The hops, barley and yeast concoctions of Howe Sound Brewing earned the company more awards than any other Canadian brewing company at the North American Brewers' Association competition in Idaho last weekend (June 5 to 6).
Five beers earned Howe Sound Brewing six medals, including two gold medals, three silvers and a bronze. Only five American breweries out of more than 150 who competed walked away from the two-day event with more medals.
"We have had great success with this competition in the past, having won a number of medals in 2007 and 2009", said co-owner of the brewery, Leslie Fenn. "But these six medals just awarded to Howe Sound is truly a monumental achievement for us, considering we were up against approximately150 great breweries from across North America and seven countries."
Head brewer Franco Corno said the awards indicate the brewing company is on the right track.
"I think it just shows that we can make a good clean consistent product that's both distinctive and that people like to consume."
The Howe Sound Brewing Company's Imperial Hefeweizen beer called King Heffy won two gold medals, one for its imperial class and one for its yeast-wheat component.
The classic Bavarian beer has an unfiltered banana clove base brewed with wheat as a substitute for barley.
"There's a lot going on there," Corno said. "It's milky white, kind of thick and fruity."
The bitter, citrus-smelling Devils Elbow, the malty Baldwin and Cooper Best Bitter and inky black Pothole Filler Imperial Stout each won a silver medal, while the ever-popular Garibaldi Honey Pale Ale earned a bronze.
"It's encouraging that we complete at this level. To win this many awards in one go is pretty impressive," said the head brewer.
Fenn added, "We believe that staying true to one's passion of creating a great, local, full-bodied hand-batched beer and using creativity resonates with community and microbrew lovers."
The award-winning King Heffy will be available in government liquor stores and private beer and wine stores across the province starting on June 15.
