The Best Beers In Canada, According To The 2025 Canadian Brewing Awards
Smithers Brewing Co. of Smithers, British Columbia was crowned Brewery of the Year at the 2025 Canadian Brewing Awards.
Since 2000, the Canadian Brewing Awards have judged Canadian majority-owned breweries to determine the best beers available in the country. The Canadian Brewing Awards are the oldest national beer competition in Canada.
In 2025, the Canadian Brewing Awards judged over 1,600 beers from breweries representing all provinces and two of the three territories of Canada. About 270 breweries sent beers to the competition.
'Entries were down about 10%,' say Ob Simmonds, head of innovation at the Canadian Brewing Awards, noting that many smaller breweries were struggling with cash flow in a tougher economic climate and dealing with uncertainly relating to input costs in light of tariffs. Breweries pay a fee to enter beers and incur expenses shipping beer to the judging location.
Simmonds said he was aware of the difficulties some breweries have in entering competitions. Since taking over management of the competition last year, Simmonds has embarked on a journey to change the way the competition is run, to make it so that every brewery can participate. He noted that this year, a number of breweries that historically have never entered beer competitions entered the Canadian Brewing Awards. Among those, Godspeed Brewery of Toronto, not only won several medals, it was awarded Best of Show for its Irori, a peated scotch lager.
In addition to awarding gold, silver and bronze medals in 47 categories, the gold medal winners from those categories are judged against each other with the best winning Best of Show medals. For 2025, the Best of Show gold medal winner, and arguably the best beer in Canada, is Irori from Godspeed Brewery. The silver and bronze Best of Show medals were awarded to Dunkelweizen from Four Winds Beach House & Brewery (Delta, British Columbia) and Bountii from Kilter Brewing Co. (Winnipeg, Manitoba), respectively.
Based on the number of medals awarded to the competing breweries, the awards competition also names a Brewery of the Year. The 2025 Canadian Brewing Awards Brewery of the Year is Smithers Brewing Company of Smithers, British Columbia.
Here are the category winners of the 2025 Canadian Brewing Awards:
Gold: Bellhop Porter - Abandoned Rail Brewing
Silver: Porter of Prov - Manitoulin Brewing Company
Bronze: Baltic Porter - La Brasserie Nonsuch Brewing
Gold: no medal awarded
Silver: no medal awarded
Bronze: Cat's Paws Amber Lager - Wild Winds Brewery
Gold: White Noise - Giants Head Brewing
Silver: Belgian IPA - Deadfall Brewing Company
Bronze: Two Pillars Pale - Two Pillars Brewery
Gold: Wedgehead Kolsch - Smugglers Trail Caskworks
Silver: Pegasus American Pale Ale - Ol' Beautiful Brewing Company
Bronze: Gahan Vic Park - PEI Brewing Company
Gold: Salted Stout - Port Rexton Brewing Co.
Silver: Hold Me Closer, Tony Danza - Maybee Brewing
Bronze: Open Road - Troubled Monk
Gold: Juicy! Double IPA - Garrison Brewing Company
Silver: Hop Cone Syndrome - Rainhard Brewing
Bronze: West Coast IPA - Flora Hall Brewing
Gold: Kicksled Cream Ale - NWT Brewing Co.
Silver: Bossman Lager - 70 Acre Brew Co.
Bronze: Sittler 10 Point Lager - Something In The Water
Gold: Amber Ale - Poco Brothers Brewing Co.
Silver: Gahan Island Red - PEI Brewing Company
Bronze: Le sage du bois de chauffage - Novum Boreas Microbrasserie
Gold: Full Pleasure - Long Bay Brewery
Silver: Island Breeze - Concession Road Brewing Company
Bronze: Raspberry Sour - 70 Acre Brew Co.
Gold: Binge Watch - Village Brewery
Silver: Odyssey - Curious Creatures Beer Corp.
Bronze: Broken Sun - Smugglers Trail Caskworks
Gold: no medal awarded
Silver: no medal awarded
Bronze: Long Dark Voyage to Uranus - Sawdust City Brewing Co
Gold: Dubbel - Meuse Brewing Company Inc.
