Canada’s Most Awarded Breweries and Craft Producers: The 2025 National Ranking of the CBA & Canada Beer Cup Results

By: YYCTOURS Team

Published: November 10, 2025

Welcome to the annual Canadian craft beer analysis, proudly presented by YYCTOURS.

It’s our favourite yearly tradition: the time we crunch the numbers, tally up the medals, and reveal Canada’s most awarded breweries and craft beverage producers from coast to coast! And yes, that includes cider which competes alongside beer in national competitions, and has earned a growing number of medals.

As a beer education and tour company, we know the importance of celebrating the excellence found in the Canadian brewing community. This year’s results prove that top-tier quality isn't confined to major cities; it’s thriving in every corner of the country. Overall, the Western and Central provinces dominated the podium, with British Columbia (93), Alberta (48), Ontario (55), and Quebec (45) collectively securing over 79% of the national medal count. Intriguingly, many of these medal counts came from breweries located outside the major metropolitan areas of these provinces.

This comprehensive 2025 national ranking is based on results from Canada’s two premier competitions: the Canadian Brewing Awards (CBA), held in June, and the Canada Beer Cup (CBC), whose winners were announced tonight in Quebec City. Together, these events spotlight thousands of beers across dozens of styles from hundreds of Craft Producers, along with dedicated categories for cider and low/non-alcoholic entries.

The Canada Beer Cup, organized by the Canadian Craft Brewers Association (CCBA), continues to grow in prestige. While technically open to all qualified breweries, its tiered pricing favours CCBA members but all proceeds support national advocacy efforts. Meanwhile, the Canadian Brewing Awards (CBA) marked their final national competition this year before ceasing operations, making this year’s results a historic final snapshot.

Join YYCTOURS, creators of thebeerquestgame.com, as we break down the numbers, highlight standout provincial performances, and celebrate the dedicated brewers who continue to raise the bar for Canadian craft beer.

Note: This analysis includes only results from the Canada Beer Cup and Canadian Brewing Awards. While not every brewery enters these competitions, this list offers a wide-reaching and definitive snapshot of excellence across the country.

Methodology

The 2025 national ranking was determined using a straightforward, consistent approach:

• Competitions Included: Canadian Brewing Awards (CBA) and Canada Beer Cup (CBC) only.

• Medal Count: Each award (Gold, Silver, Bronze) earned by a brewery or producer was tallied individually. Best of Show (BOS) medals were counted in addition to style medals.

• Duplicate Wins: If a single beer won multiple awards in both competitions, each medal was counted separately for total recognition.

• Cider Inclusion: Cider producers were included alongside breweries, acknowledging their national significance and increasing medal count.

• Provincial Analysis: Medals were aggregated by province to highlight regional performance and trends.

This methodology ensures a consistent comparison across all producers, while clearly distinguishing between individual beer achievements and overall brewery success.

About the Competitions: The End of an Era

The 2025 national results mark a historic transition in the Canadian brewing landscape. Following the completion of this year's judging, the Canadian Brewing Awards (CBA) announced its retirement due to industry pressures and limited resources, leaving the Canada Beer Cup (CBC) as the nation's sole major competition. This article analyzes the final year where dual national results could be compared.

The Canadian Brewing Awards (CBA)

The CBA was Canada's oldest national competition, focused on technical fidelity and commercial style guidelines for over two decades.

Established Focus: Historically, judges evaluated entries based on the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) style guidelines.

Legacy: The CBA ran for over two decades, starting in 2000. It was a catalyst for growth, helping to drive innovation and quality across the emerging national craft beer scene. It primarily rewarded technical mastery and brewing precision in established, classic, and commercially popular styles.

Final 2025 BOS Award: Irori (Smoked Beer) from Godspeed Brewery.

The Canada Beer Cup (CBC)

The CBC is the industry-led competition now positioned as the definitive national benchmark.

Established Focus: The CBC uses its own modified set of style categories which are designed to reflect modern global trends and domestic innovations. This style-forward approach contrasts with the CBA's use of the older BJCP standard, allowing the CBC to better recognize specialty, trending styles and Canadian-specific beers.

Key Role: The CBC is now the only national platform recognizing excellence across the country. 

2025 BOS Award: Flacatoune (Belgian Ale) from MicroBrasserie Charlevoix.

Industry Insights: Analyzing the National Competition Split

With two major national competitions releasing results for 2025, and having analyzed the data from our previous articles in 2023 and 2024, the industry's focus areas become clear. The data from both competitions defines a crucial split in what certified judges at each competition currently consider "excellence."

