The Best Beers In Canada, According To The 2025 Canadian Brewing Awards

Since 2000, the Canadian Brewing Awards have judged Canadian majority-owned breweries to determine the best beers available in the country. The Canadian Brewing Awards are the oldest national beer competition in Canada.

In 2025, the Canadian Brewing Awards judged over 1,600 beers from breweries representing all provinces and two of the three territories of Canada. About 270 breweries sent beers to the competition.

“Entries were down about 10%,” say Ob Simmonds, head of innovation at the Canadian Brewing Awards, noting that many smaller breweries were struggling with cash flow in a tougher economic climate and dealing with uncertainly relating to input costs in light of tariffs. Breweries pay a fee to enter beers and incur expenses shipping beer to the judging location.

Simmonds said he was aware of the difficulties some breweries have in entering competitions. Since taking over management of the competition last year, Simmonds has embarked on a journey to change the way the competition is run, to make it so that every brewery can participate. He noted that this year, a number of breweries that historically have never entered beer competitions entered the Canadian Brewing Awards. Among those, Godspeed Brewery of Toronto, not only won several medals, it was awarded Best of Show for its Irori, a peated scotch lager.

Best Of Show

In addition to awarding gold, silver and bronze medals in 47 categories, the gold medal winners from those categories are judged against each other with the best winning Best of Show medals. For 2025, the Best of Show gold medal winner, and arguably the best beer in Canada, is Irori from Godspeed Brewery. The silver and bronze Best of Show medals were awarded to Dunkelweizen from Four Winds Beach House & Brewery (Delta, British Columbia) and Bountii from Kilter Brewing Co. (Winnipeg, Manitoba), respectively.

Brewery Of The Year

Based on the number of medals awarded to the competing breweries, the awards competition also names a Brewery of the Year. The 2025 Canadian Brewing Awards Brewery of the Year is Smithers Brewing Company of Smithers, British Columbia.

Here are the category winners of the 2025 Canadian Brewing Awards:

American & British Porter

Gold: Bellhop Porter – Abandoned Rail Brewing

Silver: Porter of Prov – Manitoulin Brewing Company

Bronze: Baltic Porter – La Brasserie Nonsuch Brewing

American Amber & Dark

Gold: no medal awarded

Silver: no medal awarded

Bronze: Cat’s Paws Amber Lager – Wild Winds Brewery

American Belgo-Style Ale

Gold: White Noise – Giants Head Brewing

Silver: Belgian IPA – Deadfall Brewing Company

Bronze: Two Pillars Pale – Two Pillars Brewery

American Blonde Ale & Pale Ale

Gold: Wedgehead Kolsch – Smugglers Trail Caskworks

Silver: Pegasus American Pale Ale – Ol’ Beautiful Brewing Company

Bronze: Gahan Vic Park – PEI Brewing Company

American Brown & Dark Ale

Gold: Salted Stout – Port Rexton Brewing Co.

Silver: Hold Me Closer, Tony Danza – Maybee Brewing

Bronze: Open Road – Troubled Monk

American West Coast & Double IPA

Gold: Juicy! Double IPA – Garrison Brewing Company

Silver: Hop Cone Syndrome – Rainhard Brewing

Bronze: West Coast IPA – Flora Hall Brewing

American Pale Lager, Pilsner & Cream Ale

Gold: Kicksled Cream Ale – NWT Brewing Co.

Silver: Bossman Lager – 70 Acre Brew Co.

Bronze: Sittler 10 Point Lager – Something In The Water

American Red Ale

Gold: Amber Ale – Poco Brothers Brewing Co.

Silver: Gahan Island Red – PEI Brewing Company

Bronze: Le sage du bois de chauffage – Novum Boreas Microbrasserie

American Sour Ale

Gold: Full Pleasure – Long Bay Brewery

Silver: Island Breeze – Concession Road Brewing Company

Bronze: Raspberry Sour – 70 Acre Brew Co.

Oceania & International Hoppy Beer

Gold: Binge Watch – Village Brewery

Silver: Odyssey – Curious Creatures Beer Corp.

