Brewing mastery recognized at Cup
The Kahnawake Brewing Company (KBC) is celebrating after earning a gold and two silver medals at the Canada Beer Cup this past weekend.
“This year we were lucky enough to score one gold and two silvers, which we’re very ecstatic about,” said Drew Stevens, the head brewer behind the three beers that won.
Their beer Alright! Alright! Alright! – a smooth pale ale with aromas of citrus and tropical fruit – took home gold in the session hazy/New England IPA category.
In the strong British ale category, their beer Hell’s Gate earned a silver. The limited-edition barrel-aged 11.3 percent Barleywine was aged for over two years before being released this spring to mark the brewery’s sixth anniversary.
Their beer Beast! meanwhile won a silver in the hazy pale ale/New England IPA category. The dry “hop-forward” IPA has piney aromas and tastes like ripe pineapple, according to its description.
All three date back to the brewery’s opening in 2018, the head brewer said.
“With time, we just get better and better as we try different techniques,” Stevens said. “We’re pretty happy with where they are now, and the judges also liked them as well.”
Asked which of the three he likes the most, he said it’s like asking which child is your favourite.
“Me, personally, I would probably go with an Alright! Alright! Alright!” the head brewer said. “You know, if I wanted to enjoy the evening.”
Two of the three beers that won are among the most popular at the brewery, he said. Alright! Alright! Alright! is the second most sold at their brewery, and Beast! is the third most popular.
“It's really nice to have two of our most popular beers score that high across the country,” Stevens said.
Their top seller is the Bridge, he said, a blonde ale with subtle hints of pear and melon.
“I would love to win an award for that one,” Stevens said. “It's been the recipe that I've worked on probably the most. We're constantly making sure that this one is the best it can be.”
The Canada Beer Cup was held in New Westminster, British Columbia, this year and is hosted by the Canadian Craft Brewers Association. The Kahnawake brewery wasn’t able to attend this time around, and is still eagerly awaiting their award plaques being mailed right now, Stevens said.
The brewery has taken home accolades before at the same cup.
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Last year, it won a bronze medal there for their beer Bridge Zero, a non-alcoholic version of their top seller. Two years ago, it also won two silvers – one for Hell's Gate, the same beer that won this year, and one for their beer Good Old Days, a double West Coast IPA.