Two Visions of Mastery: The BOS Divergence

The most telling insight comes from the Best of Show (BOS) podiums, which show the competitions had fundamentally different philosophies on the year's top beer:

The CBA picked judges favoured technical perfection in classic, highly controlled styles, awarding its top prizes to Smoked Beers, German Wheat Beer, and Chocolate/Pastry Dark Beer. The CBC selected judges championed artistry and complexity, elevating Belgian and French Ales, Mixed Fermentation, and Experimental / Historical Beer to the highest honours.

This split seems to show that the CBC Best In Show is the contest to enter for artisanal, yeast-driven, and specialized brewing, while the CBA  BOS picks widely-consumed styles. Looking at the three-year trend, the CBC's consistent preference for complex, foundation styles (like Belgian Ales and Witbier) supports a significant market shift toward rediscovering the depth and diversity of beer's origins. With the CBA now retired, this sustained focus may signal a large shift in what the Canadian industry will officially celebrate as "excellence" moving forward.

Provincial Standouts: The Regional Champions

While provinces like British Columbia and Ontario tend to dominate the overall medal count, largely due to the number of breweries, the 2025 results show that award-winning quality beer can be found in every corner of the country.

Northern Territories

Northwest Territories (NT)

The craft beverage industry in the Northwest Territories operates under unique logistical and climate challenges, making every medal win a testament to dedication and perseverance. The mere act of shipping finished beer south to the competition, or even attempting to distribute to a larger Canadian market, requires significant planning and overcomes massive transportation costs due to limited access and extreme weather.

Best Brewery in Northwest Territories 2025 : 🏅

• NWT Brewing Co. earned the region's sole medal, bringing home a CBA Gold for their Kicksled Cream Ale. This is not the first national win for this beer or brewery; it is in fact a repeat medalist, underscoring the consistent quality of their flagship brew. This sustained success is highly significant, representing the successful application of high-quality craft brewing in a challenging and remote northern market.

Atlantic Provinces

The Atlantic provinces delivered an impressive total medal count last year, but this year there were a few less medals awarded there. Perhaps most impressively, the leader in Canada Beer Cup medals this year (five) went to a Cider Company, highlighting the region's blend of established brewing excellence and strong cider production.

Newfoundland & Labrador (NL)

The Newfoundland & Labrador craft brewing scene rivals any province in the country, but it also faces significant logistical challenges given its remote location. With judging for these events often taking place in locations like Ontario or Alberta, the cost of shipping beer to enter the competitions may not be economical for many breweries. We would be interested in seeing how these provincial rankings might shift if more producers from the Rock were able to participate.

Last year it was Secret Cove Brewing Company that claimed three medals across both competitions which led them to being NL’s Best overall in 2024.

Best Brewery in Newfoundland and Labrador 2025 🏅🏅

• Port Rexton Brewing Co. Ltd. led the way by winning the only two medals awarded in the province. Their wins included a CBA Silver for a Gluten Free Pale Ale and a CBA Gold for their Salted Stout.

Prince Edward Island (PEI)

The Island's craft scene is robust, though small, often characterized by breweries that become major regional hospitality destinations. The focus is typically on highly approachable, food-friendly, and tourist-focused beers. Last year PEI Brewing Company was the only brewery to bring home any medals and it looks like they did it again.

Best Brewery in Prince Edward Island 2025 🏅🏅🏅

• PEI Brewing Company (Charlottetown) continues its run as the province's leading medalist, securing three medals from the Canadian Brewing Awards (CBA). Their haul included a Silver for Gahan Island Red,  Bronze for the Gahan Foeder Aged Passionfruit Blood Orange Sour, and a Bronze for the Gahan Vic Park and American Blonde.

Nova Scotia (NS)

Nova Scotia has become one of Canada’s most exciting craft beer regions, and its breweries continue to attract national attention at events like the Canada Beer Cup. The province combines a long brewing history in Halifax with a rapidly growing craft beer sector known for creative, locally inspired flavours and high-quality small-batch production. In 2024 it was Boxing Rock Brewing Co. that led Nova Scotia with five national nods.

• 3rd Place: 3 Medals 🏅🏅🏅

Tatamagouche Brewing Co. is a name we have seen in these recaps for quite a while. They picked up three CBA medals: Gold for their Lillith-Bourbon Barrel aged Imperial Porter with vanilla and Orange peel, Silver for Two Rivers Baltic Porter, and Bronze for a Berliner Weisse called Salt Water Cowboy.

