home - beer news - Great American Beer Festival Awards 2009
by Rick Mazzola
9/30/09
It must be the water!
Or, the fact that Colorado still makes more beer than any other state – thus supporting the thriving, vibrant craft beer industry.
Or, maybe some bizarre cosmic alignment provided the beers of Colorado with better hops, fresher malts, and some sort of space-borne yeast cultivated on an ice-laden distant planet notorious for producing incredible intergalactic beer.
Maybe.
Or, maybe Colorado just has some damn good brewers in their midst.
I would presume the later.
Nonetheless, at this year's Great American Beer Fest Colorado breweries accumulated more awards than any other state! In fact, Colorado gathered six more awards than California, a state with thirty-one-million more people, and a slightly higher number of breweries. A rather gratifying accomplishment for the 38th state of the republic.
Recent up-starts such as Colorado Boy Pub and Brewery in Ridgeway, Colorado Brewing in Boulder, Upslope Brewing in Boulder, and Trinity Brewing in Colorado Springs all picked up awards for brews that have just begun to trickle onto the palates of Colorado beer aficionados.
Dry Dock Brewing in Aurora, hardly through celebrating an award rich showing at the Colorado State Fair, garnered three additional medals at the GABF. Dry Dock's Bismark Alt won gold, and along with two other silvers, the impressive, recently-expanded brewery walked away with the coveted “Small Brewing Company and Small Brewing Company Brewer of the Year” award. Apparently the dock's over at Dry Dock aren't so dry!
MillerCoors, the “super-macrobrewery-conglomerate” situated in Golden, and it's laundry list of acquired brands, absorbed fifteen awards spanning categories from American-style Lager to European-style Dunkel. Even the 144 year old brew responsible for the culturally-ingrained “beer bear” found recognition at the GABF. Hamm's, a beer that has passed through more hands than a crowded blackjack table, won a silver in the American-style Cream Ale or Lager category.
All of these award-winning breweries and brewpubs and hundreds of others served frothy libations to 46,000 thirsty attendees! 2,100 brews were served by 457 breweries and brewpubs in the festival hall. 495 breweries and brewpubs entered 3,308 beers for judging in 78 categories. 103 judges from 10 countries tasted, analyzed, discussed, and ultimately passed judgment upon the suds wrestling in competition. In the end, Colorado left the festival with 45 medals!
Congratulations to all those who won awards!
A list of all the Colorado brewery and brewpub winners can be found below. A full list can be found at the GABF websitewebsite.
Photos captured by the crew at Motion Pixel Lab
So, what's up with Charlie's hand? Did he crush it in a cooler door? Well, as it turns out, the soft bandage is a preventative against the wear and tear of glad-handing over 300 eager awardees. Said Papazian, "These guys get pretty excited."
Gold
Category: 1 American-Style Cream Ale or Lager Milwaukee’s Best Miller Brewing Co. Golden, CO
Category: 11 Other Strong Beer Cardiff Glenwood Canyon Brewing Co. Glenwood Springs, CO
Category: 12 Experimental Beer TPS Report Trinity Brewing Co. Colorado Springs, CO
Category: 22 Smoked Beer Smokejumper Left Hand Brewing Co. Longmont, CO
Category: 27 Dortmunder or German-Style Oktoberfest Move Back The SandLot Denver, CO
Category: 29 American-Style Lager or Premium Lager Coors Banquet Coors Brewing Co. Golden, CO
Category: 30 American Style Specialty Lager Keystone Ice Coors Brewing Co. Golden, CO
Category: 33 American Style Amber Lager Durango Colorfest Durango Brewing Co. Durango, CO
Category: 38 German Style Doppelbock or Eisbock The Kaiser Avery Brewing Co. Boulder, CO
