The new award was created by the Edmonton Homebrewers Guild as a way to recognize Canadian homebrewers who create exceptional beer. Medal winners at registered homebrew competitions are given 3 points for each gold medal win, 2 points for each silver, and 1 point for each bronze, with the Top 50 point scorers listed on the Canadian Brewer of the Year website, and the highest scorer awarded the Alexandra Cup.

Duperron soundly defeated all competition, achieving 72 points in the past year, with Mark Whitehead of Lethbridge, AB coming in second with 48 points. And Duperron’s success also helped the Edmonton Homebrewers Guild attain the top spot in the homebrew club competition with a total of 188 points, beating second place finishers Ale and Lager Enthusiasts of Saskatchewan with 139 points.

CANADIAN AMATEUR BREWERS ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCES RAY DANIELS AS GUEST SPEAKER FOR GREAT CANADIAN HOMEBREW CONFERENCE 2010

GCHC 2010 will offer homebrewers and beer aficionados an educational forum on making lagers and other brewing topics

The Canadian Amateur Brewers Association (CABA) is pleased to announce that this year’s Great Canadian Homebrew Conference (GCHC) will feature guest speaker Ray Daniels, an internationally-respected beer judge and author.

As the author of Designing Great Beers: The Ultimate Guide to Brewing Classic Beer Styles (Brewers Publications, 1998), Daniels is an accomplished brewer who has won more than 100 awards in his more than 20 years of brewing experience. His Designing Great Beers book is considered by many homebrewers to be one of the most important books in their libraries because of its no-nonsense way of helping them learn to develop their own beer recipes.

“Attendees at this year’s conference will be in for a treat. Ray Daniels’ Designing Great Beers book is a solid reference for homebrewers designing their own recipes. Ray will be talking about brewing techniques and styles, and it should be a great talk,” said Kurt Seelenmayer, Committee Chair for the Great Canadian Homebrew Conference and a CABA Board Member. “Beginner and veteran homebrewers should learn a lot from Ray at the GCHC.”

“I’m looking forward to speaking at the Great Canadian Homebrew Conference and discussing brewing topics with CABA’s membership,” said Ray Daniels, Director of the Cicerone Certification Program, President of the Craft Beer Institute, and author, editor and publisher of more than a dozen books on brewing and beer.

Daniels also plans to host a sitting of the Cicerone Exam on June 13. The Cicerone Exam is a professional beer certification for those who sell and serve beer. It was developed to be the equivalent of the sommelier certification programs that exist for those who sell and serve wine. More information about the Cicerone Certification Program is available at http://www.cicerone.org.

The Great Canadian Homebrew Conference will be held at The Rhino Bar & Grill in Toronto. The theme of this year’s conference will focus on the often misunderstood art of brewing lagers. Dubbed “Lagers: More than meets the lawnmower,” speakers will explore the brewing techniques and challenges of brewing lagers, which require greater temperature control and the use of different strains of yeast than ales.

Homebrewers are often concerned over brewing lagers, but the 2010 Great Canadian Homebrew Conference will attempt to put their fears to rest.

“Most homebrewers make ales and don’t do lagers because they think there’s a lot of extra work involved, but the truth is lagers aren’t that much more difficult. They need a different strain of yeast, and there’s more temperature control involved, but if you can brew an ale, you can brew a lager,” Seelenmayer said.

“Lagers are often seen as being little more than lawnmower beers,” said Kevin Tighe, President of CABA. “While there’s nothing wrong with lawnmower beers on a hot, summer day, this year’s Great Canadian Homebrew Conference will show attendees that there’s a lot more to lagers. There are a lot of interesting ones, including bocks, dopplebocks, dunkels, schwartzbiers and marzens, among others.”

The Great Canadian Homebrew Conference is an annual CABA event that offers members and guests the opportunity to learn from and speak with brewers at all levels of expertise and experience. The conference is a great place for anyone interested in beer and brewing to learn about the processes, techniques and styles found in today’s craft beer world.

The event will be held on June 12, 2010 at The Rhino Bar & Grill, 1249 Queen St. West, Toronto. Tickets will be available soon via the CABA website.

About CABA
The Canadian Amateur Brewers Association (CABA) is a federally incorporated non-profit organization, dedicated to the promotion of homebrewing and the education of homebrewers through educational seminars, workshops and publications.

ABC is a qualifying event for the Canadian Brewer of the Year award, and is the only Canadian competition selected as one of 14 North American qualifying events for the Masters Championship of Amateur Brewing.

Submissions are due by May 21, 2010. For more details, see the ABC website.

1st place: Scott Tilford
2nd place: Brian Harvey
3rd place: Steve Trickett
runner-up: John Garland

The styles of the beers submitted by the winners have not yet been announced online.

The event also served as a launch for Harvey’s Bitter, a new beer brewed using the recipe that Brian Harvey used to win the 2009 competition. It’s described as “mild in maltiness and hop aroma, this highly sessionable beer delivers on taste and character.”

Now in its 16th year, the ALES Homebrew Open is the largest and longest running competition of homebrewed beer, cider and mead in Canada. It is organized by Regina’s Ale and Lager Enthusiasts of Saskatchewan (ALES) club, and is hosted by the Bushwakker Brewpub.

Medal winners from this competition advance to the American Homebrewers Association National Homebrew Competition (June 17 to 19 in Minneapolis, MN), which is the largest competition of its kind in the world. The ALES Homebrew Open has served as the NHC Canadian Qualifier since 2004.

