The big breweries may have the money to throw away trying to convince Canadian drinkers that consuming this or that brand is a patriotic act, but Ontario's craft brewers—with names evoking heritage and local lore—enjoy greater credibility as local institutions. Likewise, the big breweries may dominate the Beer Stores shelves, but they can't come close to the province's endless selection of distinctive microbrew cream ales, amber lagers, porters, or Belgium-style wheat beers. Nor can they match the smaller brewers' reputation for quality and award-winning tradition. To celebrate the best that these smaller brewers offer, online voting has kicked off for the sixth annual Golden Tap Awards.

With most award categories divided between "within the GTA" and "the rest of Ontario," beer enthusiasts can choose the best microbreweries, best individual beer, and best bars for enjoying specialty beers. Nominees include the most well-known of the local independents, like Amsterdam, Steamwhistle, and Mill Street, as well as more obscure (or at least less available at GTA bars) microbrews like Church Key, Railway City, and County Durham. But if your favourite is missing, write-ins are welcome. In addition, the editors of The Bar Towel, the organizers of the awards, will hand out special awards for significant achievements in the Ontario craft beer industry. Online voting runs until August 9th and winners will be announced at a gala event at beerbistro (at King and Yonge) on August 23rd.

Photo by andyscamera from the Torontoist Flickr Pool.