VanBrewers Awards 2026: A Canadian National BOTY Qualifier
Thanks to all who participated in the VanBrewers Awards 2026: A Canadian National BOTY Qualifier.
There were 204 entries judged and 133 registered participants, judges, and stewards.
Best of Show Winners
Best of Show – Beer
| Place | Brewer | Entry Name | Style | Club |
|---|
| 1st | Nolan Skogen | Whatcha Talkin' Bout Helles | 4A: Munich Helles | Red Deer Brewers |
| 2nd | Steve Shaw | Mild Thing | 13A: Dark Mild | Winnipeg Brew Bombers |
| 3rd | David Larocque | Saison | 25B: Saison | GTA Brews |
| HM | Daniel Molinski | Pumpernickleback | 30A: Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer | Winnipeg Brew Bombers |
Winning Entries
Standard American Beer (8 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Entry Name | Style | Club |
|---|
| 1st | Chad Kling | Cluster Hops Alas | 27A6: Pre-Prohibition Lager | VanBrewers |
| 2nd | Steve Shaw | Jandals | LSX5: New Zealand Pilsner | Winnipeg Brew Bombers |
| 3rd | Andrew Ford | No Frills | 1B: American Lager | GTA Brews |
International Lager (10 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Entry Name | Style | Club |
|---|
| 1st | Chad Kling | Czech It Out | 3B: Czech Premium Pale Lager | VanBrewers |
| 2nd | Eric Parker | The Bohemian | 3B: Czech Premium Pale Lager | VanBrewers |
| 3rd | Jim Cavill | Crisp Innit, Bruv | 2A: International Pale Lager | Ottawa's Homebrew Society |
German Amber Bier (11 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Entry Name | Style | Club |
|---|
| 1st | Shane Schlesinger | Mowmow | 6A: Märzen | GTA Brews |
| 2nd | Chad Kling | Blaze On | 7A: Vienna Lager | VanBrewers |
| 3rd | Carsten Weitemeyer | Kommissar Anton: Klein, Aber Oho! | 7A: Vienna Lager | GTA Brews |
Dark Lager (12 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Entry Name | Style | Club |
|---|
| 1st | Bill Riley | Pausbacken | 8B: Schwarzbier | VanBrewers |
| 2nd | Keigan Ewing | Use The Schwarz | 8B: Schwarzbier | True Grist |
| 3rd | Sean O'Donnell | Sunless Saturday | 8A: Munich Dunkel | Ottawa's Homebrew Society |
| HM | Alexandre Metras | Pour Habit | 3D: Czech Dark Lager | Ottawa Homebrew Society |
American IPA (12 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Entry Name | Style | Club |
|---|
| 1st | Brent Burgoyne | Brown Dog Double IPA | 22A: Double IPA | Island Brewers Union |
| 2nd | James Osborne | Sunset Express | 21A: American IPA | |
| 3rd | David Fournier | Hop Sammich | 22A: Double IPA | Ottawa Homebrew Society |
Specialty IPA (10 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Entry Name | Style | Club |
|---|
| 1st | Shane Schlesinger | Big Krush | 21C: Hazy IPA | GTA Brews |
| 2nd | Ben Barney | Dark And Hoppy Hour | 21B: Specialty IPA | |
| 3rd | Kyle Kellam | A Song For The Sunset | 12C: English IPA | GTA Brews |
Strong Ale & Lager (9 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Entry Name | Style | Club |
|---|
| 1st | Sean O'Donnell | A Spaniel Named Humphrey | 17D: English Barley Wine | Ottawa's Homebrew Society |
| 2nd | Keigan Ewing | Go Big And Go Home | 9A: Doppelbock | True Grist |
| 3rd | Colin Green | Tiny Baltic Fists | 9C: Baltic Porter | GTA Brews |
Pale Malty German Lager (7 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Entry Name | Style | Club |
|---|
| 1st | Nolan Skogen | Whatcha Talkin' Bout Helles | 4A: Munich Helles | Red Deer Brewers |
| 2nd | James Osborne | Helles Of A Ride | 4A: Munich Helles | |
| 3rd | Adam Bass | To Helles With It | 4A: Munich Helles | |
Pale Bitter German Bier (10 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Entry Name | Style | Club |
|---|
| 1st | Graham Ballantyne | Fōm At Hōm | 5C: German Helles Exportbier | VanBrewers |
| 2nd | Wuilmer Venegas | Near To Dortmund | 5D: German Pils | GTA Brews |
| 3rd | Rick Alaszkiewicz | Die Mench-Maschine | 5D: German Pils | Cowtown Yeast Wranglers |
| HM | Jim Cavill | Cuckolsch | 5B: Kölsch | Ottawa's Homebrew Society |
German Wheat (8 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Entry Name | Style | Club |
|---|
| 1st | Josh Davis | Dw From Arthur Was A Tyrant | 10B: Dunkels Weissbier | GTA Brews |
