A Parksville brewmaster won two awards at the World Beer Cup this past May.
“We won gold for the Spruce Tip Brewed IPA with locally picked Sitka spruce tips,” said David Woodward. “That was a great honour.”
He added the spruce tip addition is a bit of a signature of his.
While working as the brewmaster for Mount Arrowsmith Brewing Company in Parksville, he won gold for ‘the Sprut’, in the Experimental India Pale Ale category. He also took home bronze for a Low Pressure Porter brew in the Robust Porter category.
He said the Sprut is a newer style of IPA, dry and effervescent, with a fresh evergreen flavour from the spruce tips.
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Woodward, who has brewed professionally for 20 years, is now the brewmaster at Rusted Rake Brewing in Nanoose Bay. His submissions were chosen out of thousands of entries at the World Beer Cup.
Practice and repetition are important for anyone hoping to improve their beer brewing skills, said Woodward. He added the fundamentals are crucial and recommended people start with a pale ale, a crisp pilsner or a good stout.
“You’ve gotta have a great passion for the crafting of beer,” Woodward said.
The World Beer Cup was developed in 1996 to celebrate the art and science of brewing, according to its website. It recognizes excellence in 111 categories.
