Tri-Cities breweries win big at the 2026 BC Beer Awards

Tri-Cities breweries brought home a haul of hardware from this month's BC Beer Awards, led by Coquitlam's Mariner Brewing, which took first place in two categories at the annual provincial craft beer competition.

Winners were announced at the BC Craft Brewers Conference, held in New Westminster, where breweries from across British Columbia gathered for the industry's flagship annual event.

Double gold for Mariner Brewing

Mariner Brewing's Winter Ale won gold in the Fruit and Flavoured Beers category, topping the Spice, Herb or Vegetable sub-category against 33 entries, the largest field of any local win. The brewery's Hefeweizen added a second first-place finish, leading the Wheat Beer division of the Yeast Forward category against 12 entries.

Two gold medals in a single year is a standout result for the Coquitlam brewery, which anchors the city's side of the Tri-Cities craft beer scene. The awards are among the most competitive in the province, drawing entries from established and upstart breweries alike.

Podium finishes for Port Coquitlam and Port Moody

Port Coquitlam's PoCo Brothers Brewing Co. took third place for its PB Amber Ale in the Amber and Brown Beer sub-category of the Malt Forward field. In Port Moody, Yellow Dog Brewing earned a bronze for El Perro Cerveza Clara, its entry in the International Lager sub-category.

Yellow Dog is one of the anchors of Brewers Row, the cluster of breweries along Murray Street in Port Moody that has become one of Metro Vancouver's best-known craft beer destinations. Our Brewers Row guide covers the strip's breweries and tasting rooms.

Nearby wins for Burnaby's Dageraad

Just outside the Tri-Cities, Burnaby's Dageraad Brewing won gold for its Blonde in the Belgian Ale field, beating 26 entries, and added two silver medals: Dart Lager in the Malt Forward category's Standard American Beer sub-category, and Tour Les Jours in the Specialty and Experimental category's Low Alcohol/Session Beer division.

How the judging works

The BC Beer Awards are blind-judged by certified experts following Beer Judge Certification Program guidelines. Beers are evaluated without judges knowing which brewery produced them, and the top three entries in each style category receive awards.

The format is designed to put small breweries on equal footing with the province's biggest names: a taproom-only operation competes on the same terms as a large regional producer, and judges see only what is in the glass.

Entry counts vary widely by style. The 33-entry Spice, Herb or Vegetable field that Mariner topped was one of the deeper pools among this year's local wins, while the Wheat Beer division drew 12 entries and the Belgian Ale field 26. Only the top three beers in each sub-category take home an award.

What the categories mean

The awards divide entries by broad style families before narrowing to sub-categories. Fruit and Flavoured Beers, where Mariner's Winter Ale won, covers brews built around added ingredients such as spices, herbs and vegetables. Yeast Forward beers, where its Hefeweizen won, are defined by the character fermentation brings, from banana and clove notes in wheat beers to the fruit and spice of Belgian styles. Malt Forward entries, where PoCo Brothers' PB Amber Ale placed, let grain lead, while International Lager entries, where Yellow Dog's El Perro medalled, are judged on clean, crisp lager character.

Winning across such different families is part of what makes Mariner's double gold notable: a spiced seasonal and a classic German-style wheat beer demand very different brewing strengths.

Where to try the winners

All three Tri-Cities winners pour their medal beers at their own taprooms. Yellow Dog anchors Murray Street's Brewers Row in Port Moody, where several breweries sit within a short walk of each other and the West Coast Express station. Mariner Brewing is part of Coquitlam's own growing brewery cluster, and PoCo Brothers Brewing pours in downtown Port Coquitlam. Our Brewers Row guide has visitor details for the Murray Street strip.

Dageraad's tasting room in Burnaby, a short drive from the Tri-Cities, pours its gold-medal Blonde alongside its rotating Belgian-inspired lineup.

A strong year for the local scene

Between Mariner's double gold, PoCo Brothers' podium and Yellow Dog's bronze, three of the Tri-Cities' best-known breweries leave this year's competition with hardware. It continues a run of recognition for a local scene that has grown steadily over the past decade, from Port Moody's Brewers Row to the breweries clustered in Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam.

For drinkers, the medal lists double as a tasting guide: the Winter Ale and Hefeweizen at Mariner, PB Amber Ale at PoCo Brothers and El Perro at Yellow Dog all now carry provincial podium credentials.

The full slate of 2026 winners spans dozens of style categories, from hoppy ales to lagers, sours and experimental beers. Awards are handed out each fall as part of the BC Craft Brewers Conference.

For the Tri-Cities, the results offer a simple weekend itinerary: start with a medal-winning pint. Whether it is a Winter Ale as the weather turns, a Hefeweizen, an amber or a crisp lager, this year's provincial judges have already done the tasting notes.