| 2nd | Brent Burgoyne | Brown Dog Hefe | 10A: Weissbier | Island Brewers Union |
| 3rd | Wuilmer Venegas | La Margara | 10A: Weissbier | GTA Brews |
UK & Irish Ale (12 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Entry Name | Style | Club |
|---|
| 1st | Eric Parker | Burwood Mantle | 12A: British Golden Ale | VanBrewers |
| 2nd | Israel Michaud | Legacy Code V6b | 11B: Best Bitter | Ottawa’s Homebrew Society |
| 3rd | Wesley d'Haene | The Guvnah Made Me Do It | 11A: Ordinary Bitter | Cowtown Yeast Wranglers |
| HM | Eric Parker | Midsomer Market | 11A: Ordinary Bitter | VanBrewers |
Brown British Beer (10 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Entry Name | Style | Club |
|---|
| 1st | Steve Shaw | Mild Thing | 13A: Dark Mild | Winnipeg Brew Bombers |
| 2nd | Casey Szott | Posh Domino | 13C: English Porter | Cowtown Yeast Wranglers |
| 3rd | Trevor Stevado | Billy Porter | 13C: English Porter | Ottawa's Homebrew Society |
Stout (6 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Entry Name | Style | Club |
|---|
| 1st | David Fournier | Stalking Bear | 16A: Sweet Stout | Ottawa Homebrew Society |
| 2nd | Andrew Ford | Plain Live | 16D: Foreign Extra Stout | GTA Brews |
| 3rd | Graham Ballantyne | Dark Side of the Glass | 15B: Irish Stout | VanBrewers |
American Amber, Brown & Dark (11 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Entry Name | Style | Club |
|---|
| 1st | Nolan Skogen | Amber | 19A: American Amber Ale | Red Deer Brewers |
| 2nd | Kyle Kellam | Escape Artists Never Die | 19A: American Amber Ale | GTA Brews |
| 3rd | Andrew Ford | Plain Live | 27A7: Pre-Prohibition Porter | GTA Brews |
Wild Ale (11 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Entry Name | Style | Club |
|---|
| 1st | Bria Marmoreo | Nosfuratu | 28C: Wild Specialty Beer | VanBrewers |
| 2nd | Eric Parker
Co-Brewer: Craig Flaman | Brett Pale | 28A: Brett Beer | VanBrewers |
| 3rd | Bria Marmoreo | Swamp Witch | 23F: Fruit Lambic | VanBrewers |
Fruit Beer (9 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Entry Name | Style | Club |
|---|
| 1st | Steve Shaw | Soniarita | 29B: Fruit and Spice Beer | Winnipeg Brew Bombers |
| 2nd | Keigan Ewing | Also Ran | 29A: Fruit Beer | True Grist |
| 3rd | David Fournier | Jfa Raspberry Sour | 29C: Specialty Fruit Beer | Ottawa Homebrew Society |
Spice Beer (12 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Entry Name | Style | Club |
|---|
| 1st | Daniel Molinski | Pumpernickleback | 30A: Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer | Winnipeg Brew Bombers |
| 2nd | Patrick Paugh | Beetboxer | 30A: Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer | Island Brewers Union |
| 3rd | Ben Barney | The Nutty Porter | 30A: Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer | |
Pale American Ale (11 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Entry Name | Style | Club |
|---|
| 1st | James Osborne | The Iron Road | 18A: Blonde Ale | |
| 2nd | Casey Szott | Lap Dog | 18B: American Pale Ale | Cowtown Yeast Wranglers |
| 3rd | James Ediger | One Way Or Another | 18B: American Pale Ale | Winnipeg Brew Bombers |
Specialty Beer (9 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Entry Name | Style | Club |
|---|
| 1st | Francisco Avila Menegaz | Wood In The Dark | 33A: Wood-Aged Beer | GTA Brews |
| 2nd | Albert teBraak | Granuleuse | 33B: Specialty Wood-Aged Beer | MontreAlers |
| 3rd | Miro Sep | Gdansk Gold Grodziskie | 27A5: Piwo Grodziskie | Ottawa's Homebrew Society |
Belgian Ale (10 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Entry Name | Style | Club |
|---|
| 1st | Matt McNair | Wordplay | 24A: Witbier | Cowtown Yeast Wranglers |
| 2nd | Josh Davis | Hail Mary | 26C: Belgian Tripel | GTA Brews |
| 3rd | Scott Sterling | Dubbel Up | 26B: Belgian Dubbel | True Grist |
Saison (6 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Entry Name | Style | Club |
|---|
| 1st | David Larocque | Saison | 25B: Saison | GTA Brews |
| 2nd | Shane Schlesinger | Rubber Chicken Boom! | 25B: Saison | GTA Brews |
| 3rd | Matt McNair | Holiday In Cambodia | 25B: Saison | Cowtown Yeast Wranglers |