Bronze: Broken Sun – Smugglers Trail Caskworks

Barley Wine & Imperial Stout

Gold: no medal awarded

Silver: no medal awarded

Bronze: Long Dark Voyage to Uranus – Sawdust City Brewing Co

Belgian Dubbel, Dark Strong & Quadruppel

Gold: Dubbel – Meuse Brewing Company Inc.

Silver: Cloister Quadrupel – Wave Maker

Bronze: Two Pillars Dark Strong – Two Pillars Brewery

Belgian Sour Beer

Gold: Spontaneous Manifesto 2023 – Blind Enthusiasm Brewing Company

Silver: Rouge des Appalaches – Frampton Brasse

Bronze: Dry Hop Series: Galaxy Saaz – Blind Enthusiasm Brewing Company

Belgian Tripel & Strong Blonde Ale

Gold: Tripel – Pie Braque Microbrasserie

Silver: Red Mosquito – Tooth and Nail Brewing Company

Bronze: Dominus Vobiscum Triple – Microbrasserie Charlevoix

Belgian-Style Witbier & Saison

Gold: Saison de la Meuse – Meuse Brewing Company

Silver: Quark, Strangeness and Charm – Pile O’ Bones Brewing

Bronze: Soccer Mom – Nickel Brook Brewing

Berliner Weisse & Gose

Gold: Flo Rida – Vaycay Brew Co

Silver: Salz und Säuer Gose – Smithers Brewing Company

Bronze: Salt Water Cowboy – Tatamagouche Brewing Co

English Bitter, Blonde & IPA

Gold: English Ordinary Bitter – Flora Hall Brewing

Silver: English Pale Ale – Train Wreck Brewing

Bronze: Tickity Boo – Twin City Brewing Company

Mixed-Culture Brett Beer

Gold: Operis – Four Winds Brewing Co

Silver: Foeder Aged Margarita Gose – Flora Hall Brewing

Bronze: Cherryoperis – Four Winds Brewing Co

British Stout

Gold: Secret Society – Tire Shack Brewing Co.

Silver: Thrift Shop Stout – Lot 10 Brewing Company

Bronze: Oats n’ Hose – Brew Revolution

Chocolate, Coffee And Pastry Dark Beer

Gold: Bountii – Kilter Brewing Co.

Silver: Mocha Crunch – Sawdust City Brewing Co

Bronze: Coffee Porter – Tire Shack Brewing Co.

English-Style Brown Ale

Gold: Bootlegger Brown Ale – Smithers Brewing Company

Silver: Vintage Brown – Kilter Brewing Co.

Bronze: Nail Bender – Kahnawake Brewing Company

International Pale Lager

Gold: Czech Pilsner – Powell Brewery

Silver: Jaro Pilsner – Land & Sea Brewing Co

Bronze: German Pilsner – Anderson Craft Ales

European Amber To Dark Lager

Gold: Big Dunc – Upper Thames Brewing Company

Silver: 11 pm – Northern Superior Brewing Co

Bronze: Vienna Lager – Gillingham Brewing Company

European Strong Lager

Gold: Yard Sale Bock – Endeavour Brewing Company Ltd.

Silver: Perpetuator – Steadfast Brewing Co

Bronze: Lazy Dog – Paris Beer Co

Experimental India Pale Ale

Gold: Blackboard Black IPA – Schoolhouse Brewery

Silver: Blue Dream Hazy IPA – Four Winds Brewing Co.

Bronze: Polar Vortex – One Great City Brewing Co

Experimental Beer

Gold: Joy Hill Blaufränkisch – Ippon

Silver: Grace – Strawberry & White Chocolate – White Stout – Banded Goose Brewing Company

Bronze: Mujo – Ippon

Fruit Beer

Gold: Imperial Pear Elderflower Love Buzz – Strathcona Beer Company

Silver: Yuzu – Godspeed Brewery

Bronze: Peach Wit – Britannia Brewing Co

German Wheat & Rye Beer

Gold: Dunkelweizen – Four Winds Beach House & Brewery

Silver: Oie Blanche – Microbrasserie Des Beaux Prés

Bronze: Hefe Weizen – Garrison Brewing Company

Gluten-Free Beer

Gold: Quick Witted – Grey Fox Brewing

Silver: Gluten Free Pale Ale – Port Rexton Brewing Co. Ltd.

