Moosehead Shaker Tropical Piña Colada was named best experimental beer of the year at Saturday’s Canadian Brewing Awards, a ceremony that was moved online this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Tropical Piña Colada is one of four flavours of Moosehead Shaker launched by the brewery in March as a fresh take on beer cocktails.

Moosehead Shaker beer cocktails combine a complex mix of flavours to deliver the much-loved taste of a mixed cocktail. The Shaker line-up was created in response to the emerging interest in beer cocktails among both bartenders and consumers. The innovation has been incredibly well-received since its launch in Atlantic Canada. The company plans to introduce Moosehead Shaker nationally in the spring of 2021.

“We brewed Moosehead Shaker to push the boundaries of what’s possible in beer,” explains Karen Cousins, Director of Marketing and Innovation at Moosehead Breweries. “Over the last several years, we’ve placed a real focus on innovation across our entire company – from our Small Batch Brewery, which to date has trialed forty-two new beers since opening in 2018, to our popular Radlers which continue to launch unbeatable new flavours each season. To be recognized for this commitment is an incredible honour.”

The Saint John-based brewery also took home a Silver in the Smoked Beer category for Small Batch Rauchbier and a Bronze in the Light Lager category for Cracked Canoe.

The winning beers in all categories at the Canadian Brewing Awards are selected in a series of blind tastings by a panel of certified judges. Moosehead Shaker (which is also available in Pink Lemon Drop Martini, Cucumber Mint Mojito and Strawberry Rosé Sangria) is currently available across Atlantic Canada and Cracked Canoe is available nationally. Moosehead’s Small Batch Rauchbier was a limited release.