By Stewart Grant
The beer at Broken Rail Brewing has received heaps of praise from locals and visitors alike ever since it opened back in 2020.
But now, its reputation for quality has been recognized at a provincial level as Ryan and Erin Leaman’s microbrewery received a bronze medal at the recent Ontario Brewing Awards held in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Their Bock Buster brand finished third place in Ontario in the pale malty European lager category, with Brauwerk Hoffman’s Oktoberfest Festbier taking gold and Old Flame Brewing Company’s blonde earning silver. This pale malty European lager category was one of 35 different styles in which beer judging was contested within the annual competition, which is dedicated to recognizing and celebrating excellence in craft beer within the province
The Independent spoke with brewer Ryan Leaman about the Bock Buster, which is just one of many different beers available from their brewery at 480 Glass St.
“Bock Buster is a German Helles Bock style, which is essentially a strong lager that has a malt-forward character, but well attenuated, meaning it has dry finish increasing its drinkability. The name Bock Buster is inspired by its style name but also a spinoff of the defunct Block Buster.”
Leaman says the award-winning beer is available both on tap and in cans at the brewery, but the cans are in limited supply.
“Like a majority of the beers around the brewery, I brewed something that I want rather than the typical menu you would see at a brewery focusing primarily on sales. By doing so, I can help introduce so many of the amazing styles that are out there rather than just pumping out IPAs, lagers and sours,” Leaman said.
The Ontario Brewing Awards have been around for several years, but this was the first time Broken Rail submitted an entry into the contest.
“This is my first time entering a beer into the Ontario Brewing Awards,” said Leaman. “I have had a distaste for brewing awards but at a time when craft breweries are really struggling, I thought it might be good to try and bring home some hardware to raise our profile. It's a great honour to be recognized for the beers we put out. Even the ones we've submitted that haven't won have received some very impressive scores!”
The varied list of breweries recognized across the awards’ 35 different categories shows the breadth of talent within Ontario’s craft-brewing industry.
Spark Beer, which was founded in Ottawa in 2020, was the only Ontario brewery to win gold in three different categories (Czech lager, wood beer and specialty beer). There were five other businesses that won two gold medals: Rainhard Brewery from Toronto, Gillingham Brewing Company from Bloomfield, Old Flame Brewing Company from Newmarket, Granite Brewery from Toronto and Lost Villages Brewery from Long Sault. One beer that many people will be familiar with, Steam Whistle Brewing’s pilsner, won gold in the international lager category.
The judging process is conducted in a double-blind, impartial manner by certified judges who bring extensive knowledge and experience within the craft beer industry. For more information, visit www.ontariobrewingawards.com.
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