Silver: Cloister Quadrupel - Wave Maker
Bronze: Two Pillars Dark Strong - Two Pillars Brewery
Gold: Spontaneous Manifesto 2023 - Blind Enthusiasm Brewing Company
Silver: Rouge des Appalaches - Frampton Brasse
Bronze: Dry Hop Series: Galaxy Saaz - Blind Enthusiasm Brewing Company
Gold: Tripel - Pie Braque Microbrasserie
Silver: Red Mosquito - Tooth and Nail Brewing Company
Bronze: Dominus Vobiscum Triple - Microbrasserie Charlevoix
Gold: Saison de la Meuse - Meuse Brewing Company
Silver: Quark, Strangeness and Charm - Pile O' Bones Brewing
Bronze: Soccer Mom - Nickel Brook Brewing
Gold: Flo Rida - Vaycay Brew Co
Silver: Salz und Säuer Gose - Smithers Brewing Company
Bronze: Salt Water Cowboy - Tatamagouche Brewing Co
Gold: English Ordinary Bitter - Flora Hall Brewing
Silver: English Pale Ale - Train Wreck Brewing
Bronze: Tickity Boo - Twin City Brewing Company
Gold: Operis - Four Winds Brewing Co
Silver: Foeder Aged Margarita Gose - Flora Hall Brewing
Bronze: Cherryoperis - Four Winds Brewing Co
Gold: Secret Society - Tire Shack Brewing Co.
Silver: Thrift Shop Stout - Lot 10 Brewing Company
Bronze: Oats n' Hose - Brew Revolution
Gold: Bountii - Kilter Brewing Co.
Silver: Mocha Crunch - Sawdust City Brewing Co
Bronze: Coffee Porter - Tire Shack Brewing Co.
Gold: Bootlegger Brown Ale - Smithers Brewing Company
Silver: Vintage Brown - Kilter Brewing Co.
Bronze: Nail Bender - Kahnawake Brewing Company
Gold: Czech Pilsner - Powell Brewery
Silver: Jaro Pilsner - Land & Sea Brewing Co
Bronze: German Pilsner - Anderson Craft Ales
Gold: Big Dunc - Upper Thames Brewing Company
Silver: 11 pm - Northern Superior Brewing Co
Bronze: Vienna Lager - Gillingham Brewing Company
Gold: Yard Sale Bock - Endeavour Brewing Company Ltd.
Silver: Perpetuator - Steadfast Brewing Co
Bronze: Lazy Dog - Paris Beer Co
Gold: Blackboard Black IPA - Schoolhouse Brewery
Silver: Blue Dream Hazy IPA - Four Winds Brewing Co.
Bronze: Polar Vortex - One Great City Brewing Co
Gold: Joy Hill Blaufränkisch - Ippon
Silver: Grace - Strawberry & White Chocolate - White Stout - Banded Goose Brewing Company
Bronze: Mujo - Ippon
Gold: Imperial Pear Elderflower Love Buzz - Strathcona Beer Company
Silver: Yuzu - Godspeed Brewery
Bronze: Peach Wit - Britannia Brewing Co
Gold: Dunkelweizen - Four Winds Beach House & Brewery
Silver: Oie Blanche - Microbrasserie Des Beaux Prés
Bronze: Hefe Weizen - Garrison Brewing Company
Gold: Quick Witted - Grey Fox Brewing
Silver: Gluten Free Pale Ale - Port Rexton Brewing Co. Ltd.
Bronze: Buckwild Stout - Grey Fox Brewing
Gold: Winter Ale - Mariner Brewing
Silver: Ginger and Sansho Pepper - Ippon
Bronze: no medal awarded
Gold: Spruced Up Gose - Mountainview Brewing Co.
Silver: no medal awarded
Bronze: no medal awarded
Gold: Queen Bee - Burnside Brewing Co
Silver: Beez Nutz - Brew Revolution
Bronze: no medal awarded
Gold: Great Craic Irish Red - Smithers Brewing Company
Silver: Ridgewalk Red Ale - Fernie Brewing Co.
Bronze: Barn Burner - Beau's All Natural Brewing Co.
Gold: Iron Eye Nitro Stout - Blood Brothers Brewing
Silver: Patricius Irish Stout - Boxing Rock Brewing Company
Bronze: Feck Off Irish Stout - Smither Brewing Company
Gold: New England IPA - Black Bridge Brewery
Silver: Widowmaker - Backcountry Brewing
Bronze: Super Saturation - Cabin Brewing Company
Gold: Ol'Woody Altbier - Sawdust City Brewing Co.
Silver: Kolsch - Patina Brewing
Bronze: High Country Kölsch - Mt. Begbie Brewing Company
Gold: Joggeuse - Microbrasserie La Souche
Silver: Annex Radler - Annex
Bronze: Santa Fe - Microbrasserie Des Beaux Prés
Gold: N/A Raspberry Lime Kettle Sour - Better Brother Brewing Co.
