10/14/2026
The 2026 Alberta B**r Awards 🍻 were held this past weekend. Paula & I had the pleasure of taking the event in. The best description I have for this event is WOW !!!! (check out criteria listed at end)
Alberta has close to 170 registered breweries. They per say have a "Showdown" of the very best suds. This isn't 4 or 5 men & women who are self proclaimed b**r connoisseurs...... These judges are actually trained & certified == IF a Brewery places in the Top 3 rest assured they have created something pretty damn special & are at the Top of the industry !!!! 🔥🤩🤩 Keep all this in mind for next 2 posts 😎
The judging process for the Alberta B**r Awards relies on a highly standardized, technical framework overseen by Master-Ranked B**r Judge Certification Program (BJCP) judges. [1]
To guarantee absolute fairness, entries are evaluated through a strict double-blind tasting process across more than 30 distinct style categories. Judges know the underlying style of the category they are evaluating, but they never see labels, packaging, or brand names. [1, 2, 3]
The Scoring Framework
Entries are evaluated and scored out of a total of 50 possible points, broken down into five distinct sensory criteria: [1]
Sensory Criteria Maximum Points What Judges Look For
Flavour 20 points Balance of malt, hops, and yeast traits; adherence to style; absence of off-flavours.
Aroma 12 points Malt characteristics, hop aromatics, and fermentation byproducts.
Overall Impression 10 points High-level quality, drinkability, and how memorable the b**r is.
Mouthfeel 5 points Body, carbonation level, warmth, creaminess, and astringency.
Appearance 3 points Color, clarity, and the quality/retention of the head.
The Judging Panel & Process
🥇 The Panel: The flights are handled by panels consisting of certified BJCP judges and certified Cicerones alongside experienced local industry experts. [1]
🔄 The Elimination Rounds: B**rs are arranged anonymously in small groups called "flights". If a category has a massive number of entries, they are broken into smaller heats. The highest-scoring b**rs from those individual heats then move forward into a final round. [1]
🍻 Tasting Consensus: Judges evaluate each b**r side-by-side for 5 to 7 minutes, discuss their impressions, align their scores, and tabulate the results to name the definitive Gold, Silver, and Bronze winners
