Denver’s Nice American Beer Competition made a welcome return over the weekend, bringing with it about 40,000 drinkers to pattern beers in individual on the Colorado Conference Heart for the primary time since 2019.
The general public-facing portion of the occasion was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19. However by means of the pandemic, GABF’s esteemed beer competitors continued in both a digital or hybrid capability with restricted, masked attendance. For 2022, brewers returned in power to the conference middle’s Bellco Theater to have a good time one of many beer trade’s highest accolades.
“It’s so superior to be again in individual and be capable of cheer with all people,” mentioned Shawnee Adelson, govt director of the Colorado Brewers Guild. “Individuals are stoked to be right here.”
Even when the competition’s footprint was smaller this yr — about 389,000 sq. ft, down from about 584,000 sq. ft due to building on the venue — the awards had been amongst GABF’s greatest. Judges evaluated 9,904 beers from greater than 2,100 breweries nationwide.
Colorado beer makers collected 27 medals, together with 5 gold, in a various vary of classes, from American wheat beer to imperial stout and a wide range of European kinds. That’s up from the 21 medals the Centennial State garnered in 2021.
Longmont’s Left Hand Brewing Co. was the most important winner of the day, incomes two medals — silver for its Milk Stout within the oatmeal stout class and bronze for its St. Vrain within the Belgian-style robust specialty ale — plus the coveted title of Brewery of the Yr within the manufacturing vary of 15,000 to 100,000 barrels.
Denver’s Our Mutual Buddy Brewing Co. additionally gained two medals in Brettanomyces particular classes, together with a gold for its Trystero Brett saison. And Comrade Brewing Co. of Denver dominated probably the most aggressive class, incomes a gold for its Extra Dodge Much less RAM within the American-style India pale ale out of a complete 423 entries.
Golden’s Cannonball Creek Brewing Co., which has gained at the least one GABF medal yearly since opening in 2013, continued its streak with a bronze within the specialty saison class.
“Colorado remains to be an trade chief in craft beer, and we simply proved that with all of the medals we simply gained,” Adelson mentioned. “A number of breweries (gained) awards for a similar beers that they’ve gained up to now, which exhibits we brew constant beer.”
“Laughing Lab (from Bristol Brewing Co.) is probably the most adorned craft beer in Colorado. They simply gained their tenth medal for that beer,” she added. “It was additionally superior to see so many lager kinds that Colorado introduced house.”
See the complete listing of winners at greatamericanbeerfestival.com. Right here’s a listing of the 2022 Colorado winners:
Gold
American-style India pale ale — Extra Dodge Much less RAM, Comrade Brewing Co., Denver
Belgian-style bitter ale — Keep the Funk In, Crooked Stave, Denver
Brett beer — Trystero, Our Mutual Buddy Brewing Co., Denver
Worldwide darkish lager — El Corn, The Publish Brewing Co., Lafayette
Wooden- and barrel-aged beer — Barrel-Aged Delicate Abilities, Jessup Farm Barrel Home, Fort Collins
Silver
American fruit beer — Black Razz Blonde, Joyride Brewing Co., Edgewater
American bitter ale — Mirage, New Terrain Brewing Co., Golden
Traditional saison — Saison, Baere Brewing Co., Denver
Collaboration Competitors — Chicago Peaks Kolsch, Westbound & Down Brewing Co. and Bierstadt Lagerhaus, Idaho Springs/Denver
English ale — Citronaut, Launch Pad Brewery, Aurora
English India pale ale or New Zealand India pale ale — Spirit of the West, Westbound & Down Brewing Co., Idaho Springs
German-style Doppelbock or Eisbock — Execrator, Resolute Brewing Co., Centennial
German-style Maerzen — Docktoberfest, Dry Docking Brewing Co. – North Dock, Aurora
Gluten-free beer — BuckWit Belgian, Holidaily Brewing Co., Golden
Combined-culture Brett beer — Biere Ovale, Our Mutual Buddy Brewing Co., Denver
Professional-Am Competitors — Sticky Fingers Saison, CooperSmith’s Pub and Brewing and homebrewer Mark Pennick, Fort Collins
Oatmeal stout — Milk Stout, Left Hand Brewing Co., Longmont
Different robust beer — Hi there Darkness, River North Brewery, Denver
Rye beer — Rockin’ Roggen, Twisted Pine Brewing Co., Boulder
Scottish-style ale — Laughing Lab Scottish Ale, Bristol Brewing Co., Colorado Springs
Bronze
American wheat beer — Agave Wheat, Breckenridge Brewery, Littleton
Belgian-style robust specialty ale — St. Vrain, Left Hand Brewing Co., Longmont
Chili beer — Fuego Reserva, Cerebral Brewing, Aurora
German wheat ale — Wild Pitch, SandLot Brewery, Denver
Imperial stout — Darkish Hamlet, Odell Brewing Co. – Sloan’s Lake Brewhouse, Denver
Specialty saison — Rosemary Sourdough Saison, Cannonball Creek Brewing Co., Golden
Wooden- and barrel-aged robust stout — Wood Mayhem, Rock Reduce Brewing Co., Estes Park
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