Best Brewery in Nova Scotia 2025 🏅🏅🏅🏅

• 2nd Place: 4 Medals

Garrison Brewing Company, a veteran of the Halifax scene, secured four medals. Their wins across both competitions included a CBA Bronze for Hefe Weizen, CBA Gold for Juicy! Double IPA, and a CBC Gold for their Experimental Spruce Beer, which also took a CBC Bronze Best in Show - meaning of all the beers at the competition, judges say this is a top three in the country. Their beer is available in many provinces, so hopefully we can track this one down.

Best Cider Producer in Nova Scotia (and Canada) 2025 🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅

1st Place: 5 Medals (Most medals at the 2025 Canada Beer Cup)

• While the CBA did not have a cider category, Annapolis Cider Company of Wolfville, Nova Scotia made an exceptionally strong statement at the Canada Beer Cup, earning a remarkable five medals (one Gold, three Silver, one Bronze). This achievement makes them not only the winningest craft producer at the Cup, but one of the highest-ranked individual producers in the country, underscoring the cider quality coming out of the Annapolis Valley and bringing some attention to a market share that is largely untapped.

New Brunswick (NB)

New Brunswick has a fast-growing and geographically wide-reaching craft beer scene, featuring French microbrasseries established in the northern parts of the province and English breweries covering central and southern parts. Last year, Grimross of Fredericton led the province with two CBA awards. This year, the number of wins from Nouveau-Brunswick dropped slightly from 10 medals last year to 7 this year.

3rd Place: 1 Medal (5-way tie)🏅

• Foghorn (Rothesay) earned a CBC Gold for Tabula Rasa in the Hazy Pale Ale and Session Hazy IPA category.

• Les Brasseurs du Petit-Sault (Edmundston) secured a CBC Silver for Gose Pink Guava in the Gose category.

• Novum Boreas Microbrasserie (Saint-Quentin) won a CBA Bronze for Le sage du bois de chauffage in the American Red Ale category. 

• Trailway Brewing Company (Fredericton) earned a CBA Silver for Working Late - Espresso Stout in the Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer category which was a collaboration effort with Distillerie Fils du Roy

• Maybee Brewing (Fredericton) collected a CBC Silver for Hold Me Closer, Tony Danza

2nd place: 2 Medals (2-way tie) 🏅🏅

• Tire Shack Brewing Co. (Moncton) collected CBA Gold with Secret Society in British Stout  and CBA Bronze For Coffee Porter under Chocolate, Coffee and Pastry Dark Beer.

• Long Bay Brewery (Rothesay) won CBA Gold for American Sour Ale and CBC Bronze for Bantam, a Contemporary Pale Ale.

Best Brewery in New Brunswick 2025 🏅🏅🏅

1st Place: 3 medals

• Saint Andrews Brewing Company led the way for the province with three medals across both events. Their success is proof that even in a town (beautiful by the way) with a population of just over 2,000 people, award-winning beer can be crafted. Their wins at the Canada Beer Cup included two Silver medals: one for Cookhouse (Spice, Herb, and Vegetable Beer) and one for Companionship (Golden Ale), while they also saw Greenock (Scotch Ale) brew them up a CBA Bronze at the Canadian Brewing Awards.

Central Canada

Quebec (QC)

Historically, Québec has long been known for traditional European-style brewing with deep roots in Belgian, French, and German traditions. That legacy was on full display this year: of the 46 combined medals earned by Québec breweries at the Canadian Brewing Awards and the Canada Beer Cup, all but about three (a Hazy IPA, a Spruce-Tip Ale, and a Packaging Award) were won for non-North Americanized styles. If you caught our recap last year, you may recognize a few of these names and if you are like us, would really like to plan a trip to Quebec just to try some of these award-winning brews. In both 2023 and 2024 Frampton Brasse were the winningest brewery in Quebec on the national stage.

3rd Place: 3 Medals (4-way tie) 🏅🏅🏅

• 3 Brasseurs (Montréal) earned three medals at the Canada Beer Cup: CBC Gold for Kampot in the European Sour Ale category, CBC Silver for Myco in the Experimental and Historical Beer category, and CBC Bronze for Thermidor in the European Dark Lager category.

• Bières Ippon (Québec City)  earned three medals at the Canadian Brewing Awards: CBA Gold for Joy Hill Blaufränkisch and CBA Bronze for Mujo, both in the Experimental Beer category. They also won CBA Silver for Ginger and Sansho pepper in the Herb / Spice / Chili / Pumpkin / Rye / Field Beer category.

• Brasserie Dunham (Dunham) secured three CBC medals, including a CBC Gold for Grisette de Dunham in the Saison and Grisette category and CBC Silver medals for Saison Cerise in the Specialty Fruit Beer category and Saison Rustique, also in the Saison and Grisette category.

