Colorado Breweries Who Won Big at the 2024 GABF Competition
Colorado breweries boasted another impressive showing at the 2024 Great American Beer Festival. This year, Colorado breweries took home 38 medals with 34 different brewery locations celebrating awards, nearly matching the impressive outing of 40 medals coming from the Centennial State. An additional three medals were awarded to a pair of Colorado cideries, in Haykin Family Cider (Aurora, CO) and Snow Capped Cider (Austin, CO), the first time cideries were awarded medals at the competition with support from the American Cider Association.
For the third year in a row, Westbound & Down Brewing took home multiple medals, and for the second year in a row, the Colorado brewery took home three medals to be exact, earning a Gold for Western Justice in the Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Stout category, a Gold for Infinity Pils in the Hoppy Lager category, and a silver medal for Don’t Hassel the Hef in the South German-Style Hefeweizen category. Coincidentally Aspen Brewing, which was recently acquired by Westbound & Down, also earned a bronze medal for Independence Pass in the American-Style Strong Pale Ale category.
“We couldn’t be prouder of our team,” said Jake Gardner, Director of Brewing Operations. “Competing in GABF & World Beer Cup is kind of like fishing, where the best breweries can do everything right and they still aren’t guaranteed to win, but breweries who commit to consistency and quality are the most likely to succeed.”
Cannonball Creek continued its impressive streak of winning medals at 12 consecutive GABF competitions, officially the longest active streak for a brewery that has won medals every year since opening. This year, Cannonball Creek the Golden, CO-based brewery earned a gold medal for More than a Zealand in the New Zealand India Pale Ale category as well as a silver medal for Featherweight in the American Pale Ale category, the fifth time that beer has medaled at GABF.
On the topic of streaks, this was also the third year in a row that Left Hand Brewing, New Terrain Brewing Company, River North Brewery, Westbound & Down Brewing Co., and Resolute Brewing have medaled at GABF with Resolute Brewing’s Execrator medaling for the third year in a row in the German-Style Doppelbock or Eisbock category.
Other breweries who tallied multiple medals at this year’s competition include Bull & Bush Brewery which managed to take home gold AND silver medals in the Wood & Barrel-Aged Beer category for Ghoul Fuel: Rum Diaries, and Temporary Paradise: Rum Diaries respectively. Glenwood Canyon Brewing took home a pair of medals earning a gold for Festbier in the Dortmunder or German-style Oktoberfest category, and silver for Crystal River in the Munich-style Helles category. And River North Brewery took home gold for Squirrels Just Want to Have Fun in the Coffee Beer category, and silver for Pumpkin Spice J. Marie in the Pumpkin Beer category. Denver Beer Co. took home multiple medals between two of its locations with a gold for Fennel Rye Ale in the Field Beer category and a gold for Coppermind in the Irish-style Red Ale category.
It was also the first time earning medals at GABF for Alpine Beer Company, Burns Family Artisan Ales, Eagle River Brewing Company, Long Table Brewhouse, Second Dawn Brewing, and Stodgy Brewing Company.
“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,” says CBG Executive Director Shawnee Adelson.
Colorado Breweries That Medaled at 2024 Great American Beer Festival
Category 3. Fruit Wheat Beer
Silver: Enduro – Cheluna Brewing
Category 4. Field Beer
Gold: Fennel Rye Ale – Denver Beer Co. – Canworks
Category 5. Pumpkin Beer
Silver: Pumpkin Spice J. Marie – River North Brewing
Category 6. Chili Beer
Bronze: Palisade Peak – Station 26 Brewing
Category 6. Chili Beer
Gold: El Poblano Boracho – Liquid Mechanics Brewing
Category 9. Coffee Beer
Gold: Squirrels Just Want to Have Fun – River North Brewing
Category 13. Honey Beer
Bronze: Animals Strike Curious Poses – The Empourium Brewing CO
Category 24. Gluten-Free Beer
Gold: Fat Randy – Holidaily Brewing
Category 25. American-Belgo-Style Ale
Silver: Mirage – New Terrain Brewing
Category 25. American-Belgo-Style Ale
Gold: Silver Medal Worthy – Launch Pad Brewery
Category 27. Fruited American Sour Ale
Bronze: Cactus Juice – 12Degree Brewing
Category 30. Wood- and Barrel-Aged Beer
Silver: Temporary Paradise Rum Diaries – Bull & Bush Brewery
Category 30. Wood- and Barrel-Aged Beer
Gold: Ghoul Fuel – Rum Diaries – Bull & Bush Brewery
Category 32. Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Stout
Gold: Western Justice – Westbound & Down Brewing
Category 33. Wood- and Barrel-Aged Sour Beer
Bronze: 5 on It – Long Table Brewery
Category 36. Smoke Beer
Gold: Smoke and Embers – New Belgium Brewing
Category 44. Hoppy Lager
Gold: Infinity Pils – Westbound & Down Brewing -Westbound Mill
Category 45. American Amber Lager
Silver: Las Cruces – Wild Blue Yonder Brewing
Category 48. Italian-Style Pilsener
Bronze: Wolf of the Woods – Second Dawn Brewing
Category 49. Munich-Style Helles
Silver: Crystal River – Glenwood Canyon Brewing
Category 50. Dortmunder or German-Style Oktoberfest
Gold: Festbier – Glenwood Canyon Brewing
Category 52. German-Style Maerzen
Bronze: Oktoberfest – Left Hand Brewing
Category 54. International Dark Lager
Silver: Czech-6 – Eagle River Brewing
Category 56. German-Style Doppelbock or Eisbock
Bronze: Execrator – Resolute Brewing
Category 61. German-Style Altbier
Bronze: Altruism – Rock Cut Brewing
Category 63. South German-Style Hefeweizen
Silver: Don’t Hassel The Hef – Westbound & Down Brewing – Westbound Mill
Bronze: Polterweiss Hefeweizen – Green Mountain Beer Co – Lakewood, CO
Category 68. Scottish-Style Ale
Silver: Scottish Ale – Stodgy Brewing
Category 69. Irish-Style Red Ale
Gold: Coppermind – Denver Beer Co. – Lowry
Category 87. Scotch Ale
Bronze: Old Chub – Oskar Blues
Category 88. Old Ale or Strong Ale or Barley Wine
Bronze: Artemesia – Burns Family Artisan Ales
Category 88. Old Ale or Strong Ale or Barley Wine
Silver: Grow Old With You – Verboten Brewing
Category 90. New Zealand India Pale Ale
Gold: More Than a Zealand – Cannonball Creek Brewing
Category 91. American-Style Pale Ale
Silver: Featherweight – Cannonball Creek Brewing
Category 93. American-Style Strong Pale Ale
Bronze: Independence Pass – Aspen Brewing
Category 94. Juicy or Hazy Strong Pale Ale
Bronze : Windows Up – Alpine Beer Co.
Category 96. Strong Red Ale
Gold: Wreak Havoc – Bootstrap Brewing
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I didn’t see any reference to the Coors family. Good.
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I didn’t see any reference to the Coors family. Good. Yeah. I said it once, schmucks.
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