Best Beer in Alberta - 2025 Alberta Beer Awards

On October 6th, the province's craft beer scene gathered in Red Deer for the 2025 Alberta Beer Awards, celebrating the province’s expanding and diverse brewing community. In September, judges sampled hundreds of beers from 28 categories to determine the top brews of the year, and this night marked the announcement of the winners. Expert judges evaluated aroma, flavour, and overall craftsmanship, resulting in 28 category winners and three standout beers earning Best in Show (gold, silver, and bronze) for their exceptional quality and creativity, officially recognized as the Best Beer in Alberta.

Last year, we covered these awards and predicted that craft beer lovers would see more non-Calgary based breweries showing up, and we think we nailed it. This year, more awards went to breweries outside of Calgary than in previous years. Of the 28 categories, only around 22% of the medals went to Calgary breweries, down from 45% last year. Edmonton and surrounding areas captured 26 medals, while other winners came from across Alberta, demonstrating the growing reach and diversity of the provincial craft beer scene.

And the Winners are:

These are the brews that won Best In Show if you want to seek them out to experience what the judges consider Alberta’s best:

Gold – Nevermore – Sea Change Brewing Co. – Wood-Aged Beer – Edmonton. 

A deep, full-bodied ale with subtle fruity notes and a smooth oak finish.

Silver – Ice Cutter Vanilla Latte Stout – Snake Lake Brewing Company – Fruit/Vegetable/Spiced Beer – Sylvan Lake. 

One of our all time favourite winter beers, creamy and flavorful, this stout blends vanilla and coffee notes with a smooth balanced finish.

Bronze – Dwarf Sour Cherry Fruited Saison – Blindman Brewing – Light Lager – Lacombe. 

Tart and refreshing, with layered cherry notes, this beer demonstrates the precision and creativity of Blindman brewers and this beer has won awards all across Canada.

Top Breweries in Alberta 2025

With more than 150 breweries across the province, competition is fierce, and while not every brewery enters these competitions (this event is only open to members of ASBA) winning multiple awards is a major achievement. This year, Ol’ Beautiful Brewing Company of Calgary led the field with six medals and were awarded a tie with Cabin brewing (5 Medals) for the BEST BREWERY IN ALBERTA. Despite losing their Inglewood taproom and small-batch facility to fire in June 2024, the brewery continues producing at their main Southeast Calgary facility. As we highlighted in our recent article on Ol’ Beautiful rising from the ashes, it must be a moral boost to take home these six medals:

Gold: Abrazo Mexican Lager – American Pale Lager

Gold: Eternal Twilight – Amber & Dark Lager

Gold: Melody – West Coast IPA

Silver: Brass Monkey Blood Orange Blonde – Fruit/Vegetable/Spiced Beer

Bronze: Seventh Sun – Amber & Dark Lager

Bronze: Raspberry Honeybush Hard Iced Tea – Seltzer and Ready-to-drink Beverages

5 Medals

Cabin Brewing Company of Calgary took five medals, including Gold for Magnetosphere, Super Saturation, and Sunshine Rain, Silver for Luminosity, and Bronze for Chapter 6.

Blindman Brewing – Lacombe also earned five medals with Silver for Dwarf Sour Cherry Fruited Saison, Perepllut Barley Wine, and 24-2 Brett Stock Ale, plus Bronze for Belgian IPA.

Annex – Calgary took five medals, including Silver for Lorem Ipsum Amber Ale, Bronze for Radler in Low-Alcohol and a sweep of Craft Sodas with Gold, Silver and Bronze for Root Beer, Saskatoon Lemonade, and Orange Soda.

4 Medals

Sea Change Brewing Co. – Edmonton with Gold Best in Show for Nevermore, Gold for House Hippo, Silver for Deathwave Light Lager, and Bronze for Going to the Meadow Oktoberfest Lager.

3 Medals

While there are some notable names on this list, we were especially excited to see our friends Eden and Jason at Burn Block Social Club take home three awards. Their tiny brewery, tucked into a cave-like basement in Inglewood, is certainly tight quarters for Jason the brewer. It just goes to show that craft beer isn’t about the brewery name, it’s all about the skill and passion of the brewers themselves.