Bronze: Buckwild Stout – Grey Fox Brewing

Herb And Spice Beer

Gold: Winter Ale – Mariner Brewing

Silver: Ginger and Sansho Pepper – Ippon

Bronze: no medal awarded

Historic/Regional Beer

Gold: Spruced Up Gose – Mountainview Brewing Co.

Silver: no medal awarded

Bronze: no medal awarded

Honey Beer

Gold: Queen Bee – Burnside Brewing Co

Silver: Beez Nutz – Brew Revolution

Bronze: no medal awarded

Irish Red Ale

Gold: Great Craic Irish Red – Smithers Brewing Company

Silver: Ridgewalk Red Ale – Fernie Brewing Co.

Bronze: Barn Burner – Beau’s All Natural Brewing Co.

Irish Stout

Gold: Iron Eye Nitro Stout – Blood Brothers Brewing

Silver: Patricius Irish Stout – Boxing Rock Brewing Company

Bronze: Feck Off Irish Stout – Smither Brewing Company

Juicy Pale Ale, NEIPA & IIPA

Gold: New England IPA – Black Bridge Brewery

Silver: Widowmaker – Backcountry Brewing

Bronze: Super Saturation – Cabin Brewing Company

Kolsch & Altbier

Gold: Ol’Woody Altbier – Sawdust City Brewing Co.

Silver: Kolsch – Patina Brewing

Bronze: High Country Kölsch – Mt. Begbie Brewing Company

Low Alcohol Beer

Gold: Joggeuse – Microbrasserie La Souche

Silver: Annex Radler – Annex

Bronze: Santa Fe – Microbrasserie Des Beaux Prés

Non-Alcohol Beer

Gold: N/A Raspberry Lime Kettle Sour – Better Brother Brewing Co.

Silver: Simple de même Gose sans alcool – Microbrasserie La Souche

Bronze: Everyday Player – Left Field Brewery

Other Belgian Beer

Gold: Marigold Belgian Golden Ale – Clifford Brewing Co

Silver: Room For More – Ale Architect

Bronze: no medal awarded

Hoppy Lager

Gold: Queen of Hops, Hoppy Lager – Coast Mountain Brewing

Silver: Kome Forest – Curious Creatures Beer Corp.

Bronze: no medal awarded

Other Strong Beer

Gold: Old Ale X – La Brasserie Nonsuch Brewing Co

Silver: Two Rivers Baltic Porter – Tatamagouche Brewing Co

Bronze: Salted Black Porter – Field House Brewing

Scotch Ale

Gold: Scotch Ale – Pile O’ Bones Brewing

Silver: Old Man Winter – Smithers Brewing Company

Bronze: Greenock – Saint Andrews Brewing Company

Session India Pale Ale

Gold: Minor Force – Annex

Silver: SloMo – MaBrasserie

Bronze: Wild Matters Hazy Pale Ale – R&B Brewing

Smoked Beer

Gold: Irori – Godspeed Brewery

Silver: Das Winter Projekt – Frampton Brasse

Bronze: Cote Fumée – Microbrasserie Des Beaux Prés

Wood- And Barrel-Aged Beer

Gold: Lillith Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Porter – Tatamagouche Brewing Co

Silver: Barrel Reserve #267 – Paris Beer Co

Bronze: Gahan Foeder Aged Passionfruit Blood Orange Sour – PEI Brewing Company

Wood- And Barrel-Aged Strong Beer

Gold: Foeder Aged Chocolate Stout – Flora Hall Brewing

Silver: Working Late – Espresso Stout – Trailway Brewing Company

Bronze: Kentucky Imperial Stout – Nickel Brook Brewing Co.

Creative Category

Gold: Horchata White Stout – Sawdust City Brewing Co

Silver: Margarita Monday Tart Ale – Smithers Brewing Company

Bronze: Blueberry Paczki Beer – Sons of Kent Brewing Co