer achievements in the craft beer industry, will also be handed out.
July 04, 2007
GTA Party Contest
We're going to have another contest, this time at the Golden Tap Awards party itself, in conjunction with Lucy Saunders and beerbistro. When you vote for your favourite beer at the GTA party (the "Best of the Fest"), you'll have a chance to win one of five copies of Lucy Saunders' book Grilling With Beer. To keep ourselves busy until then, Lucy is hosting an American Beer & BBQ Dinner at beerbistro on July 10th. More details here.
June 23, 2007
Golden Tap Awards Contest Added
We've added a contest to the Golden Tap Awards - by voting you could win one of two pairs of tickets to Toronto's Festival of Beer, being held on August 11th-13th at Fort York. Vote now for the Golden Tap Awards for your chance to win!
June 16, 2007
Golden Tap Awards 2007 Voting Launches
We're proud to announce the launch of the voting for the 2007 Golden Tap Awards. We're very excited about this year's event - there are eight categories to vote upon and there will be a great awards event on August 18th. You can vote for this year's awards and find out more information at the new Golden Tap Awards web site. You can read the press release here.
August 19, 2006
Golden Tap Awards - 2006 Winners!
The winners of the Golden Tap Awards for 2006 were announced tonight at beerbistro. Here are the results:
Best Ontario (non-GTA) beer bar - Augusta's Winking Judge, Hamilton
Best GTA beer bar (draught selection) - C'est What
Best GTA beer bar (bottled selection) - Volo
Best Ontario brewpub or tied house - Granite Brewery, Toronto
Best Ontario (non-GTA) microbrewery - Wellington Brewery, Guelph
Best GTA microbrewery - Mill Street Brewery
Best Ontario-produced (non-GTA) beer - Scotch-Irish Sgt. Major's IPA, Ottawa
Best GTA-produced beer - Mill Street Tankhouse Ale
Best Beer of the Fest - Beau's Lug Tread Lagered Ale "Kolsch-Bock"
Congratulations to all of the winners, and thanks to all who voted and came out to the awards ceremony & Ontario beer festival at beerbistro. Watch for the 5th annual Golden Tap Awards to be even bigger and better next year!
August 17, 2006
Golden Tap Awards countdown!
The 4th annual Golden Tap Awards celebration is just over a day away, and the anticipation is building. Yesterday in the Toronto Star an article was published about the Awards, and in today's Metro there was a brief piece with a contest for some free beer tokens.
The awards party is taking place on Saturday, August 19th at beerbistro. Doors open at 4pm, and the awards ceremony is at 8pm. The party will continue into the night. More information can be found here.
Expect to find such beers to try as Great Lakes Devil's Pale Ale, St Andre Great Eastern IPA, Neustadt Manchester Bitter, Trafalgar Critical Mass, Wellington Imperial Stout, Nickel Brook Pilsner, Black Oak Hop Bomb, Muskoka Hefe Weizen, Beau's and others. There should be around 40 different beers to try.
It should be a great event, I'm hoping everyone can make it!
August 05, 2006
Golden Tap Awards - Voting Deadline & Event Update
Today is your last day to vote for the 2006 Golden Tap Awards. If you haven't done so yet, click the link and place your votes for the best beers, bars and brewpubs that Ontario has to offer.
And don't forget that the awards will be handed out on Saturday, August 19th at beerbistro. The festivities will feature beer cuisine from the talented beerbistro kitchen, and an Ontario Beer Festival with kegs and bottles - including some festival exclusives - from the following breweries:
Black Oak, Mill Street, Wellington, Granite, Denison's, Trafalgar, Neustadt, C'est What, Scotch Irish, Nickel Brook, Ste. Andre, Durham, Cameron's, King, Glenora Springs, Muskoka, Beau's, Steam Whistle, Great Lakes, F&M - and maybe more!
The planned cover charge has now been dropped, so admission will be free, although there will no longer be a take-home tasting glass. Beer and food will be available using tokens that can be purchased at the event. Doors open at 4 PM, the awards will be handed out at 8 PM, and the event will continue until closing time.
July 27, 2006
Golden Tap Awards 2006 Event Details
The Bar Towel is proud to announce that the Golden Tap Awards 2006 festival & awards gala will be taking place on Saturday, August 19th at beerbistro, starting at 4 PM and running until closing time.
To match the concept of the awards which are now Ontario-wide, beerbistro will be dedicating all of their tap lines to Ontario craft brews, and will have bottle stations set up as well. Food-wise, we will have GTA and Ontario food tables, each featuring bottled beers and different dishes to try. There will also be a food buffet and various hors d'oeuvres.
All beer and food will be "a la carte" using beer tokens that can be purchased at the event. There will be a nominal cover charge (likely $5) which will include a tasting glass to take home. We'll also have door prizes and other cool stuff.
Remember that the GTAs are the only beer awards in Canada to be chosen by the public, so if you haven't voted yet, visit the GTAs website and cast your ballot. Voting will remain open until August 5th, and all voters will be entered into a draw for a pair of tickets to the Toronto Festival of Beer, taking place August 11th to 13th at Fort York.