Category: 58 German Style Altbier Bismarck Altbier Dry Dock Brewing Co. Aurora, CO
Silver
Category: 1 American-Style Cream Ale or Lager Hamm’s Miller Brewing Co. Golden, CO
Category: 23 International-Style Pilsener OE800 Miller Brewing Co. Golden, CO
Category: 25 Bohemian Style Pilsener Gordon Biersch Czech Pilsner Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant Group Broomfield, CO
Category: 26 Munich Style Helles Where the Helles Bill? The SandLot Denver, CO
Category: 27 Dortmunder or German-Style Oktoberfest Move Back The SandLot Denver, CO
Category: 28 American Style Light Lager Keystone Light Coors Brewing Co. Golden, CO
Category: 29 American-Style Lager or Premium Lager Miller High Life Miller Brewing Co. Golden, CO
Category: 30 American Style Specialty Lager Pre-Pro Coors Brewing Co. Golden, CO
Category: 32 German Style Märzen Reines Marzen Dry Dock Brewing Co. Aurora, CO
Category: 33 American Style Amber Lager Killian’s Red Coors Brewing Co. Golden, CO
Category: 34 European Style Dunkel Gordon Biersch Dunkles Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant Group Broomfield, CO
Category: 37 Bock May Bock Backcountry Brewery Frisco, CO
Category: 45 American Style Pale Ale 44 Pale Ale Colorado Brewing Co./Draft House Boulder, CO
Category: 55 Irish Style Red Ale Colorado Boy Irish Colorado Boy Pub & Brewery Ridgway, CO
Category: 56 English Style Brown Ale Buster Nut Brown Ska Brewing Co. Durango, CO
Category: 57 American Style Brown Ale Cheyenne Cañon Ale Bristol Brewing Co. Colorado Springs, CO
Category: 59 German-Style Sour Ale NBB Love New Belgium Brewing Co., Inc. Fort Collins, CO
Category: 60 South German Style Hefeweizen U-Boat Hefeweizen Dry Dock Brewing Co. Aurora, CO
Category: 75 Imperial Stout Yeti Imperial Stout Great Divide Brewing Co. Denver, CO
Bronze
Category: 1 American-Style Cream Ale or Lager Red Dog Miller Brewing Co. Golden, CO
Category: 2 American-Style Wheat Beer Double Eagle Ale Rockyard Brewing Co. Castle Rock, CO
Category: 8, Rye Beer Hoss Great Divide Brewing Co. Denver, CO
Category: 12 Experimental Beer Brabant Avery Brewing Co. Boulder, CO
Category: 15 American-Belgo-Style Ale Temperance Mountain Sun Pub and Brewery Boulder, CO
Category: 26 Munich Style Helles Gordon Biersch Golden Export Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant Group Broomfield, CO
Category: 30 American Style Specialty Lager Steel Reserve Miller Brewing Co. Golden, CO
Category: 34 European Style Dunkel Dunkel AC Golden Brewing Co. Golden, CO
Category: 38 German Style Doppelbock or Eisbock Carbonator Glenwood Canyon Brewing Co. Glenwood Springs, CO
Category: 42 English-Style Summer Ale True Blonde Ale Ska Brewing Co. Durango, CO
Category: 53 Extra Special Bitter or Strong Bitter Colorado Boy IPA Colorado Boy Pub & Brewery Ridgway, CO
Category: 58 German Style Altbier Gordon Biersch Alt Bier Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant Group Broomfield, CO
Category: 61 German-Style Wheat Ale Upslope Dunkel Weizen Upslope Brewing Co., Boulder, CO
Category: 73 Sweet Stout Steel Toe Stout Ska Brewing Co. Durango, CO
Category: 78 Barley Wine Style Ale Old Ruffian Barley Wine Great Divide Brewing Co. Denver, CO
2009 Great American Beer Festival Pro-Am Competition Time of the Season Upslope Brewing Co. Boulder, CO Brewmaster: Daniel Pages,
AHA Member: Brian Patterson
2009 Brewery and Brewer of the Year Awards -------------------------------------------------
Large Brewing Company & Large Brewing Company Brewer of the Year Coors Brewing Company, Golden, CO - Dr. David Ryder
Small Brewing Company and Small Brewing Company Brewer of the Year Dry Dock Brewing Company, Aurora, CO - Dry Dock Brewing Team