• Microbrasserie La Souche (Limoilou & Stoneham-et-Tewkesbury) showed a strong focus on low-alcohol beers, winning a CBA Gold for Joggeuse in the Low Alcohol Beer category, while Simple de même Gose sans alcool in the Non-Alcoholic Beer category, won both a CBC Bronze and CBA Silver.

2nd Place: 4 medals (2-way tie) 🏅🏅🏅🏅

• Frampton Brasse (Frampton) is worth looking up for its location alone. This brewery was one of last year’s top Canadian breweries when they won six medals to take honors as the top Quebec brewery. While they collected four medals this year, it should be noted that their Belgian Sour Rouge des Appalaches, which won CBA Silver this year, also won medals at each (CBA and CBC) national competition last year. Furthermore, this year’s CBC Silver-winning Nuit d'automne Belgian Strong also won a CBC Bronze there last year. Frampton also picked up a CBA Silver and a CBC Gold for their smoked beer, Das Winter Projekt. When a beer shows up back-to-back in competitions, or wins at both in the same year, it can only mean good things.

• MicroBrasserie Charlevoix (Baie-Saint-Paul) is one of the province’s most respected and influential craft breweries. Founded in 1998, the brewery built its reputation on impeccably brewed Belgian-inspired ales, expressive saisons, and rich, complex strong ales that consistently earn them top honors at national competitions. This year's honors include a CBA Bronze for Dominus Vobiscum Triple. Additionally, at the Canada Beer Cup, the brewery collected a CBC Bronze for one of our all-time favourite beers, Vache Folle Extra Special Bitter, and a CBC Gold in the Belgian and French Ale category for Flacatoune. Judges at the Canada Beer Cup also awarded Flacatoune the highly esteemed Best in Show Gold medal, making it the Best Beer in Canada for 2025.

The Best Brewery In Quebec for 2025 🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅

1st Place: 5 medals 

• Microbrasserie des Beaux Prés (Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré) is beautifully situated on the banks of the St. Lawrence River. Since 2011, it has established itself as the ideal destination to "grab a bite, a pint, and relax with friends." The pub prides itself on its unpretentious atmosphere and commitment to quality offerings, which prominently feature a rotating selection of 16 authentic beers on tap at all times, complemented by a varied menu crafted to satisfy appetites of all sizes. This year at the CBA, the team won Bronze for Cote Fumée in the Smoked Beer category, Bronze for Santa Fe in the Low Alcohol Beer category, and Silver for Oie Blanche in the German Wheat & Rye Beer category. At the Canada Beer Cup, Oie Blanche grabbed another CBC Silver in the German and American Wheat Beer category, while Beaupré also won Silver in the Kölsch category.

Ontario (ON)

Ontario remains the cornerstone of Canadian brewing, boasting the largest number of craft breweries in the country and fueling a vibrant local scene. However, despite this sheer volume, the province consistently secures only approximately 20% of the total medals awarded at major national competitions, a proportion that held steady this year. This fact highlights the intense competition within Canada's craft beer industry, where success is not simply a matter of scale.

3rd Place: 3 Medals (3-way tie) 🏅🏅🏅

• Sawdust City (Gravenhurst) earned a CBA Silver for Mocha Crunch in the Chocolate, Coffee and Pastry Dark Beer category, along with a CBA Bronze for their perhaps best titled beer in the country  Long Dark Voyage to Uranus Imperial Stout. Their CBC Gold medal for Ol'Woody Altbier in the Kölsch & Altbier category was secured at the Canada Beer Cup (CBC).

• Wellington (Guelph) (one of Canada's oldest independent craft breweries) secured a CBC Gold for their traditional County Brown Ale and a CBC Silver for Boot Lite, alongside a CBA Bronze for their Imperial Stout.

• Also representing Ottawa, Tooth and Nail Brewing showed versatility with a CBA Silver for Red Mosquito Belgian Tripel, (which has won lots of awards, including on the world stage) over the last few years) alongside CBC Bronze medals for Breezehill Rosé and their Premio Hop-Forward Lager.

2nd Place: 4 Medals 🏅🏅🏅🏅

• Collective Arts Brewing (Hamilton) cleaned up at the Canada Beer Cup, securing two CBC Silver medals: one for the expressive Jam Up The Mash Contemporary Sour Ale and another for Stranger Than Fiction UK Porter. These were complemented by two CBC Bronze medals for their clean Collective Lager and their Local Press Apple Cider.

