This year’s Great American Beer Festival allowed beverages such as cider and ready-to-drink cocktails to be poured during the event, and cider also was permitted in its prestigious competition for the first time.
Colorado cideries made a showing by winning three medals before beer took centerstage, and local breweries once again proved why people from across the country come to drink here. In all, Colorado beverage makers collected an astonishing 41 awards, one-upping last year’s haul of 40 medals. Of those, 15 were gold.
Colorado breweries shined in a variety of categories, from traditional lagers and sour beers to barrel-aged and specialty styles.
“Colorado’s breweries continue to shine with their high-quality beers in a variety of styles. Especially noteworthy this year is that five different breweries won medals in five different German-style lager categories,” Shawnee Adelson, executive director of the Colorado Brewers Guild, said in a statement.
The biggest local winner was Westbound & Down Brewing Co., which garnered three medals: gold for its Infinity Pils in the hoppy lager category, gold for its Western Justice in the wood- and barrel-aged strong stout category and silver for its Don’t Hassle the Hef in the South-German-style Hefeweizen category.
Things got spicy when local outfitsLiquid Mechanics Brewing Co. (Aurora) and Station 26 Brewing Co. collected gold and bronze in the chili beer category, respectively. Also of note, Denver’s Bull & Bush Brewery earned gold and silver in the same category – wood- and barrel-aged beer – for two recipes aged in rum barrels.
Breweries from the Front Range to the mountains won more than one medal, including Denver Beer Co., Cannonball Creek Brewing Co., Glenwood Canyon Brewpub and River North Brewery.
Two Colorado cider makers earned accolades in the inaugural GABF competition. Aurora’s Haykin Family Cider nabbed gold in the single varietal category and Snow Capped Cider in Austin, on the Western Slope, collected gold and silver in the no/low-tannin cider category.
See the full list of award-winning local beers below. You can find all the competition results at greatamericanbeerfestival.com.
Gold
American-Belgo-style Ale – Silver Medal Worthy, Launch Pad Brewery, Aurora
Chili Beer – El Poblano Borracho, Liquid Mechanics Brewing Co., Lafayette
Coffee Beer – Squirrels Just Want To Have Fun, River North Brewery, Denver
Dortmunder or German-style Oktoberfest – Festbier, Glenwood Canyon Brewpub, Glenwood Springs
Field Beer – Fennel Rye Ale, Denver Beer Co., Denver
Gluten-Free Beer – Fat Randy, Holidaily Brewing Co., Golden
Hoppy Lager – Infinity Pils, Westbound & Down Brewing Co., Lafayette
Irish-style Red Ale – Coppermind, Denver Beer Co., Denver
New Zealand-style India Pale Ale – More Than A Zealand, Cannonball Creek Brewing Co., Golden
No/Low-Tannin Cider – The Russets, Snow Capped Cider, Austin
Single Varietal Cider – Mountain Rose, Haykin Family Cider, Aurora
Smoke Beer – Smoke and Embers, New Belgium Brewing Co., Fort Collins
Strong Red Ale – Wreak Havoc, Bootstrap Brewing, Longmont
Wood- and Barrel-Aged Beer – Ghoul Fuel – Rum Diaries Edition, Bull & Bush Brewery, Denver
Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Stout – Western Justice, Westbound & Down Brewing Co., Idaho Springs
Silver
American Amber Lager – Las Cruces, Wild Blue Yonder Brewing Co., Castle Rock
American-style Pale Ale – Featherweight Pale Ale, Cannonball Creek Brewing Co., Golden
Fruit Wheat Beer – Enduro, Cheluna Brewing Co., Aurora
German Wheat Ale – Kristal Moon, Blue Moon Brewing Co., Denver
International Dark Lager – Czech-6, Eagle River Brewing Co., Gypsum
Munich-style Helles – Crystal River, Glenwood Canyon Brewpub, Glenwood Springs
No/Low-Tannin Cider – Graventein, Snow Capped Cider, Austin
Old Ale or Strong Ale or Barley Wine – Grow Old With You, Verboten Brewing, Loveland
Pumpkin Beer – Pumpkin Spice J. Marie, River North Brewery, Denver
Scottish-style Ale – Scottish Ale, Stodgy Brewing Co., Fort Collins
South German-style Hefeweizen – Don’t Hassle the Hef, Westbound & Down Brewing Co., Lafayette
Wood- and Barrel-Aged Beer – Temporary Paradise – Rum Diaries Edition, Bull & Bush Brewery, Denver
Bronze
