Niagara College is celebrating the success of two of its most popular student-made brews after they picked up two medals at the Ontario Brewing Awards this January.

The college’s Beer 101 Strong earned silver in the Strong British Ale category while Beer 101 Bitter got bronze in the British Bitter category at the competition’s award ceremony, held on Jan. 17 at the college’s Niagara-on-the-Lake campus.

The college’s brewmasters were one of many brewers from across Ontario taking part in the annual competition, judging for which was double-blind and impartial, conducted by a Beer Judge Certification Program-certified panel.

Made and launched back in 2013 and 2012, respectively, the two British-style ales have received several awards since they were created at the college’s teaching brewery, with this year’s awards being Beer 101 Bitter’s 19th and Beer 101 Strong’s 20th.

“Awards for our teaching brewery’s student-crafted products are a win for our students and our college,” said Steve Gill, general manager of the college’s Learning Enterprises.

“They’re also a win for Ontario’s craft beer industry, as our highly skilled graduates bring their knowledge and skills into the workforce.”

Students from all levels of the college’s brewmaster and brewery operations management program contribute to the Beer 101 series.

Several alumni from the program, now at breweries across Ontario, were among the winners at the awards on Jan. 17, including Eric Mainville, from the class of 2015, the head brewer at Brauwerk Hoffman Brewery in Rockland.

He won several awards this January, including gold and silver in the Pale Malty European Lager category, silver in the German Wheat Beer category and bronze in Monastic Ale.

“It was exciting to be a part of something in its infancy,” he said of the brewmaster program. “I was fortunate to have some amazing mentors and teachers there. Not to mention, we got real experience and established friendship in the brewing community.”

Beer 101 Bitter and Beer 101 Strong are regularly produced and available for purchase alongside student-crafted products from Niagara College’s school of wine, beer and spirits, the wine visitor and education centre on the NOTL campus and online at ncteachingwinery.ca.