The Best Brewery In Ontario for 2025 🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅

1st Place (For a third year in a row): 5 Medals

• Flora Hall Brewing (Ottawa) took the top spot in Ontario once again by collecting an impressive five medals across both competitions, making us wonder if a plane ticket to Ottawa would be a good present to ourselves. The brewery demonstrated a masterful command of European styles by winning two CBA Gold medals: one for their heavily awarded English Ordinary Bitter and one for the also heavily awarded barrel-aged Foeder Aged Chocolate Stout, proving their barrel program is among the best. Rounding out their performance at the CBA, they also secured a Silver for their wild-fermented Foeder Aged Margarita Gose and a Bronze for their West Coast IPA, solidifying them as one of the most versatile and awarded breweries in the province. At this evening’s Canada Beer Cup, they netted Gold for Flora Light, an American Light Lager (a challenging category).

Prairie Provinces

Manitoba (MB)

In 2023, it was newcomer Obsolète Brewing that led Manitoba and in 2024 they tied with Low Life Barrel House with three medals each. The local scene there is incredibly vibrant; in fact, Manitoba consistently represents one of the most active player bases in thebeerquestgame.com, showcasing a deep passion for local craft beer. This year, Manitoba saw 11 medals spread across a mix of established and innovative producers.

3rd Place: 1 Medal (4-way Tie) 🏅

Four breweries each earned one medal:

• Brazen Brewing Co. (Winnipeg) earned a CBC Bronze for Tepache Gold Pineapple Mexican Style Ale in the Specialty Fruit Beer category.

• Dastardly Villain (Winnipeg) secured a CBC Silver for Diabolically Decadent - Brown Ale in the American Brown Ale category.

• Heritage Farms Brewing Co. (Winkler) won a CBC Bronze for their Hired Hand Brown Ale in the Brown British Ale category.

• One Great City Brewing Co. (Winnipeg) earned a CBA Bronze for Polar Vortex in the Experimental & Specialty IPA category.

2nd Place: 2 Medals (Tied) 🏅🏅

• La Brasserie Nonsuch Brewing Co (Winnipeg) also secured two medals, winning a CBA Gold for their strong Old Ale X and a CBA Bronze for their traditional Baltic Porter.

• Wooden Gate Cider (Pilot Mound) demonstrated excellence in the specialty category, earning a CBC Gold for their barrel-aged Slow Burn and a CBC Bronze for their Orchard Queen Heritage Cider.

The Best Brewery In Manitoba For 2025 🏅🏅🏅

1st Place: 3 Medals 

• Kilter Brewing Co. (Winnipeg) is the clear provincial leader, earning a total of 3 medals. They secured a CBA Gold for Bountii in the Chocolate, Coffee and Pastry Dark Beer category, a CBA Silver for their Vintage Brown English Mild, and the prestigious CBA Best of Show Bronze for their Bountii, establishing them as the top brewery in the province this year.

Saskatchewan (SK)

Saskatchewan has firmly established itself as a national powerhouse in craft brewing. This is best exemplified by the fact that last year, the province which garnered just 13 of the available 303 national awards was still home to the Best Overall Brewery in Canada and Best Beer in Canada for 2024, with seven of those awards going to the winner and Saskatchewan’s returning champion, Pile O’ Bones Brewing (Regina). How did they do this year?

3rd Place: 1 Medal (2-way Tie) 🏅

• Black Bridge Brewery (Swift Current) earned a CBA Gold for their New England IPA, showcasing excellence in the popular hazy category.

• Skout Brewing Co. (Moosomin) secured a CBC Silver for their Lights Out Porter in the American Porter and Stout category.

2nd Place: 2 Medals 🏅🏅

• Better Brother Brewing Co. (Saskatoon) specialized in non-alcoholic offerings, securing a CBA Gold and a CBC Silver for the same beer, NA Raspberry Lime Kettle Sour, in the Non-Alcoholic Beer category.

The Best Brewery In Saskatchewan for 2025 🏅🏅🏅🏅

1st Place: 4 Medals

• Pile O' Bones Brewing (Regina) led the province once again by collecting an impressive four medals this year. Their awards included a CBC Gold for White IPA in the German and American Wheat Beer category and a CBC Bronze for their Belgian Tripel. Over at the CBA they got a CBA Gold for their traditional Scotch Ale. They also secured a CBA Silver in Belgian Witbier for their former Canada Beer Cup Best in Show beer, Quark, Strangeness and Charm.

