Great Lakes Brewery Named Canadian Brewery of the Year at 2013 Canadian Brewing Awards

Toronto, ON

2013 off to a great start at Great Lakes Brewery

On May 11th, 2013 the 11th annual Canadian Brewing Awards was held at The Inn at Laurel Point in Victoria, British Columbia. Canadian breweries from all corners of the country were in attendance to mix and mingle over some of the best beer in the nation, including the team from Great Lakes, Toronto’s oldest independent craft brewery, who returned home with a suitcase full of trophies; including the most prestigious of all – the Canadian Brewery of the Year!

The 2013 Canadian Brewing Awards was the largest in their eleven-year history, as 746 beers from over 120 breweries were submitted into 38 categories for judging. Awards of gold, silver or bronze were given to the top three ranking beers in each category. The judging was conducted in Toronto over five days  in April​ by 43 BJCP (Beer Judge Certification Program)-certified beer judges in a blind tasting environment.

“We couldn't be happier with the results from the Canadian Brewing Awards,” stated Peter Bulut. Jr., President of Great Lakes Brewery. “There was a lot of competition this year and to receive an award of this magnitude is a testament to our entire brewing team.”

Great Lakes, who have had a strong showing in recent years at the Canadian Brewing Awards, took home the following medals:

Gold – Karma Citra India Pale Ale
Gold – Bourbon Barrel-Aged Robust Porter
Gold – Harry Porter
Silver – Crazy Canuck Pale Ale
Silver – Maverick & Gose (Collaboration with Amsterdam Brewery, ON)
Bronze – 25th Anniversary Bourbon Barrel-Aged Russian Imperial Stout

This has been the first time that an Ontario brewery has been named Canadian Brewery of the Year since 2009, and Great Lakes vows to continue producing high quality craft beer for the citizens of Ontario.

“It’s so great to be part of this great brewing nation, especially in Ontario, and we’ll continue to brew beautiful beers for years to come,” said Bulut.

Great Lakes’ David Bieman and Troy Burtch were in Victoria to accept the awards before a packed event full of brewery representatives from all over Canada, and both were amazed with the outpouring of congratulations and the camaraderie between breweries after the award was announced. Great Lakes would also like to congratulate all the other medal winners, especially Powell Street Brewery from Vancouver for winning Beer of the Year with their Old Jalopy Pale Ale.

Fresh off 25th Anniversary celebrations in 2012, Great Lakes Brewery has started 2013 off on the right foot as they were named “Best Brewery in Ontario” by RateBeer.com to winning the highest honour in the Canadian brewing industry on  Saturday May 11th.

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