Etobicoke’s Great Lakes Brewery is no stranger to awards for their beer. Established in 1987, the company has taken honours such as Canadian Brewery of the Year (2013, 2014), Ontario Brewery of the Year (2014-16), and numerous individual awards for their beers.

This past February they teamed up Eden, Ontario based VQH Farms, owned by Jared Hevenor, Curtis Vanquaethem and Joe Vanquaethem, and took home top prize at the Great Ontario-Hopped Craft Beer Competition (GOHCBC). It’s an award that shows the quality of the brewing industry in Ontario from start to finish.

Run by the Ontario Hop Grower’s Association, the GOHCBC began in 2012. Their goal is to bring Ontario hop producers together with Ontario brewers to encourage commerce and promote the use of Ontario hops. Each year, teams enter the competition and are told what style of beer they have to produce, which ensures a level playing field.

In 2018 the competition featured 18 teams. It was held in Niagara Falls, Ontario, and the style was a Black IPA. “This was the first year that Great Lakes participated in the competition,” said Troy Burtch, Great Lakes Marketing & Communications Manager. “The only way we would do the competition was if we were able to work with VQH.”

For Great Lakes, it was their relationship with VQH that made the pairing a no brainer. They have long-standing ties to Hevenor, who experiments at the brewery with his hops. “There are a lot of great hop growers in Ontario. We have been out to VQH a couple times and were quite impressed by their operation. When they asked us to do it, we jumped at it,” said Mike Lackey, Great Lakes Brewing Operations Manager.

While it was Great Lakes’ first time in the competition, it was not for VQH who had worked with a few breweries in the past. In 2017 they had three entries, two on their own and one in collaboration with two other hop farms. That collaboration ended up placing second.

When it came time to brew the Black IPA, Lackey had an idea of what he was trying to create. “We wanted to keep the malt bill relatively simple and feature the hops.”

With the potential for black malt flavours to be very dominant, Lackey chose a de-husked CARAFA 3 malt that would allow the beer to truly feature VQH’s hops, which were Cascade and Chinook. They added a good amount of those hops at the end of the boil, which gave the beer a nice aroma and flavour.

The finished product was something that both parties were pleased with. “I thought it turned out great! We were very happy with it and happy to send it to the competition,” said Lackey.

Great Lakes was excited when they found out they won, considering it was the first time they entered the competition. However, they were perhaps more excited for VQH. “We just wanted to make a good beer and feature their hops. When you are using someone else’s product you are showcasing their efforts. It was a good feeling to be part of the collaboration,” said Lackey.

As for VQH, the award was a sweet payoff for all of their hard work. “Naturally we were very excited when we heard we’d received first place,” said Hevenor. “We are pretty hands on with the hops and we micro manage the crop throughout the year. It tells us we must be doing something right!”

Great Lakes released the beer the day after winning the award and it sold out in just three days. While there are no plans to recreate the beer at this time, Lackey does compare it to a seasonal beer they produce: Apocalypse Later, calling it a mini version.

Still, VQH couldn’t have been happier with the partnership. “It’s always awesome to get to work with Great Lakes Brewery,” added Hevenor. “They make some incredible beers and have made a name for themselves by making some of the best hoppy beers in Ontario. It’s a big feather in our cap that such a quality-focused brewery was willing to brew with our local Ontario hops.”

Now that 2018’s competition is in the books, we’ll have to see what 2019 has in store and if Great Lakes and VQH can recreate their magic formula to top the podium again.

Cheers!

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