Prizes and medals will be awarded in 28 categories of beer, cider and mead as classified by the internationally recognized Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP). Certified judges will be evaluating entries in accordance with BJCP style guidelines and scoring systems.

HALIFAX, NS

Entrants will produce a 5 gallon/20 litre batch of this year’s chosen style – Belgian-Style Witbier – and submit it for judging & prizes. The grand prize includes a day with Garrison’s award-winning brewmaster Daniel Girard brewing a full batch of the winning recipe to be released in bottles as a limited edition seasonal, and there are also prizes from contest sponsor Noble Grape.

The registration deadline for entries is February 28th, with samples due for judging by March 15th. For more details, see the Ultimate Brew-Off website.

VANKLEEK HILL, ON

Launched this past weekend at the Cask Days festival at Volo in Toronto, Tommy Gun – which is sub-titled “CABA CABA Hey!” in honour of both the Canadian Amateur Brewers Association and The Ramones – was developed by Ed Koren & Louis DeBourbon of Beer Shack, and brewed by them along with Beau’s brewmaster Matt O’Hara, using 5 organic malts and 2 varieties of organic American hops.

Tommy Gun is available now at the brewery and at select bars and restaurants in the area.

Beau’s also has some plans for the future, including expanded distribution, and a new unique package for their flagship Lugtread Lagered Ale. More details on these plans will be announced here as they’re revealed.

TORONTO, ON

The theme of the event this year is Historical Beers: “Beers brewed in the good old days, like the 1400′s. Brewing techniques from old times will be discussed and how they influence how and why we do things today. Beers brewed with these methods will be showcased in brews made by CABA board members.”

The day will feature:

• A presentation about the new Black Creek Historic Brewery at Black Creek Pioneer Village
• Lunch  served with a special cask ale
• Presentations on Ontario Craft Brewers
• A smoked malt demonstration on the patio
• The board will discuss their historic brewed beers
• GCHC competition awards
• Homebrewer of the year award
• Door prizes and much more

Tickets are $50 for CABA members and $60 for non-members, available via the CABA website.

HALIFAX, NS

Welcome to the first annual “Garrison Ultimate Brew-Off”, an annual competition for hot-shot home-brewers across the Maritimes.

Participants will be asked to produce a 5 gallon/20litre batch of beer based on a pre-determined beer style. Each entry will receive a written review with the top four each receiving a prize. The best beer overall will be scaled up to commercial size by our Brewmaster, Daniel Girard, which the home-brewer will assist in brewing as a Garrison seasonal! This is intended to be an annual event, with a different style chosen each year.

Submission:

* Entrants must be home-brewers (non-commercial brewers) from either Nova Scotia or New Brunswick;
* Beers produced on the premises of commercial brewers are not eligible;
* Beers must be within BJCP Style Guidelines to win. The 2009 style is “STANDARD / ORDINARY BITTER”.

Beers must be:

1.) all-grain; or,
2.) extract with hops &/or malt.

* Purchased “complete kits” are not eligible. Brews must be properly documented (brewing sheet attached) & fully reproducible; Unfiltered beer is completely acceptable;
* Total of 2 litres (6 x 341ml, 4 x 500ml, etc.) submitted for review & judging purposes;
* $10 registration fee entitles all entrants to a souvenir t-shirt & two tickets to the gala event;
* Registration deadline is April 30, 2009. Samples must be received by Tuesday, May 19, 2009.

Review, Judging and Awards Reception:

* All entries will receive a written evaluation (including suggestions if applicable) by our award-winning Brewmaster, Daniel Girard.
* The top four (4) entries will be selected by Daniel Girard for final judging by BJCP certified judges;
* Awards will be handed out at a reception on Thursday May 28, 2009 at Garrison Brewery (1149 Marginal Road) and finalists are asked to bring a quantity of their brew for attendees to sample.

Prizes:

* The Gold Medal winner will be invited to join Daniel in brewing a full-sized batch of their recipe for packaging & release as a limited edition seasonal. They will also receive two flats (48 bottles) of the finished beer, a $75 Noble Grape gift certificate & be presented with a trophy that will remain on display at the brewery;
* Prizes will also be given out for Silver, Bronze & Honourable Mention, including gift certificates from Noble Grape.

Good Luck & Drink Independently!

** Garrison retains the right to name & brew the finished product without royalty, compensation or limitation.

[via: Great Canadian Pubs & Beer]

Not only is this the largest homebrewing competition in Canada, but it is the only way for Canadians to advance to the AHA National Homebrewers Competition, which is the largest homebrew competition in the world (5600+ entries last year). The competition is sanctioned by the American Homebrewers Association and Beer Judge Certification Program. Judging is conducted by certified BJCP judges in accordance with BJCP competition guidelines.

The competition is open to all 28 BJCP categories of homebrewed beer, mead and cider. Medals and prizes are awarded to Gold, Silver and Bronze winners in each category. Major prize packages are awarded to Best of Show, Homebrewer of the Year, Cider Maker of the Year, and Mead Maker of the Year. Don’t forget about Club of the Year; the winner earns the right to claim best in Canada for the next 12 months!

Full competition details, information, rules, sponsor list and online registration will all be available on the ALES website in February. To receive notification when details are posted, or for more information, contact competition@alesclub.com.