A Shift Across Alberta

Our prediction that more medals would go to breweries outside of Calgary was correct. While Calgary still has a large number of breweries, this year the awards clearly reflect a provincial spread of talent. From Lacombe to Sylvan Lake, Vulcan, Medicine Hat, Jasper, and beyond, Alberta’s craft beer scene is thriving in every corner of the province.

Even long-standing winners like Blindman Brewing continue to impress, while newcomers and regional breweries step confidently into the spotlight. The 2025 Alberta Beer Awards show that excellence in craft beer is no longer confined to one city, it can be found throughout Alberta.

Cheers to all the winners and everyone who entered! Alberta’s craft beer scene continues to inspire and impress.

If you want to explore Alberta’s breweries in person, visit YYCTOURS for educational brewery tours, safe transport, and a chance to learn about the people and processes behind these award-winning beers.

Complete List of Winners at the 2025 Alberta Beer Awards

6 Medals

Ol’ Beautiful Brewing Company – Calgary 

Gold: Abrazo Mexican Lager – American Pale Lager 

Gold: Eternal Twilight – Amber & Dark Lager 

Gold: Melody – West Coast IPA 

Silver: Brass Monkey Blood Orange Blonde – Fruit/Vegetable/Spiced Beer 

Bronze: Seventh Sun – Amber & Dark Lager

Bronze: Raspberry Honeybush Hard Iced Tea – Seltzer and Ready-to-drink Beverages

5 Medals

Cabin Brewing Company – Calgary 

Gold: Magnetosphere – Session Hop Forward Gold: Super Saturation – IPA 

Gold: Sunshine Rain – IPA Silver: Luminosity – Pilsner 

Bronze: Chapter 6 – Wood-Aged Beer

Blindman Brewing – Lacombe 

Silver: Dwarf Sour Cherry Fruited Saison – Light Lager 

Silver: Perepllut Barley Wine – Imperial Strength Beer 

Silver: 24-2 Brett Stock Ale – All-Alberta Malt Beer 

Bronze Best in Show: Dwarf Sour Cherry Fruited Saison 

Bronze: Belgian IPA – Specialty IPA

Annex – Calgary 

Gold: Root Beer – Craft Soda and Lemonade 

Silver: Lorem Ipsum – Amber Ale 

Silver: Saskatoon Lemonade – Craft Soda and Lemonade 

Bronze: Saskatoon Lemonade – Craft Soda and Lemonade 

Bronze: Annex Radler – Low-Alcohol Beer

4 Medals

Sea Change Brewing Co. – Edmonton 

Gold Best in Show: Nevermore – Wood-Aged Beer 

Gold: Nevermore – Wood-Aged Beer 

Gold: House Hippo – Low-Alcohol Beer 

Silver: Deathwave Light Lager – Light Lager

3 Medals

Campio Brewing Co. – Edmonton 

Gold: Risky Business Sour IPA – Specialty IPA 

Bronze: Light Rail Pale Ale – Session Hop Forward Bronze: Construction Saison – Belgian & Farmhouse Ales

