Boundary Bay Brewery won two gold medals at the recent 2012 North American Beer Awards.

The brewery’s Ski to Sea ESB won the top prize in the Extra Special Strong Bitter category, and the Boundary Bay Tripel took the gold in the Tripel category.

The Ski to Sea ESB is brewed to commemorate the Ski to Sea race in Bellingham each May. This year is the second time the beer has been released.

In the 16 years that the Bellingham brewery has been operating, it’s accumulated more 70 awards for handcrafted beer. Out of nearly 1,300 entries in the contest, Boundary Bay was one of 11 Washington breweries who received NABA medals.

“We are honored to have been recognized with gold medals,” said Ed Bennett, the brewery’s owner, in a press release. “We work hard to create great beer and it feels good to be recognized for that level of effort.”

The North American Beer Awards are held annually in Idaho and bring together commercial breweries and microbreweries to submit beers to be evaluated in various categories.

Boundary Bay Brewery currently sells its Ski to Sea ESB in 22-ounce bottles at their Railroad Avenue location and in local grocery stores.