YYCTOURS - 2023 Alberta Brewery Awards

The 2023 Alberta Brewery Awards wrapped up on October 18, and YYCTOURS shares which Calgary Breweries took home some well deserved medals and what beers you need to be on the lookout for.

2023 Alberta Brewery Awards - Brewery Tour Calgary

The Establishment

The team at The Establishment took home honours as the 2023 Alberta Brewery of the Year, an award they also won in 2021, the same year, won Canadian Brewery of the Year. On top of being named the Best Brewery in Alberta, Establishment was voted Best in Show (AKA best beer in Alberta) at this year's awards for "I Left My Wallet in El Segundo". El Segundo is a Lichtenhainer , which is a historical beer style that is sour and smoky originating from Thuringia, Germany. This version is an oak smoked sour beer with pineapple. Additionally, Establishment won gold in Low Alcohol for Chaise Longue and gold for My Best Friends Girl (which also won silver at the 2023 Canadian Brewery Awards). If there were ever a brewery you needed to visit in Calgary, this is the place. The Establishment does it all from lagers to barrel-aged and mixed culture / fermentation, and if you have not been, you are missing out on some of the best beer ever. In spring, YYCTOURS Calgary Brewery Tours which often stops here reviewed the Establishment and you can check that out here.

Stonyslope

Stonyslope, is the spot where the Calgary Brewery Tour team likes to go to when we are not out on a tour. Stonyslope (all one word) won New Alberta Brewery of the Year in 2023 and for very good reason. Having just opened in Spring 2023, Stonyslope's focus is primarily on lost and forgotten styles of beer, which is something that no other breweries that we know of are doing. From hundreds of years old Raw Ale recipes, to perhaps making North America's only Finnish Sahti, Stony Slope always has something new and fresh on tap. They have a pretty small brewery and the beers they often make are not for packaging, so you have to get them fresh of the press at their southwest location on Elbow Drive. Brewer Conrad is really into old styles and ancient brewing methods and for that reason Stonyslope is going to be a name that you will see on trophies for a long time to come. Check out our Calgary Brewery Tour review of Stonyslope to learn more.

Two Pillars

Another Calgary brewery we have on our 'must visit' list is Two Pillars, who took home several medals and a Best in Show bronze for their Belgian Blonde. YYCTOURS reviewed Two Pillars in Spring of 2023 and we knew right away how special this brewery was. With a super small batch brewhouse (perhaps the smallest in Calgary) they are pumping out some incredible Belgian style beers. At this years 2023 Alberta Brewery Awards, Two Pillars took a silver for their 'Two Pillars Wit, a German Belgian Style Wheat Beer, another silver for Two Pillars Dark Strong in the Strong Belgian category, and a gold and bronze medal in the Belgian Ale category for Belgian Blonde and Two Pillars Pale. It should also be noted that Two Pillars also took home a silver and bronze at the 2023 Canadian Brewery Awards. If you are interested in Belgian Beers, there is no where else you need to go in Calgary for the best,

Cabin

Cabin is one of the more well known breweries in town. Located in the former "Barley Belt' brewery district, which is now Manchester Industrial after Labbatt purchased the name, the team at Cabin are usually known as the masters of hazy beers. At this years Alberta Beer Awards, Cabin showed their range, diversity and skill by netting three silvers and a gold. Sunshine Rain IPA (which also won a silver at the 2023 Canadian Brewery Awards) Cloud Nectar (sour,) and their famous Super Saturation all grabbed a silver, while Luminosity won a gold in the German/Czech Style Pilsner category. Marketing form Cabin is heavy on their hazy's, but as we covered here in our review of Cabin, they also offer much more.

Eighty-Eight

Another Calgary institution are our good friends at Eighty-Eight Brewing. No Alberta Brewery Awards are complete without the team at 88 winning medals. At the 2023 Canadian Brewery Awards, Eighty-Eight took a Gold for Hammer Pants. At this years Alberta Brewery Awards, they brought home a silver for a Double Imperial Strength beer called Skeleton Crew, a bronze for Spiced Beer 'Good Morning', and a silver under sour beer for the classic 'Duotang'. Whenever we stop at Eighty-Eight for a Calgary Brewery Tour, our guests have nothing but great things to say about the beer, the staff, and the awesome Portland Street pizza and appetizers. Located in Alyth/Bonnybrook, 88 is a must visit if you are out on a walking tour in one of Calgary's several new brewery districts.

OT

UPDATE 2024- OT Brewing has closed. We are sad to see Carrie and her team go, we really enjoyed visiting their unique and comfy sports themed brewery. Please support your local brewery the best way you can , by going to the taproom and enjoying some beers.

It was great to see the awesome folks at OT win medals. The super nice people that made up the team at OT really took pride in what they did and were always happy to see YYCTOURS stop in. Crafters of one of our all time favourite beers, Ghost Runner Mango IPA (discontinued) , OT scored a bronze in the Double Imperial Strength Beer category for Hurry Hard White Chocolate Imperial Stout, a whopping 10% abv beer, along with a gold in the popular Sour category for After Sour Hour. Once located a little off Blackfoot and 42 Ave. SW. OT had a comfy and inviting taproom with lots of sports on TV and an always wide range of beers to try out.