Silver: Simple de même Gose sans alcool - Microbrasserie La Souche
Bronze: Everyday Player - Left Field Brewery
Gold: Marigold Belgian Golden Ale - Clifford Brewing Co
Silver: Room For More - Ale Architect
Bronze: no medal awarded
Gold: Queen of Hops, Hoppy Lager - Coast Mountain Brewing
Silver: Kome Forest - Curious Creatures Beer Corp.
Bronze: no medal awarded
Gold: Old Ale X - La Brasserie Nonsuch Brewing Co
Silver: Two Rivers Baltic Porter - Tatamagouche Brewing Co
Bronze: Salted Black Porter - Field House Brewing
Gold: Scotch Ale - Pile O' Bones Brewing
Silver: Old Man Winter - Smithers Brewing Company
Bronze: Greenock - Saint Andrews Brewing Company
Gold: Minor Force - Annex
Silver: SloMo - MaBrasserie
Bronze: Wild Matters Hazy Pale Ale - R&B Brewing
Gold: Irori - Godspeed Brewery
Silver: Das Winter Projekt - Frampton Brasse
Bronze: Cote Fumée - Microbrasserie Des Beaux Prés
Gold: Lillith Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Porter - Tatamagouche Brewing Co
Silver: Barrel Reserve #267 - Paris Beer Co
Bronze: Gahan Foeder Aged Passionfruit Blood Orange Sour - PEI Brewing Company
Gold: Foeder Aged Chocolate Stout - Flora Hall Brewing
Silver: Working Late - Espresso Stout - Trailway Brewing Company
Bronze: Kentucky Imperial Stout - Nickel Brook Brewing Co.
Gold: Horchata White Stout - Sawdust City Brewing Co
Silver: Margarita Monday Tart Ale - Smithers Brewing Company
Bronze: Blueberry Paczki Beer - Sons of Kent Brewing Co
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Why Shopify Stock Popped Today
A Wells Fargo analyst raised their price target on Shopify's stock today. They called the company their "signature pick" and believe it could be a lesser-known beneficiary of the AI revolution. Home to its Shopify Magic and Sidekick solutions, Shopify looks more poised to thrive amid AI's rise, rather than be disrupted by it. 10 stocks we like better than Shopify › Shares of North America's leading commerce enabler, Shopify (NASDAQ: SHOP), were 6% higher as of 3:30 p.m. ET Friday, according to data provided by S&P Global Market Intelligence. This rise stems from an analyst at Wells Fargo raising their price target on the stock from $107 to $125, naming Shopify a "signature pick." Although Nvidia, Palantir, OpenAI, and others capture most of the artificial intelligence (AI) fanfare, the analyst believes Shopify could prove to be a thematic AI story -- and I'd agree. In April this year, a leaked memo from Chief Executive Officer Tobi Lütke went viral. In it, he stated, "Before asking for more headcount and resources, teams must demonstrate why they cannot get what they want done using AI." Although this focuses on incorporating AI into Shopify's operations, the quote highlights that AI will be at the heart of what the company does going forward, whether internally or through its products. In 2023, the company launched Shopify Magic, a toolbox of AI-powered solutions (think AI-generated product descriptions or email campaigns, automated chat help, or image editing). Then, it launched Sidekick -- an AI-driven commerce assistant -- in 2024 to help with areas such as inventory optimization, pricing strategies, and gathering business insights. Just last quarter, Shopify launched This tool enables merchants to source products more effectively, allowing them to navigate the complex tariff environment in real time. Adding over 600 new product features for its merchants in the last two years alone, Shopify appears likely to remain an AI innovator rather than a disruptee, in my opinion. Though Shopify stock isn't cheap at 83 times cash from operations, its growth potential remains massive, holding only a 2% market share in its core geographies. Before you buy stock in Shopify, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Shopify wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $674,395!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $858,011!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 997% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 172% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 2, 2025 Wells Fargo is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Josh Kohn-Lindquist has positions in Nvidia and Shopify. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Nvidia, Palantir Technologies, and Shopify. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Why Shopify Stock Popped Today was originally published by The Motley Fool Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
It's Opening Night for the MAGA Makeover of the Kennedy Center
Ticket sales are down amid Trump's planned overhaul of national arts center, which includes 'common sense' programming, a prayer wall and refurbished decor; $2 million gold-tier fundraiser.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
The U.S. Economy Is Headed Toward an Uncomfortable Summer
Companies say they are freezing hiring and investment to deal with shifting tariff policies, which is compounding an uneasy equilibrium in the labor market.