We're very excited about the GTAs event and are hoping it will be a true celebration of Ontario beer and brewing. We'll post more details (including brewers and beers) as they become available.
June 28, 2006
Golden Tap Awards 2006 Launches
Voting commenced today for the 4th annual Golden Tap Awards, which recognizes the best in beer that Ontario has to offer. From now until August 5th, all visitors to Goldentap.com can vote for their favourite pubs, brewpubs, microbreweries and beers in Ontario.
This year the Golden Tap Awards has expanded to include the entire province. As The Bar Towel is more provincially-focused, the Awards should be too. We have, however, kept separate awards for the GTA and 'rest-of-Ontario'. There are 8 categories covering best microbrewery, best beer, best pub and best brewpub.
We are also featuring a Toronto's Festival of Beer Contest. By voting for the Golden Tap Awards, you will be automatically entered into a contest to win a pair of tickets to Toronto's Festival of Beer (admission on Friday August 11th or Sunday August 13th only).
You can vote now here.
June 23, 2006
Golden Tap Awards 2006
The 2006 edition of the Golden Tap Awards will be taking place on Saturday, August 19th. More details will be announced soon.
August 21, 2005
Golden Tap Awards Winners Announced
Last night at beerbistro the 2005 Golden Tap Awards were handed out. The winners were as follows:
Best Microbrewery in the GTA: Mill Street
Best Beer brewed in the GTA: Mill Street Tankhouse Pale Ale
Best Beer Bar - Draught selection: C'est What
Best Beer Bar - Bottled selection: Smokeless Joe
Best New Beer brewed in the GTA: Cameron's Dark 266
Best New Beer Bar in the GTA: beerbistro
Best Beer of the Festival: Black Oak Hop Bomb
The event was a great success, with almost all breweries in the GTA represented at the GTA beer festival. Lots of fun was had by all. Special thanks go out to beerbistro, all the participating brewers and voters and attendees for making the event what is was.
August 09, 2005
Golden Tap Voting Closes, Countdown to Party
The Golden Tap Awards voting has closed, with a record number of votes this year. Now the countdown begins to the gala awards event and GTA beer festival on Saturday, August 20th at 2pm.
Tickets are $20 in advance and available by calling beerbistro at 416-861-9872. Admission includes four half-glasses or two full glasses of beer, plus access to the extensive food offerings.
See the promotional poster, which is on display at beerbistro here.
The participating brewery list is being confirmed and will be announced shortly. And don't forget there will be a real-time vote for "best of the fest" of the available beers. Should be a fun event!
June 20, 2005
Golden Tap Awards 2005 Launches
The 3rd annual Golden Tap Awards voting launched today. The Golden Tap Awards recognizes the best in beer that the GTA has to offer, as voted upon by the general public.
You can vote for this year's Golden Tap Awards here.
The Golden Tap Awards will be handed out at a gala event featuring a GTA Beer Festival on Saturday, August 20th at beerbistro. You can find out more about the gala event, including ticket information here.
Vote now and get your tickets! It is going to be a great time.
October 25, 2004
Golden Tap Awards mentioned in eye
The recent Eye magazine (Thursday, October 21st) features a Food & Drink Guide, with an article about the Mill Street Brewery. Within this article is a mention of their recent wins at the 2004 Golden Tap Awards, which is nice to see. The article is a good read, and offers some information on Mill Street's forthcoming barley wine.
Check out the article here.
August 11, 2004
Golden Tap Awards Winners Announced
Last night at the Academy of Spherical Arts the winners of the 2nd annual Golden Tap Awards were announced. The winners were:
Best Microbrewery:
MILL STREET
Best Bar (Draught selection):
C'EST WHAT
Best Bar (Bottled selection):
SMOKELESS JOE
Best locally-produced beer (tie):
MILL STREET TANKHOUSE PALE ALE and
STEAM WHISTLE PILSNER
Lots of thanks to the Academy for hosting the event and to the voters and party attendees. Looking forward to next year!
August 01, 2004
RSVP for the Golden Tap Awards Party
The voting for the 2004 Golden Tap Awards has now closed. Thanks to everyone who voted - we had a great response this year.
Now the fun part - the awards party! The party to announce the winners will be held on Tuesday, August 10th at the Academy of Spherical Arts at 7pm.
The party is open to all, and it is definitely going to be a great time.
If you would like to attend, please RSVP here. If you have any questions, please contact Cass.
June 13, 2004
Golden Tap Awards 2004 Launches
The Bar Towel is proud to announce the 2nd annual GOLDEN TAP AWARDS, recognizing the best in beer that the Greater Toronto Area has to offer, as voted on by you.
From now until July 31, 2004, all visitors to Goldentap.com can vote for their favourite pubs, brewpubs, microbreweries and beers in the GTA.
Please visit Goldentap.com to vote now!
Details of the awards party to announce the winners will be coming shortly.