Folding Mountain Brewing – Yellowhead County 

Gold: Folding Mountain Lager – European Pale Lager 

Silver: Wild Mountain Hefe – German & Belgian-Style Wheat Beer 

Bronze: Jacek S’mores Milk Chocolate Stout – Porter & Stout

Polyrhythm Brewing – Edmonton 

Gold: THE LP Imperial Stout – Imperial Strength Beer 

Silver: Art Pop Oat Cream IPA – Hazy IPA 

Bronze: Backbeat Blonde Ale – Light Bodied Ale & American Wheat Ale

Burn Block Social Club – Calgary 

Gold: Godspeed Irish Extra Stout – Porter & Stout 

Bronze: Violets At Dawn Blueberry Basil Ale – Fruit/Vegetable/Spiced Beer 

Bronze: Going to the Meadow Oktoberfest Lager – All-Alberta Malt

2 Medals

Alley Kat Brewing Co. – Edmonton 

Silver: Blood Orange Wit – German & Belgian-Style Wheat Beer 

Bronze: Hazy Dragon 4.0 – Double/Imperial IPA

Banff Ave Brewing Co. – Banff 

Gold: White Wit – German & Belgian-Style Wheat Beer 

Silver: Wild Warden – Sour Beer & Sour Beer With Fruit

Blind Enthusiasm – Edmonton 

Silver: 1923 – Mixed Fermentation Beer 

Silver: Spontaneous Manifesto – Mixed Fermentation Beer

Canmore Brewing Company Ltd. – Canmore 

Gold: Georgetown Brown – Brown Ale & English Bitter 

Silver: Highline Lager – Light Lager

Cold Garden Beverage Company – Calgary 

Silver: Premium Lager – Light Lager 

Bronze: This Must Be The IPA – IPA

Cold Lake Brewing & Distilling Co. – Cold Lake 

Silver: Curb Jumper – IPA 

Bronze: Strawberry Rhubarb Lemonade – Seltzer and Ready-to-drink

Long Hop Brewing – Calgary

 Gold: Long Hop Tropical Pale Ale – Session Hop Forward 

Bronze: Dream Your Life Away – Hazy IPA

Odd Company Brewing – Edmonton 

Silver: Tio Juanito Cerveza Especial – Light Lager 

Bronze: Mirage Dark Lager – Amber & Dark Lager

Red Hart Brewing – Red Deer County 

Bronze: Black IPA – Specialty IPA 

Bronze: Sarah’s Foggy Black Tea Wit – Experimental Beer

Sawback Brewing Co. – Red Deer 

Gold: Irish Red Ale – Amber Ale 

Bronze: East Coast Style Hazy Pale Ale – IPA

Snake Lake Brewing Company – Sylvan Lake 

Gold: Ice Cutter Vanilla Latte Stout – Fruit/Vegetable/Spiced Beer 

Silver Best in Show: Ice Cutter Vanilla Latte Stout

The Establishment Brewing Company – Calgary 

Bronze: Fluffy Tufts – Double/Imperial IPA 

Bronze: Surfer Rosa – Pilsner

Tool Shed Brewery – Calgary 

Gold: Zero People Skills – Non-Alcoholic Beer 

Bronze: Zero Red Rage – Non-Alcoholic Beer

Two Pillars Brewery – Calgary 

Silver: Two Pillars Tiny Monastery – Belgian & Farmhouse Ales 

Bronze: Two Pillars Blonde – Belgian & Farmhouse Ales

1 Medal

Bent Stick – Edmonton Bronze: Hay Maker – European Pale Lager

Best of Kin – Calgary Silver: Dad Beer Lagered Ale – European Pale Lager

Bitter Sisters Brewing – Calgary Bronze: Juicy Lucy – Sour Beer & Sour Beer With Fruit

Big Rock Brewery – Calgary Silver: Pacer Hazy Pale Ale – Non-Alcoholic Beer

Born Brewing Co. – Calgary Silver: Uncompahgre Peak – Wood-Aged Beer

Brewsters Brewing Company – Multiple Locations Silver: Hammerhead Red Ale – Amber Ale

Brewsmith – Calgary Gold: Bownesian Rhapsody: Pear, Ginger & Sansho Pepper – Sour Beer & Sour Beer With Fruit

BSB Brewing – Calgary Bronze: Belgian Tripel – Imperial Strength Beer

Endeavour Brewing Company – Edmonton Gold: Endeavour 7 Birthday ISA – Low-Alcohol Beer

Hard Knox Brewery – Diamond Valley Gold: From The Patch Carrot Cake Sour – Experimental Beer

Irrational Brewing Company – Edmonton Gold: Hyperbolic 2025 – Double/Imperial IPA

Jasper Brewing Co. – Jasper Gold: Crisp Pils – Pilsner

Longroof Brewing Company Inc. – Edmonton Bronze: Lake – American Pale Lager

Marda Loop Brewing Company – Calgary Gold: Casablanca Blonde Ale – Light Bodied Ale & American Wheat Ale

Medicine Hat Brewing Company – Medicine Hat Bronze: Gentlemen’s Stout – Porter & Stout

Nine in a Line Brewing Co. – Vulcan Silver: Connemara Cream Ale – Light Bodied Ale & American Wheat Ale

Nodding Donkey Brewing – Drayton Valley Bronze: Boom Town Scottish Ale – Brown Ale & English Bitter

Oldman River Brewing – Calgary Bronze: Copper John Northern Brown Ale – Brown Ale & English Bitter

Railyard Brewing – Calgary Bronze: Ghost Pepper Hefeweizen – Experimental Beer

Stonyslope Brewing Company – Calgary Gold: Felsenmeister – All-Alberta Malt Beer

Trolley 5 – Calgary Gold: ESA Margarita – Seltzer and Ready-to-drink Beverages