Cold Lake brewery in national spotlight at Canada Beer Cup
Cold Lake Brewery and Distilling is celebrating national recognition after bringing home two silver medals from the Canada Beer Cup, held Nov. 10 in Quebec City. It is one of the country’s most competitive craft beer showcases.
The Cold Lake brewery earned silver in both the Specialty IPA and Fruit Beer categories for its French Bay IPA and Raspberry Wheat Ale, marking another strong showing after taking home two bronze medals in 2024.
Owner Dusty Kiziak said the wins reaffirm the work his team puts into every batch.
He said they are “ecstatic to be placed for two beers in a national competition,” and it “helps validate all our hard work and our ability to brew world class beer.”
The Canada Beer Cup is a national competition celebrating independently owned and operated breweries across Canada. It features 48 modernized style groups across 12 categories, with all proceeds supporting the Canadian Craft Brewers Association, according to the Canada Beer Cup website.
Kiziak first learned about the event online a couple of years ago, but this year he travelled to Quebec City to attend the conference and accept the awards in person.
Two silvers for two different beers
Cold Lake Brewery’s Raspberry Wheat Ale placed in the Fruit Beer category.
The raspberry ale has deep roots in Kiziak’s own backyard. “We have always grown raspberries in the garden, and it is one of our favourite berries. I have been making this beer since we started brewing and continuously perfecting it for the last six years.”
Kiziak said judges highlighted the beer’s strong raspberry aroma, light malt notes, and balanced sweet-tart flavour, calling it a refreshing and very drinkable summer option.
The French Bay IPA also stood out.
“The French Bay IPA is a tropical red IPA, very out of style for a traditional IPA. This is why we enter it into the experimental category. Massive fruit forward dry hops and a red ale backbone make this beer full of flavour, yet maintaining drinkability.”
Building on past success
Last year, the brewery took home two bronze medals from the same event.
“We won bronze for our Amarillo Ale in the amber beer category and bronze for our Rogue gene in the double IPA category. It's always nice to see your beer win any awards. The competition is very tough. We have lots of great breweries in Alberta and Canada.
Earning the awards does help with both sales and brand awareness, he says. People often come into the brewery to try the award-winning beers.
What’s brewing next
Cold Lake Brewery continues to experiment, with new seasonal and small-batch releases planned.
“We are continuously brewing new beer and off the wall small batch experimentals,” he says. There are even some new beers for the Christmas season, a porter and stout.
“We are also working on a Japanese rice lager for spring.”
Kiziak described the brewery as a family-friendly spot with two patios, including a rooftop with lake views, plus a small restaurant and full bar.
Kiziak added that there are options for everyone.
“We also have delicious mocktails and non-alcoholic options. Cold Lake Brewing will be closed for the month of January as we are doing some equipment renos in the kitchen which will allow us to expand our menu even further,” he adds.
