Several small B.C. breweries showed at the annual Canadian Brewing Awards in Toronto that big things are brewing on the west coast.
An 18-judge panel judged 282 entries in 26 categories at the show. Only one gold, silver and bronze medal were presented in each category.
B.C. gold medal winners include:
Salt Spring Island Ales for its golden ale;
Tree Island Brewing for its India pale ale; and
Phillips Brewing Co. for its chocolate port.
Salt Spring Island Ales co-owners Neil Cooke-Dallin and Becky Julseth attended the ceremony and were excited by the recognition.
They bought the brewery earlier this year. Part of their secret to producing top quality beer is using locally grown hops.
"It's exciting to win a national-level award like this so quickly after taking over the business," said Julseth. "It's also an incredible testament to our brewmaster Murray Hunter."
Their golden ale also won top honours at the same awards show in 2004.
Salt Spring Island Ales' brewery is located in a purpose-built barn on 15 acres.
Beers were judged using a point system for aroma, appearance, flavour, mouthfeel and overall impression.