Alberta (AB)

Alberta's craft beer scene continues its impressive trajectory. Last year, Tool Shed Brewing Company claimed the title of best overall brewery in Alberta with four CBC and one CBA award. The year before, Blindman Brewing was the most winningest brewery in Canada with eight awards, including four for the same beer: Dwarf Sour Cherry Fruited Saison. This year, the province did exceptionally well nationally, bringing home an impressive total of 48 medals across 25 producers.

3rd Place: 2 Medals (7-way Tie) 🏅🏅

• The Establishment Brewing Company (Calgary) secured a CBC Gold for Chaise Longue Low ABV Beer and a CBA Silver for Afternoon Delight Hazy Pale Ale.

• Ol' Beautiful Brewing Company (Calgary) fresh off being announced as the Alberta Brewery of the Year (six medals there) secured a CBC Gold for Pegasus - American Pale Ale and a CBA Silver for the same beer in the Contemporary Pale Ale category.

• Cold Lake Brewing & Distilling Co. (Cold Lake) secured two CBC Silver medals for RASPBERRY WHEAT ALE and FRENCH BAY IPA.

• Annex Ale Project (Calgary) focused on lighter styles, winning a CBA Gold for Force Minor Session IPA and a CBA Silver for Annex Radler.

• Sea Change Brewing Co. (Edmonton) secured a CBC Gold for Death Wave Non-Alcoholic Light Lager and a CBC Bronze for Scud - Sea Change Ultra Dry American Lager.

• Wild Winds Brewery (Calgary) secured a CBC Silver for Windflower - Belgian Blond and a CBA Bronze for Cat's Paws - Amber Lager.

• Eighty-Eight Brewing Company (Calgary) secured two CBC Silver medals for Hammer Pants Contemporary Pale Ale and Personal Best Packaging.

2nd Place: 3 Medals 🏅🏅🏅

• Cabin Brewing Company (Calgary) who won five medals at the recent Alberta Beer Awards and were named as co-Alberta Brewery of the Year, secured three medals, demonstrating versatility across European and contemporary styles. Their haul included a CBC Gold for Sunshine Rain Contemporary IPA, a CBC Silver for Luminosity German Pilsner, and a CBA Bronze for Super Saturation Juicy Pale Ale.

Best Brewery in Alberta 2025 🏅🏅🏅🏅

1st Place: 4 Medals (4-way Tie)

• Blindman Brewing (Lacombe) led the province in prestige, securing a CBC Silver Best-in Show for their returning champion Dwarf Sour Cherry Fruited Saison, a CBC Gold for the same beer, a CBC Silver for their massive Ichorous Imperial Stout, and a CBC Silver for their Perepllut Barley Wine a beer that has been heavily awarded in the past.

• Blind Enthusiasm Brewing Company (Edmonton) focused heavily on mixed-fermentation and sour styles, winning a CBA Gold for Spontaneous Manifesto 2023 (this beer also won a World Beer Cup Silver in 2025) and a CBA Bronze for Dry Hop Series: Galaxy Saaz. They were complemented by a CBC Silver for Elder Manifesto and a CBC Bronze for Fruitful Pursuits: Cherry 2023.

• 70 Acre Brew Co. (Sherwood Park) showed breadth by winning a CBA Silver for Bossman Lager and CBA Bronze for Raspberry Sour. They also secured a CBC Gold for Sour Series - Guava Lime and a CBC Silver for Belgian Wit.

• Two Pillars Brewery (Calgary) as always showed mastery of Belgian and traditional European ales, winning a CBC Gold for Two Pillars Wit, and CBC Bronze for their Two Pillars Pale. They also grabbed two CBA Bronze medals for Two Pillars Dark Strong and the Two Pillars Pale in the American Belgo-Style Ale category.

Pacific

British Columbia (BC)

British Columbia is recognized globally for its pioneering craft beer industry and competitive spirit. This year BC brought home an outstanding total of 92 medals across 57 producers, capturing just over 30% of all available national medals. While there were 6 great breweries that brought home 3 awards, there were a few that grabbed a couple extra making it a very close finish. Last year's provincial leader, Deadfall Brewing Company (Prince George), secured six national awards in 2024. Located 9 hours away from Vancouver, can they capture the title once more?

3rd Place: 4 Medals 🏅🏅🏅🏅

• Deadfall Brewing Company (Prince George) secured four national awards, with a CBC Gold for Basal Brown Ale, a CBA Silver for Belgian IPA, and two CBC Bronze medals for Circinate Kettle Sour and Aurora Session Pale Ale. Considering they only opened in 2022 and previously won the Canada Beer Cup (for Basal), you should expect to see more of Deadfall. The hard part is getting our hands on some!

