I love it when my favourite breweries win an award; it verifies what I already know – they brew great beer. But what goes into winning an award? How does the beer get entered? How is it judged? Who's the competition? I don't know..

Enter the 2013 Golden Tap Awards. A series of Ontario-centric beer awards where voting is free and open to to the public and there are no nominees. Any brewery, brew pub or pub can win, as long as they're representing craft beer. For more information on the Golden Tap Awards and to let you know why the breweries are going to be asking for your vote on Facebook and Twitter, we talked to Cass Enright, founder of the awards.

Ottawa Beer Events: What are the Golden Tap Awards?

Cass Enright: The Golden Tap Awards are Ontario's most democratic beer awards events. Unlike many beer awards event that are judged, the GTAs are voted upon by the general public. So beer lovers in Ontario have their chance to vote on who are the best beers, breweries, brewpubs and bars in the province.

How do they differ from other beer awards?

As mentioned above, they differ primarily as they are determined by public vote rather than private judging. Anyone who likes beer can have a say in who they feel should be the winners.

In the rules it states that "There is no cost associated with nomination or winning a Golden Tap Award." can you elaborate on that?

What this means is that it is totally free to win an award. With most beer awards (like CBAs), breweries must pay an entry fee to be considered for an award. The GTAs have no costs for breweries, bars or brewpubs.

How have the awards evolved from when they first started in 2003?

Originally the awards focused on the Toronto area. A number of years ago, as the scope of The Bar Towel's audience expanded to include more of Ontario, I felt it was appropriate that the Golden Tap Awards did so as well. So now all awards are province-wide, and brewers from all across the province are invited to participate in the beer festival that coincides with our awards ceremony.

What can a fan do to help their favourite brewery or beer bar win a Golden Tap Award?

They can voice their support and get their friends to vote! I'd encourage them to post on Facebook, on Twitter or any other means the like to and show their support for their favourite breweries, beers, bars and brewpubs. All voting takes place online at www.goldentap.com. There's a vote link right at the top-left or the big image in the middle to make it easy!

Please vote for your favourite brewery, brewpub and pub (whether it's Ottawa-based or not) on the Golden Tap Awards website. You can also follow the awards on Twitter (@GoldenTapAwards) and attend the Gala Awards Event on September 18th as part of Toronto Beer Week at beerbistro in downtown Toronto.