A brewery on Vancouver Island took home a gold medal at a prestigious international beer-tasting competition last week.
 
Winners of this year's World Beer Cup were announced on 10 May 2023.
 
Gold, silver, and bronze medals were awarded for 103 categories, and Sooke Brewing Company took home the gold medal in the "barley wine-style ale" category with its aptly named Barleywine.
 
The island brewery says Barleywine is typically a stronger ale that includes a higher alcohol content and complex flavour profile compared to other beers.
 
It's often aged for months in oak barrels before it's released, and Sooke Brewing's version in particular takes a year to brew before it ever hits the shelves.
 
"The Barleywine is a special beer as we only brew it once a year," said Sooke Brewing owner John Adair in a release Monday.
 
"After it's brewed it spends nearly a full year aging in bourbon barrels so its release is always a big moment and represents the culmination of an entire year's work. This makes it that much more special to win for this beer we are so proud of," he said.
 
Sooke Brewing is the only Vancouver Island company to win an award at the World Beer Cup, and is just one of 14 Canadian breweries to make the cut.
 
Of those 14 breweries, seven are located in B.C.
 
Nearly 2,400 breweries from 51 countries participated in this year's World Beer Awards.
 
The United States submitted the most entries, with 8,135, followed by Canada with 444, and Japan with 223.
 
A total of 272 judges from 26 different countries participated in the judging process for the competition.
 
"The World Beer Cup brings together the finest brewers and beers from around the globe and celebrates creativity, craftsmanship, and passion for great beer. Receiving a World Beer Cup award is a testament to quality and innovation, and we commend this year's winners for setting the bar higher than ever," said Chris Williams, competition director for the World Beer Cup, in a statement Wednesday.
 
Adam Chan.