LANGLEY, B.C. - Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) brewing students and graduates have won three awards at the 2026 BC Beer Awards, including a first-place finish, the university announced. The annual competition, held on October 16, drew 900 entries in 31 style categories from breweries and cideries across British Columbia.
First place in the Stout & Porter category went to Knotty Bee, a nitro milk stout brewed by recent KPU graduates Jacob Black and Brennan Mojica. The beer combines rich chocolate flavour with a subtle honeyed sweetness from malted oats, rounded out by gentle French oak vanilla.
“Knotty Bee was a beer that Jacob and I loved the process of making as much as we loved the final product,” Mojica said. Black called the win a fitting finish to his time in the program: “Winning gold for Knotty Bee feels incredibly rewarding.”
KPU also took second place in the Yeast Forward category for MacToff, a Scotch ale brewed by recent graduate Connor Thomson. Inspired by traditional Scottish ales, MacToff carries notes of caramel, brown sugar, maple syrup and backstrap molasses. A third award went to Schwarz, a core beer from the KPU Brew Lab, which placed third in the Dark Lager category. KPU entered five beers in this year’s competition, with Fruitini and Das Fest rounding out its entries.
“These awards showcase the creativity, technical skill and dedication our students bring to brewing, and demonstrate the strength of the hands-on learning experience at KPU,” said Alek Egi, KPU Brewing program chair and instructor. The results add to a long run of recognition for the program: KPU has now received 13 awards at the BC Beer Awards since 2017 and was named Brewery of the Year in 2019.
Egi also noted that the student and graduate beers earned their recognition in the same judging field as the province’s best commercial breweries, a point of pride for a teaching program. The BC Beer Awards are held each year to celebrate excellence in British Columbia’s craft beer industry, and KPU’s graduates have gone on to work in that industry across the region.
The Brewing and Brewery Operations program is based at KPU’s Langley campus, where students learn in a working brewery setting. KPU’s campuses also serve Richmond and Surrey, and its students come from across Metro Vancouver, giving Surrey beer fans a champion program close to home.
Source: Kwantlen Polytechnic University news release
