Picaroons takes top brewery award

Fredericton-based microbrewery Picaroons was named the Brewery of the Year at the Canadian Brewing Awards in Toronto on Sunday.

The brewery also won gold medals for its Timber Hog Stout and Best Bitter beers.

Sean Dunbar, the owner of Picaroons, said he is still trying to figure out what the win will mean to his business, but he said the company will likely expand.

"We have a responsibility to step up and run with that and show the rest of Canada a bit of what we can do out here, so we'll have to find a way to step up," Dunbar said.

Picaroons won five awards, including the title of Canadian brewery of the year.

Dunbar said the award for Best Bitter was sentimental.

"Best bitter is our best seller in New Brunswick year-round," he said.

"It's always been our key beer and it's really nice to win an award for that beer because it is the epitome of British-style ale."

Picaroons has been extremely successful in recent years and at one point, the microbrewery was facing a beer shortage.

In 2010, Dunbar said Picaroons was having a difficult time keeping up with the demand for its product.

The microbrewery had to cut back on eight of its 11 brands that summer.

Dunbar said more than 80 breweries from across the country took part in the Canadian Brewing Awards competition.

Moncton's Pump House won silver for its Fire Chief Red Ale and bronze for its Thai Wheat Scotch Ale.

And, Saint John's Moosehead Breweries won gold for its lager and silver medals for Moose Light and Moosehead Pale Ale.