KPU brewing alumni and instructors at the BC Beer Awards ceremony. (Front row, left to right: KPU brewing alumni Evan Belsky, Paul Virtue and Ethan Burge. Back row, left to right: brewing instructors Gonzalo Marquez, Michael Miller, Dominic Bernard and Olga Mikova; and Brett Favaro, Dean, Faculty of Science.)
Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) students brewed success at the 2025 BC Beer Awards.
Competing against professional brewers from across the province, KPU students earned a second-place prize in the Belgian Strong Ale category at the annual competition, held Oct. 17 in New Westminster, B.C.
"We're incredibly proud of this recognition. This beer highlights the innovation our students and instructors bring to the craft beer industry, and it's an honour to see that celebrated by the professional craft beer community," says Dominic Bernard, a brewing instructor.
The winning brew, Dubbel Date, is a Belgian Dubbel enriched with Medjool date syrup, offering a harmonious blend of rich malt flavours and subtle hints of caramel. It was crafted by Paul Virtue, a recent graduate of KPU's Brewing and Brewery Operations diploma program, as part of his capstone project.
"I was drawn to craft beer by a deep desire to learn," says Virtue, who now works at Locality Brewing in Langley, B.C. "I wanted to understand how all the exceptional craft beers I'd enjoyed were created. Studying at KPU allowed me to dive headfirst into the welcoming and collaborative craft beer community.
"I'm very proud of this award, and I couldn't have achieved it without the support of my classmates, instructors and this inspiring community, along with the wealth of knowledge and ideas we've shared."
Dubbel Date was among seven KPU brews entered in this year's competition. Other entries include 50/50 Hefe Hefeweizen, New Zealand Pilsner, Gose, Summer Breeze Belgian Witbier, Dark Mild and Alan's Ale.
The BC Beer Awards are held annually to celebrate and recognize excellence in B.C.'s craft beer industry. KPU has received nine medals for its award-winning brews since 2017, and was named Brewery of the Year in 2019.
This year's competition received 883 entries from breweries across B.C., with a total of 90 awards handed out in 30 beer style categories.
KPU's Diploma in Brewing and Brewery Operations is a two-year program in which students learn the science, production and business of brewing craft beer. Scholarships and awards are available to eligible students, including the John Mitchell Legacy Endowed Scholarship, created in honour of the pioneer behind Canada's craft beer industry.
To celebrate Mitchell's legacy, Spinnakers Brew Pub in Victoria, B.C. has teamed up with London-based Fuller's Griffin Brewery to create the John Mitchell Signature Collaboration beer. The beer is available for purchase at Spinnakers Brew Pub and in select liquor stores in B.C., with proceeds going towards the John Mitchell Legacy Endowed Scholarship.