2nd Place: 6 Medals 🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅

• Four Winds Brewing (Delta) dominated the style categories, securing six medals across their main brewery and beach house program. They won two CBA Gold medals, one for Dunkelweizen and one for Operis, a CBA Silver for Blue Dream Hazy IPA a CBA Bronze for Cherryoperis a prestigious CBA Best of Show Silver (for Dunkelweizen) and one CBC Bronze for Zephyr 8°.

Best Brewery in British Columbia 2025 🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅

1st Place: 8 Medals

(BEST OVERALL BREWERY IN CANADA 2025)

• Smithers Brewing Company (Smithers) dominated the national stage this year, winning a competition-high eight medals and being named the CBA Canadian Brewery of the Year. Their Gold haul included two CBA Gold medals for Bootlegger Brown Ale and Great Craic Irish Red, and a CBC Gold for Morning Star Coffee Lager. They also secured two CBA Silver medals for Salz und Säure Gose and Old Man Winter. Lastly, they collected two CBC Bronze medals for the packaging series Speciální Tmavé 14º, Výčepní Světlé 10º, Polotmavý Ležák 12º and Cucumberliner Weisse, and one CBA Bronze medal for Feck Off Irish Stout, cementing their status as the Best Overall Brewery in Canada for 2025.

TOP FIVE MOST AWARDED CANADIAN PRODUCERS NATIONALLY (CBA & CBC Combined)

This section highlights the top producers from the 2025 Canadian Brewing Awards (CBA) and the Canada Beer Cup (CBC) results, demonstrating mastery, consistency, and excellence on the national stage. The results show a clear winner and significant depth in Canadian craft production.

1. Smithers Brewing Company (Smithers, BC): 8 Medals

Smithers Brewing Company scored a combined eight national medals, earning our title of Best Overall Canadian Brewery in 2025. Their dominance was built on 5 CBA medals including the title of Canadian Brewery of the Year and 3 CBC medals, impressively, each of their medals were all for a different beer!

2. Four Winds Brewing (Delta, BC): 6 Medals

Four Winds Brewing rises to the sole second position nationally with six combined medals. They secured 4 CBA medals and one CBC, but their sixth award, the prestigious CBA Best of Show Silver for their Dunkelweizen, cemented their national standing.

3. Tied: Three Exceptional Producers with 5 Medals

The third spot on the podium is shared by three producers who each secured five national medals, showcasing the diverse strengths of Canadian craft beverage production.

Mentions

Flora Hall Brewing (Ottawa, ON) led Ontario for the third consecutive year with brews like their English Ordinary Bitter and Foeder Aged Beers returning to the national podium for consecutive years.

Annapolis Cider Company (Wolfville, NS) , made history as the most awarded producer at the Canada Beer Cup, while knocking out every brewery across the country.

Microbrasserie des Beaux Prés (Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, QC) secured five medals across traditional European styles like German Wheat, Kölsch, and Smoked Beer (rauchbier) categories, leading the medal count for Québec.

The Best Beers in Canada 2025: Full Best-in-Show Winners List

Competition	Medal	Winner (Beer Name)	Brewery	Province	Style
Canadian Brewing Awards (CBA)	Best of Show Gold	Irori	Godspeed Brewery Inc.	Ontario	Smoked Beer
Canadian Brewing Awards (CBA)	Best of Show Silver	Dunkelweizen	Four Winds Beach House & Brewery	British Columbia	German Wheat & Rye Beer
Canadian Brewing Awards (CBA)	Best of Show Bronze	Bountii	Kilter Brewing Co.	Manitoba	Chocolate, Coffee, and Pastry Dark Beer
Canada Beer Cup (CBC)	Best in Show Gold	Flacatoune	MicroBrasserie Charlevoix	Québec	Belgian and French Ale
Canada Beer Cup (CBC)	Best in Show Silver	Dwarf Sour Cherry Fruited Saison	Blindman Brewing	Alberta	Mixed Fermentation Ale
Canada Beer Cup (CBC)	Best in Show Bronze	Experimental Spruce Beer	Garrison Brewing Company	Nova Scotia	Experimental and Historical Beer

The Best Beers in Canada 2025: Full CBA and CBC Winners List

For the full 2025 Canadian Brewing Awards Results click here.

For the full 2025 Canada Beer Cup Results click here

History Makers: The Most Awarded Beers Over Last Three years

The Best in Show category usually captures the story of a single year, but the 2025 results revealed something far more exciting. Several beers with long award histories returned to the podium, creating one of the most competitive fields in recent memory.

