This craft beer brewed in Vancouver was named the best in Canada

A beer from Vancouver's Callister Brewing Co. took home the top prize at the first Canada Beer Cup. (Image provided by the BC Craft Brewers Guild)

A beer brewed in East Vancouver has won the inaugural Canada Beer Cup— beating out more than 1,300 competitors.

The contest, held by the Canadian Craft Brewers Association, handed out the honours to independently-owned breweries from across the country in an online ceremony Sunday. The 40-person panel of judges was comprised of ale aficionados from Canada, the U.S., Italy, Sweden and the U.K.

Callister Brewing Co.'s "Wee Laird Wee Heavy Scottish Ale" was named Best in Show. The brewery took to social media with a celebratory post.

"Holy moly. Well, we are feeling pretty stoked and humbled,” it read, adding "we couldn’t be happier."

Callister's website notes the beer is brewed for 10 months in barrels used by Okanagan Spirits to distill its single malt whisky, which allows it to develop "beautiful, complex notes of caramel, vanilla, and oak, with a smooth warming finish."

However, anyone looking to taste it for themselves will have to wait a while.

"We sadly don’t have any bottles remaining but we did hold on to a small keg of it that we’ll be releasing on tap in our tasting room in November," a post on the website says.

The BC Craft Brewers Guild has released a list of all of the prize-winning beers from the province. In total, 29 British Columbian breweries won 46 awards, representing 26 per cent of the total.

"The regional diversity of the award winners showcases the strength of the brewing community across the province," a statement from the guild said.

"There’s no doubt our craft beer is among the best in the world."

The full list of winners, from B.C. and beyond, is available online.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Callister Brewing (@callisterbeer)