Main St. Brewing is raising its glasses today after the Mount Pleasant brewery’s flagship Naked Fox IPA was singled out for a Silver Medal in the highly competitive American-Style India Pale Ale category at the 20th annual edition of the Canadian Brewing Awards this past weekend in Calgary.
The Main St. brewing team of Azlan Graves and Alex Beilby-Tipping was in attendance at the awards ceremony that was held at the Saddledome, and finished in the top three alongside Ontario’s Cameron’s Brewing, which struck gold for its ‘Jurassic’ IPA, and Nova Scotia’s Brightwood Brewery, which grabbed the Bronze for its ‘Big Lift’ IPA.
The Canadian Brewing Awards brings together Canadian majority-owned breweries of all sizes to compete in a Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) sanctioned blind tasting to determine the best beers in 58 style categories. Beers in the American-style IPA category are characterized by “intense hop bitterness, a fruity, citrus-like palate and a full, flowery aroma”.
It’s the second major accolade for the 6.8% ABV / 65 IBU ’Fox in the past year — it also scored a silver medal in the American Style IPA category at the 2021 World Beer Awards, with Main St.’s Kingpin Pale Ale claiming the bronze. It comes just prior to the Mount Pleasant brewery’s eighth anniversary later this month and the official launch of a new look for all its flagship beers.
“We’re extremely honoured to see the ’Fox singled out in a very popular style category with plenty of competition from amazing breweries around the country,” says Main St. Co-Owner Nigel Pike. “It’s a true testament to the job that Azlan and Alex and our brewing team are doing, and we share this award with all the Naked Fox fans around BC and the bars and restaurants that pour our pints.”
Naked Fox gets its name as a nod to the Fox Cabaret, a local Mount Pleasant landmark for live music and entertainment that previously had a mentioned-only-in-whispers past life as an adult theatre. It’s been one of the flagship Main St. brews since its debut in 2016 but has continued to evolve over the years from the original recipe crafted by former head brewer Jack Bensley, now brewmaster at Farm Country Brewing in Langley.
“Each brewer at Main St. has had a hand in honing Naked Fox into what it is now,” says current Main St. head brewer Azlan Graves. “What started as a showcase of southern-hemisphere hops has since shifted and now uses hops like Talus, Ekuanot incognito and Pahto, which adds a bit of new-school ‘dank’ and elevates it to a whole new level. What really holds it together, though, is showcasing the Cascade hop in all its glory — a classic varietal that really shines through in every sip.”