The Unprecedented Reign of Dwarf Sour Cherry

Blindman Brewing’  Dwarf Sour Cherry Fruited Saison stands as one of the most decorated beers in Canadian competition history. Its run includes back-to-back CBA Best in Show Gold medals in 2023 and 2024, and a CBC Best in Show Silver in 2023. At the provincial level, it is a multiple Alberta Beer Awards Gold medal winner in the Mixed Fermentation category and earned Best in Show Bronze in the 2025 competition. Its ability to dominate across provincial and national judging panels is truly unmatched.

Blind Enthusiasm: Edmonton’s Internationally Awarded Powerhouse

Blind Enthusiasm Brewing, including its Monolith program, is one of Canada’s most reliable multi-medal producers. Their Spontaneous Manifesto series is one of the most awarded beers in Canada, exemplified by the Spontaneous Manifesto 2023 vintage, which secured an incredible CBA Gold, World Beer Cup Silver, and Concours International de Lyon Gold in 2025. This medal follows a Bronze World Beer Cup win for the 2022 vintage, cementing Blind Enthusiasm’s reputation as one of Canada’s most recognized breweries on the global stage.

A Consistent Canadian Classic

MicroBrasserie Charlevoix’s Flacatoune, winner of this year’s CBC Best in Show Gold, has a long history of national and international success. Flacatoune has secured multiple Gold medals, including recent wins in 2023 and another in 2018, proving its timeless quality. This sustained excellence across multiple decades and judging panels solidifies Charlevoix’s status as one of Canada’s most recognized and consistently awarded breweries.

Kilter Brewing’s Bountii: One of Canada’s Steadiest Stouts

Kilter Brewing’s Bountii has quietly built one of the strongest multi-year records in Canada’s contemporary stout category. After winning CBA Gold in 2023 and CBA Silver in 2024, the beer reached a new milestone in 2025 with a bronze best in show, a major national recognition that places it among the top beers in the country this year. While Bountii has not appeared on the World Beer Cup podium, its combination of repeated national medals and a 2025 BOS placement firmly establishes it as one of Canada’s most consistently high-performing stouts.

The Return of the Champions

Two former "Best Beer in Canada" winners added new hardware in 2025:

• Deadfall Brewing’s Basal Brown Ale, the 2023 Canada Beer Cup Champion, continues a multi-year run of national and provincial medals, earning a medal at the CBA this year.

• Pile O’ Bones Brewing’s Quark, Strangeness and Charm, the 2024 Canada Beer Cup Best in Show winner, picked up a CBA Silver in 2025.

The Two Pillars Legacy: Consistently Awarded Core Beers

Two Pillars Brewery, a small Calgary brewery that focuses on specialized Belgian-style ales, is building a quiet legacy of consistency. To go along with their 4 medal wins this year, their core Two Pillars series has repeatedly found success at the national level. The Two Pillars Wit earned a CBC Silver in 2024, while their Two Pillars Dark Strong picked up a CBA Silver in 2024 and a CBC Bronze in 2023. These consistent medal wins for their flagship beers make them one of the most decorated specialist brewers in Alberta.

Frampton Brasse: Sustained Excellence in Québec

Frampton Brasse is one of Québec’s most awarded and reliable breweries, with a track record built on the sheer dominance of two flagship beers. Their Dark Lager, Nuit d'automne, is an international champion, having been crowned "World's Best" in its category at the 2022 World Beer Awards and securing national medals across 2023, 2024, and 2025. Complementing this, their unique Flanders Red Ale, Rouge des Appalaches, maintains an incredible streak, earning multiple World Beer Awards Country Winner titles (Gold equivalent) in 2023, 2018, and 2017, alongside a recent CBA Silver in 2025. The sustained, high-level performance of these two distinct beers makes Frampton Brasse a multi-decade pillar of Canadian brewing excellence

Final Thoughts

The transition to a single national competition sets up several key questions for 2026. Will the Atlantic provinces, galvanized by this year's impressive performance from Annapolis Cider Company and Garrison Brewing Company, take home a larger share of medals? Will the judges’ preference for technical mastery in foundational, classic styles as demonstrated by the Best in Show wins for Flacatoune (Belgian Ale) and the highly decorated Dwarf Sour Cherry Fruited Saison continue to define the future of Canadian brewing excellence, or will we see the return of popular easy drinking lagers take centre stage? Finally, the extraordinary success of "off the beaten path" producers like Smithers Brewing Company and Deadfall Brewing Company demonstrates that award winning quality is thriving far from major cities. Is that a trend expected to continue challenging the traditional dominance of metropolitan producers? The 2026 results will set the definitive benchmark for the nation's craft scene.