34 Colorado brewers won 38 medals in 33 style categories at this year’s Great American Beer Festival competition in Denver. Its’ the world’s largest commercial beer contest, run for the past 30 years by Boulder-based Brewers Association.
GABF - The Festival - has been going strong for 35 years, and one nagging thing was finally put to rest when Governor (and former brewer) John Hickenlooper fist-bumped and awarded the BA’s Charlie Papazian his own well-earned gold medal after three and a half decades of shepherding the GABF to where it is today. Lucky for us, he’s kept it here in Colorado all these years. Thanks Charlie!
This year, more beer entries than ever - 7227 beers in 96 total style categories - poured in for judging. Four Colorado brewers - Bootstrap, Cannonball Creek, Coors and Steamworks - earned two medals each. Check out the results below, and study the photos carefully so that when you vista the 34 award winners for yourself, you’ll know who to congratulate for making such great beer!
For a complete list of the winners from around the country, check out the GABF website.
Photo by Mike Laur © DG2C
After honoring thousands of brewers through decades of GABF competitions, the BA's Charlie Papazian finally gets his own gold medal, in a surprise presentation by Gov. John Hickenlooper.
This year, more beer entries than ever - 7227 beers in 96 total style categories - poured in for judging. Four Colorado brewers - Bootstrap, Cannonball Creek, Coors and Steamworks - earned two medals each. Check out the results below, and study the photos carefully so that when you vista the 34 award winners for yourself, you’ll know who to congratulate for making such great beer!
For a complete list of the winners from around the country, check out the GABF website.
Gold
American-Style Pale Ale
Stick's Pale Ale
Bootstrap Brewing Co.
Niwot, CO
Belgian-Style Blonde Ale or Pale Ale
Solid Gold
Cannonball Creek Brewing Co.
Golden, CO
Chili Beer
Rocky Mtn Saison
Forteener Brewing Co.
Denver, CO
Classic Saison
Achtertuin Seizoen Farmhouse Ale
The Post Brewing Co.
Lafayette, CO
English-Style Brown Ale
Tri-Town Brown
Echo Brewing Cask and Barrel
Erie, CO
German-Style Altbier
Little Red Cap
Grimm Brothers Brewhouse
Loveland, CO
German-Style Doppelbock or Eisbock
Warning Sign
Rockyard American Grill & Brewing Co.
Castle Rock, CO
Golden or Blonde Ale
Kirby
Echo Brewing Co.
Frederick, CO
Historical Beer
Valhalla
El Rancho Brewing
Evergreen, CO
Other Belgian-Style Ale
Blond
Copper Kettle Brewing Co.
Denver, CO
Pumpkin Spice Beer
Pump Action Imperial Pumpkin Ale
Four Noses Brewing Co.
Broomfield, CO
Session India Pale Ale
Trump Hands
Cannonball Creek Brewing Co.
Golden, CO
Wood- and Barrel-Aged Beer
Drama Queen
Denver Beer Co. - Canworks
Denver, CO
Photo by Mike Laur © DG2C
Bootstrap Brewing in Niwot won two medals at the fest - Gold for Stick's Pale Ale & Bronze for Wreak Havoc.
Photo by Mike Laur © DG2C
2 Gold medals for Cannonball Creek Brewing!
Photo by Mike Laur © DG2C
The Post Brewing Co. in Lafayette wins Gold for their Achtertuin Seizoen Farmhouse Ale, a Classic Saison.
Photo by Mike Laur © DG2C
Echo Brewing in Frederick, and Echo Brewing Cask and Barrel in Erie, took the stage twice for Gold. One for Tri-Town Brown, and the other for Kirby.
Photo by Mike Laur © DG2C
Grimm Brothers Brewhouse in Loveland takes Gold for their Little Red Cap, a German-Style Altbier.
Photo by Mike Laur © DG2C
Jim Stinson and the crew at Rockyard American Grill and Brewing Co. win Gold for the collaborative brew, Warning Sign - a high-octane Eisbock.
Photo by Mike Laur © DG2C
New brewery El Rancho, in Evergreen, takes home Gold for Valhalla.
Photo by Mike Laur © DG2C
Denver brewery Copper Kettle strikes Gold with their Blond.
Photo by Mike Laur © DG2C
It's Gold for the crew at Denver Beer Co. - Canworks, for their Barrel Aged Drama Queen.
Silver
Belgian-Style Dark Strong Ale or Belgian-Style Quadrupel
Séréneté Grand Cru
Bruz Beers
Denver, CO
Emerging India Pale Ale
Vladimir Brutin
Cannonball Creek Brewing Co.
Golden, CO
Session India Pale Ale
Trump Hands
Cannonball Creek Brewing Co.
