Hermannator recognized with international gold medal; Hermann’s Dark Lager and Islander Lager win gold, silver
Victoria, BC (December 3, 2015) – The December tasting report from the Beverage Tastings Institute in Chicago, Illinois features some familiar names for British Columbians. Vancouver Island Brewery earned three medal distinctions in the Tastings.com World Beer Championships, including gold medals for Hermannator Ice Bock and Hermann’s Dark Lager, and a silver medal for Islander Lager.
General Manager Barry Fisher was candid over the announcement. “I can’t help myself,” he confessed. “I’m excited even after thirty years that globally respected judges place our brands at the top of worldwide competition.”
Fisher praised Master Brewer Ralf Pittroff and thanked the brewing team of Gordie Kingma, Patrick Lueders and Graham Cooke for their hard work.
Hermannator was given an exceptional 94-point gold medal rating, one mark short of the prestigious platinum rating. The gold in 2015 will be added to a mantle that includes recent WBC golds in 2013 and 2010. Judges at the competition called Hermannator “…complex…rich, delicious, and dangerously drinkable.”
The judging panel at the BTI awarded Hermann’s a 93-point score, noting “bright, roasted aromas of coffee, cocoa…and dark raisin toast finish.” The Tastings.com gold makes 2015 a double-win for Hermann’s; the dark lager previously won gold at the Canadian Brewing Awards in June. Hermann’s has also celebrated gold medal wins at the WBC in 2014 and 2009. The Hermann’s brand is approaching 30 years in market having first been produced in March of 1986.
Islander Lager rounded out the tasting session with a silver-medal designation. Judges scored Islander at 87 points, identifying it as a “solid, all-purpose lager.” The silver medal in 2015 matches Islander’s best achievement at the WBC; it won a silver medal in 2009. Islander enjoyed a gold medal win at the Canadian Brewing Awards earlier in the year.
The gold medals are not the first of Pittroff’s 34-year brewing career – they are not even his first gold medals this year. The awards in the December tasting report put VIB’s medal total at the WBC in 2015 to eight total: four gold medals for Sabotage India Session Ale, and Sea Dog Amber Ale, Hermann’s, and Hermannator and four silver medals for Piper’s Pale Ale, Beachcomber Summer Ale, Black Betty Blackberry Saison, and Islander.
Links to Vancouver Island Brewery’s evaluations:
94 • Vancouver Island Brewery (Canada) Hermannator Eisbock. Gold Medal http://tastings.com/scout_beer.lasso?id=213158
93 • Vancouver Island Brewery (Canada) Hermann’s Dark Lager. Gold Medal http://www.tastings.com/scout_beer.lasso?id=213157
87 • Vancouver Island Brewery (Canada) Vancouver Islander Lager. Silver Medal http://tastings.com/scout_beer.lasso?id=213156
About Vancouver Island Brewery
When Vancouver Island Brewery first opened its doors, there were less than a handful of craft breweries in operation in Western Canada. Today, there are more than 100 craft breweries in operation, and B.C. breweries lead the nation in variety of styles, innovation, experimentation, and quality.
VIB operates a portfolio of brands that pioneered the craft beer market. The brewery’s signature brands, Piper’s Pale Ale and Hermann’s Dark Lager, have been brewed for 28 and 29 years respectively, with Hermann’s quickly approaching its 30th anniversary. Vancouver Island Brewery has used only the finest hand-selected ingredients to create its balanced, complex and full-bodied brews.
About Tastings.com World Beer Championships
The World Beer Championships, founded in 1994, is America’s oldest international beer competition and is open to all commercially produced beers from around the world, regardless of U.S. distribution. It is a medal-based competition that awards its medals based on the proprietary blind tasting methodology developed by the Beverage Testing Institute (BTI) and bands of the consumer accepted, 100-point quality rating scale.