American Sour Ale – Mirage, New Terrain Brewing Co., Golden
American-style Strong Ale – Independence Pass Ale IPA, Aspen Brewing Co., Aspen
Chili Beer – Palisade Peak, Station 26 Brewing Co., Denver
Fruited American Sour Ale – Cactus Justice, 12Degrees Brewing, Louisville
German-style Altbier – Altruism, Rock Cut Brewing Co., Estes Park
German-style Doppelbock or Eisbock – Execrator, Resolute Brewing Co., Centennial
German-style Maerzen – Oktoberfest, Left Hand Brewing Co., Longmont
Honey Beer – Animals Strike Curious Poses, The Empourium Brewing Co., Denver
Italian-style Pilsener – Wolf of the Woods, Second Dawn Brewing Co., Aurora
Juicy or Hazy Strong Pale Ale – Windows Up, Alpine Beer Co., Fort Collins
Old Ale or Strong Ale or Barley Wine – Artemisia, Burns Family Artisan Ales, Denver
Scotch Ale – Old Chub, Oskar Blues Brewery, Longmont
South German-style Hefeweizen – Polterweiss Hefeweizen, Green Mountain Beer Co., Lakewood
Wood- and Barrel-Aged Sour Beer – 5 On It, Long Table Brewhouse, Denver
Originally Published:
Colorado is not called the “state of craft beer” for no reason. The state boasts more than 400 active breweries that produce some of the finest beers in the country. Over the years, these breweries have participated in various prestigious beer competitions and walked away with numerous medals. Here is a look at Colorado breweries that have won medals in recent years.
First on our list is the Denver Beer Co., which has scooped multiple medals at the Great American Beer Festival (GABF). One of its most celebrated products, the Graham Cracker Porter, bagged a gold medal at GABF in 2018 in the Specialty Beer category. This iconic Colorado brewery, located in Denver’s lower downtown, continues to set the bar high for craft brewing in the state.
Next, we have Left Hand Brewing Company operating out of Longmont. This brewery strategically stands apart on account of two features: high-quality nitro packaging and a gold medal. Their “Fade to Black” stout has made a significant splash in the craft community and bagged a gold medal in the Export Stout division at the 2010 GABF. Left Hand’s “Sawtooth Ale” also grabbed the gold in the Ordinary or Special Bitter category at the 2011 GABF.
Another brewery that deserves a mention is Odell Brewing Company, based in Fort Collins. This family-owned brewery earned a gold medal for their Friek at the 2018 GABF. Friek is an oak-aged Raspberry and Cherry sour blend. In 2020, it received another gold medal at the same festival for their Sippin’ Pretty Fruited Sour.
Down in the historic District of downtown Durango is Ska Brewing Co. This brewery is famous for its Mexican Logger that took home a gold medal at the 2015 and 2019 GABF in the International Style Pilsner category. In addition, its Pils World also won a gold at World Beer Cup in the same category in 2018.
Boulder’s Avery Brewing Company also has been celebrated for its White Rascal Belgian-Style White Ale, which won the gold medal at the 2015 GABF. The White Rascal remains one of the company’s flagship brews — a testament to Avery’s consistent focus on quality and innovation.
In Golden, the Coors Brewing Company stands strong, its roots tracing back to 1873. Although not a craft brewery, this Colorado institution has been recognized for its brews, seizing gold at the 2014 World Beer Cup for George Killian’s Irish Red, while its Coors Light won silver in the American-Style Lager category.
These are just a few examples of the Colorado breweries that have taken top honors. The state’s craft beer industry is thriving, constantly innovating, and showcasing the highest brewing standards. Certainly, every year sees new names added to the list, and the current breweries continue to strive for excellence. There is no doubt that Colorado’s reputation as a pioneering state in the U.S. craft beer movement will continue to grow. While these accolades validate the quality of the beers, for many, the real win is in sampling and savoring these fantastic Colorado brews. So, whether you are a local or a visitor, make sure to visit these medal-winning breweries and taste excellence.
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See Colorado breweries that won medals
