Three Norfolk County craft breweries received medals at the 2021 Ontario Brewing Awards, a competition that drew 450 entries in 37 categories from 100 craft breweries across the province.

Meuse Brewing Co., Charlotteville Brewing Co. and Wishbone Brewing Co. were all sent home with hardware.

Co-owners of Meuse Brewing, Estelle van Kleef and Mischa Geven, winning gold in the Strong Belgian Ale category with their Saison de la Meuse was an exciting moment for them both.

“That was our first beer, and the one that got us excited for starting a brewery,” Geven noted. “It’s one that’s very dear to us.”

Their win comes after picking up gold and silver medals at the previous year’s competition in the Belgian Sour category with their Rouge Cuvee, also being named Best in Show.

“We are sometimes doing niche styles of beers that don’t always speak to everyone,” said Geven.

“But there’s a niche audience that enjoys that type of product. So, to have the recognition from beer judges and critics to say, ‘You’ve brewed a great beer,’ that’s definitely some validation.”

“The Saison – our flagship beer that introduces people to our brewery – is also available in the LCBO and grocery stores,” van Kleef noted. “It’s a really satisfying beer for us to win with because it’s one we can widely share with people.”

Charlotteville Brewing is a first-time OBA winner, picking up a bronze medal for its Wedgie Delight in the Amber and Brown American Beer category.

“It’s a nice little feather in our cap,” said owner and CEO Melanie Doerksen. “We’ve only been open for a few years and this is our first go, so it’s nice.”

Wishbone Brewing won two bronze medals: one in the Catharina Sour category for its Jam Band Blackberry brand and another for Carried Away in the New England IPA category. Owner Tyler Ferguson said the operation has been brewing and packaging non-stop since opening on Alice Street in late July.

“Being recognized in the brewing industry is just as important as customer recognition,” he said. “I think we’ve converted a lot of macro beer drinkers to craft. If I could do that every day, forever, that’d be amazing.”

All three brewery owners agree that winning awards helps put Norfolk on the map in terms of beer tourism, particularly from craft beer aficionados in the Greater Toronto Area.

“Nobody’s going to come down for just one brewery,” Doerksen said.

“But when they see that, in a short drive, you’ve got (several) really great breweries around, it’s worth the drive to come out and explore, and potentially come back again.”