Golden, CO
Specialty Saison
Westfield
Cellar West Artisan Ales
Lafayette, CO
Ordinary or Special Bitter
Cousin Jack
Dostal Alley Brewpub & Casino
Central City, CO
Bock
Maibock
Dry Dock Brewing Co. - South Dock
Aurora, CO
English-Style Brown Ale
Eclipse Brown Ale
Equinox Brewing
Fort Collins, CO
Aged Beer
Belgian Quad
Green Mountain Beer Co.
Lakewood, CO
German-Style Koelsch
Ice Cutter Kölsch
Joyride Brewing Co.
Edgewater, CO
Irish-Style Red Ale
Balefire Irish Red
Mirror Image Brewing Co.
Frederick, CO
Australian-Style Pale Ale
Mountain Standard IPA
Odell Brewing Co.
Fort Collins, CO
Experimental Beer
Shibbleshabble
Primitive Beer
Longmont, CO
German-Style Altbier
Howitzer Amber
Red Leg Brewing Co.
Colorado Springs, CO
Fruited American-Style Sour Ale
Hoochie Mama
Storm Peak Brewing Co.
Steamboat Springs, CO
International-Style Dark Lager
El Corn
The Post Brewing Co.
Lafayette, CO
International-Style Pilsener
Upslope Craft Lager
Upslope Brewing Co. - Flatiron Park
Boulder, CO
Oatmeal Stout
Yonder Mountain Stout
Vine Street Pub & Brewery
Denver, CO
Juicy or Hazy Pale Ale
Itsy Bits
WeldWerks Brewing Co.
Greeley, CO
Imperial India Pale Ale
Westbound Double IPA
Westbound & Down Brewing Co.
Idaho Springs, CO
Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer
Double Barrel Louie
Westbound & Down Brewing Co.
Idaho Springs, CO
Dortmunder or German-Style Oktoberfest
Lindauer Lager
Wit's End Brewing Co.
Denver, CO
Photo by Mike Laur © DG2C
Upslope Brewing of Flatiron Park, Boulder, happily takes Silver for the namesake Brown Ale.
Photo by Mike Laur © DG2C
Mega-brewer Coors adds to its medal collection with a Silver for Coors Banquet and a Bronze for Coors Light.
Photo by Mike Laur © DG2C
The crew at Black Bottle win Silver for their Belgian-Style Tripel - PDA.
Photo by Mike Laur © DG2C
Tom Hennessy of Colorado Boy takes Silver for his Ridgway Blonde.
Photo by Mike Laur © DG2C
Front Range Brewing of Lafayette looks "pleased in their plaid", happy to have walked away with a Silver for their Piney Ridge Dunkel.
Photo by Mike Laur © DG2C
Lefthand proudly takes stage with a large contingent, accepting Sliver for Fade to Black, Volume 1, an Export Stout.
Photo by Mike Laur © DG2C
Non-fiction at the GABF was good for Fiction Beer Co., in Frederick, providing the brewery a very tangible Silver for Alternate Present, a German-Style Schwarzbier.
Photo by Mike Laur © DG2C
Steamworks Brewing in Durango took the stage twice, receiving a pair of Silver medals.
Photo by Mike Laur © DG2C
St. James Irish Red Ale wins Glenwood Canyon Brewing Co. a Silver.
Photo by Mike Laur © DG2C
Dry Dock - South Dock wins Silver for their Helles.
Photo by Mike Laur © DG2C
Prost Brewing in Denver takes Silver for their Weißbier.
Bronze
Light Lager
Lightner Creek Lager
Carver Brewing Co.
Durango, CO
American-Style Amber Lager
Grist Maerzen
Grist Brewing Co.
Highlands Ranch, CO
Session Beer
Peacekeeper
Launch Pad Brewery
Aurora, CO
Pro-Am Comp
Chess with Checkers
New Belgium Brewing Co.
Fort Collins, CO
Australian-Style Pale Ale
Pete's Stash
Vail Brewing Co. - Vail Village Pilot
Vail, CO
Herb and Spice Beer
Deck Daze
Vail Brewing Co. - Vail Village Pilot
Vail, CO
Photo by Mike Laur © DG2C
The large crew from Telluride Brewing accepts a Bronze for Face Down Brown.
Photo by Mike Laur © DG2C
Ska wins for their Mexican Logger.
Photo by Rick Mazzola © DG2C
12° Brewing in Louisville win for their Belgian-Style Strong Specialty Ale - Treachery.
Photo by Mike Laur © DG2C
Baere Brewing (& family) win Bronze for their Saison.
Photo by Mike Laur © DG2C
Verboten brought home a Bronze for Little Nonsense, their Barrel Aged Strong Stout.