We wish all the best to everyone form OT.

Tool Shed

If you do not know who Tool Shed is, welcome to planet earth. One of Calgary's most famous breweries won a gold for Zero Red Rage from their very popular ZERO non-alcoholic series. We actually were just up at Tool Shed a couple weeks ago and wrote this review. It should be noted that they are world-BBQ champs and if meat and beer are your thing, you might want to stop in.

Brewsters

Brewsters has been brewing award winning beer since 1991. Although they have several locations across the province, In Calgary, their spots are off the beaten path and not very close to downtown. However, that does not mean they are not popular, in fact anytime we stop in, they are packed with guests enjoying beers, food and sports. This year, Brewsters won a silver for their German/Czech style pilsner and a bronze for Oh My Quad in the Strong Belgian Ales category. See our Calgary Brewery Tour review of Brewsters here.

Born Brewing

Another Calgary brewery that our guests always rave about afterwards is Born Brewing. Having recently won Gold at the 2023 Canadian Beer Awards for Get Lucky Lager, Born cleaned up at this years Alberta Brewery Awards with a gold AND a silver in the Light Bodied Lager category for Easy Rider and Get Lucky lager, a bronze for Bow Falls NEIPA in the popular New England Haze category, a bronze for Blanca Peak , a porter aged in rum barrels, and then a nod as a Community Builder of the Year. If you have never been to Born, expect really friendly staff and great beer.

Cold Garden

These folks out the FUN in BBER. If you are saying, wait, there is no fun in beer, then you have clearly never been to Cold Garden. Located in the historic Inglewood district, Cold Garden Beverage Company (and unofficial indoor Dog Park) is another famous Calgary landmark. A silver was awarded in the Amber Ale category for Red Smashed In Buffalo Jump, and a bronze was given for Dandelion's Blonde, a beer that also won a bronze at the 2023 Canadian Brewery Awards. No visit to Inglewood is complete without stopping in to Cold Garden who we feature on our Dog Friendly Calgary Brewery Map

Ol'Beautiful

UPDATE JUNE 2024 - Ol' Beautiful Brewery had a fire and is no longer standing. Their beers are still being brewed at their larger industrial facility, but for now, there is no taproom. We hear something is in the works.

Once located right next door to Cold Garden Beverage Company was another brewery that our Calgary Brewery Tour guests always loved. The atmosphere in Ol'Beautiful was always very comfortable, the staff were great and the tacos from A1 perfect. Fingers Crossed NEIPA won the gold for New England Hazy, a category that was swept by Calgary breweries. OL'B offers a wide range of beverages and is a very popular brewery. We will miss getting there early and nestling in for a night of great people and drinks.

Trolley 5

Trolley 5 is a very busy spot located on the Red Mile (17th Ave). Owner Ernie is a Calgary legend and voice for the community restaurant association. In a unique category called 'All Alberta Malt and Hops' , Trolley took 1st overall for Pop's Pub ale. Trolley also won gold at the 2023 Canadian Brewery Awards for Turntable Lager. Although T-5 is often not included in the chat about local beer because of thir Red Mile location and sports theme, you may be interested in knowing they make some really good beer as we covered in our Calgary brewery review of Trolley 5 here.

Village

Village Brewery is another one of Calgary's more famous breweries. They consistently make award winning beer on the Provincial, National and World stage with practically every batch. Their core brew, Village Wit took a gold at the ABA's for American Style Wheat Beer. Another core beer, Village Blacksmith, won bronze under Brown Ale and their CRFT Pale took a silver in the ever -trendy Non-Alcoholic category. Village just expanded last summer and offer beer styles for every drinker. YYCTOURS Calgary Brewery Tours reviewed Village here.

Annex

Another super popular spot in Calgary. Located next door from The Establishment, Annex took a bronze for Lil Kerouac sour and a silver in the craft soda category for Saskatoon Lemonade.

Last Best

Last Best almost swept the seltzer and RTD (Ready To Drink) category with both a silver for Tom Collins and a bronze for Gin-Arita. After the awards, we ended up writing a review about Last Best and we were shocked to discover some of the things we did. You can catch that article here.

NEXT YEAR Predictions

This years Alberta Beer Awards saw several new breweries enter the scene, with many of them coming from Edmonton. YEG just underwent a massive increase in the amount of breweries opening this spring. Spots like Blind Enthusiasm, who swept an entire category, and Ale Architect, who won across several categories, are going to be coming for the big win next year which does nothing but benefit all of us lucky Alberta beer drinkers.

To see all the winners of the 2023 Alberta Brewery Awards , visit Alberta Beer Awards

Cheers,

If you are new to YYCTOURS, please do have a look around. We really enjoy sharing beer stories, beer history, Calgary brewery reviews, maps and more. We pride ourselves on being more than just brewery tours, and enjoy being able to share what we can about YYC's great craft scene.