Bishop’s University
A photo of the three winners of the CBAC prize smiling and holding a can of beer each.

Bishop’s Arches wins Bronze at the Canadian Beer Award 2024

Observing the changes and growth in the Ontario beer market at the CBAC awards, especially after spending two years in Quebec, was an enriching experience for graduate student Drew Henkel. Meeting brewers from across the country and discussing the similarities and differences between provincial regulations was eye-opening from a business management perspective. Although the conference aspect was more product and sales-oriented than he expected, it allowed him to learn about innovative products now available.  

The Bishop’s Arches team, composed of Drew Henkel, Giovanni Venditti, and Simon Desrochers, submitted three beers for the competition: Purple Ribbon, an American corn lager; Dunkel G, a German dark lager; and Pomelo IPA, a grapefruit-infused IPA. When Drew heard that they won Bronze for one of their beer submissions, he was in shock. The three or so minutes after their name was called and the trip to the stage was an emotional blur. Being one of the smaller breweries in the nation and being recognized is a great honour. The award cements the importance of the brewing program at Bishop’s and hopefully drives further industry partner interest in collaborating with them.  

Networking is incredibly important in the brewing community, with frequent collaborations and cooperative resource pooling. At Drew’s career stage, networking is paramount as he will soon be looking for career opportunities. Despite the challenges of interprovincial travel, Drew met and admired the work of many brewers. The support from the school for entering competitions brings pride and prestige to the program, and Drew is honoured to participate. His next steps involve refining and implementing a few core products to launch to the local market off-campus. He is keen to explore new flavors, including using traditional sake-making methods for novel beer flavors and incorporating traditional fruit flavorings used in chicha for fruit-forward lagers. 

Participating in this competition was a positive experience for Drew, especially as a first-time participant medaling in the competition. He was very pleased that no faults were found in their beers by the judges, highlighting the effectiveness of their procedures in conserving their product from the brewery to the consumer. The awards and judging portion of the event was also a highlight for Drew, as professional feedback on recipes is rare. He felt confident after reading the tasting feedback that Bishop’s Brewing program helps students produce top-notch beers that can compete in the national marketplace. 

Based on the results, Drew plans to increase the number of submissions for future competitions, tweaking some previously submitted beers and adding new recipes like Aura, the beer made for the eclipse. He will use the feedback received on Purple Ribbon to refine the product further.  

Participating in beer competitions is a confirmatory feeling for Drew, helping him overcome his insecurities while showcasing that the Bishop’s Arches Brewery is on the same level as established brewhouses. The communal pride in achieving a medal bolsters their program offerings for other Bishop’s students. He hopes, in the near future, that Quebec could have a provincial competition award which would be valuable for the provincial market! 

The team’s attendance to the conference was funded not only by the Research Office but also by a generous donation from Johnathan L’Heureux, owner of Domaine Nokomis in Stoke, Quebec. Johnathan’s expertise in distilling has helped them grow their own distilling program. Drew expresses a huge thank you to Johnathan for supporting this experience. 

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