27 Colorado breweries earned hardware at the awards ceremony on Oct. 11
The Colorado Brewers Guild (CBG) congratulates the 27 Colorado breweries that collected a total of 34 awards today at the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) competition at Levitt Pavilion. Colorado’s award count includes the Pro-Am Competition and Brewery of the Year but excludes cider awards.
This year’s competition drew 7,267 entries from 1,300 breweries and cidermakers across the United States, evaluated by 225 judges across six days of judging in 105 beer-style categories. Produced by the Brewers Association (BA), GABF is the nation’s largest professional beer competition, and its medals are recognized worldwide as a mark of brewing excellence.
According to the BA, Colorado is ranked fifth in the nation for the most number of craft breweries (423) and had a $2.5 billion economic impact in 2025.
“It’s no small feat to win a medal at the Great American Beer Festival, and every Colorado brewery that took the stage should be extremely proud. With medals at 14 consecutive festivals, Cannonball Creek has one of the longest active winning streaks in the competition,” says CBG Executive Director Shawnee Adelson. “Glenwood Canyon earned its first medal in a hoppy category, and newly opened Pattern Break Brewing brought home a medal in its debut year. These wins show the consistency and the variety of Colorado brewing.”
Notable trends:
- Cannonball Creek’s streak continues. Cannonball Creek medaled at its 14th consecutive GABF. Over that span, the brewery has won 24 medals with 13 different beers
- Cannonball Creek also took home 501-1,000 Brewery of the Year for the second year in a row
- Other consecutive-year medal streaks:
- River North Brewery: 5 years
- The Empourium Brewing Company: 4 years
- Wild Blue Yonder Brewing Co.: 4 years
- Repeat winners. Seven beers that medaled in previous years earned medals again in 2026:
- Cannonball Creek Brewing Co., Featherweight: 6 medals (2013, 2015, 2020, 2023, 2024, 2026)
- Cannonball Creek Brewing Co., Trump Hands: 4 medals (2016, 2019, 2025, 2026)
- Cannonball Creek Brewing Co., Mindbender: 2 medals (2025, 2026)
- Holidaily Brewing Company, Fat Randy’s IPA: 2 medals (2024, 2026)
- Liquid Mechanics Brewing Co., El Poblano Borracho: 2 medals (2024, 2026)
- Second Dawn Brewing Company, Wolf of the Woods: 2 medals (2024, 2026)
- Verboten Brewing and Barrel Project, Grow Old With You: 2 medals (2024, 2026)
- First-time winners. Eight Colorado breweries earned their first GABF medals:
- Locavore Beer Works, Friend of the Devil (German-Style Schwarzbier)
- Los Dos Potrillos Cerveceria, Agua Fresca (American Fruit Beer)
- MainStage Brewing Co., Oktoberfestfest (German-Style Maerzen, the third most-entered category with 184 entries)
- New Image Brewing Company and Offset Bier Co., Neon Lady (Collaboration)
- Old 121 Brewhouse, Colt 121 (Other Strong Beer)
- Pattern Break Brewing Co., Negroni Ale (Experimental Beer)
- The Well in Wellington, Altbier (Classic Gluten-Free Ale or Lager)
- Colorado takes the top two spots in Mexican-Style Pale Lager. Colorado brewers (both from Castle Rock) took gold and silver in a field of 146 entries:
- Gold: Wild Blue Yonder Brewing Co., Sereno Moreno
- Silver: 105 West Brewing Co., Mexican Lager
Most Competitive Categories:
This year, the Brewers Association recognized the breweries whose beers advanced to the final judging round in the competition’s most competitive categories. These Colorado breweries reached the final table but did not medal:
West Coast-Style India Pale Ale (277 entries)
- Cannonball Creek Brewing Co., Project Alpha
- Liquid Mechanics Brewing Co., Endless Drive #4
- Westbound & Down Brewing Company, How the West Was One: Mosaic
German-Style Maerzen (184 entries)
- Verboten Brewing North, German Techno Polka Party
German-Style Pilsener (161 entries)
- Glenwood Canyon Brewing Co., Diamond Jack
Dortmunder or German-Style Festbier (161 entries)
- The Empourium Brewing Company, E=MC Hammered
2026 Colorado Craft Brewery Winners:
- Brewery of the Year (501-1,000 barrels): Cannonball Creek Brewing Co. This is the second year in a row Cannonball Creek has won the 501 – 1,000 barrels brewery of the year award.
Gold Medal Winners:
- Bent Barley Brewing Company – Dry Irish Stout (Porter or Stout)
- Bierstadt Lagerhaus and Wayfinder Beer – Infinite Hotel (Collaboration)
- Bull & Bush Brewery – Pineapple 3 Way (Belgian-Style Fruit Beer)
- Cannonball Creek Brewing Co. – Mindbender (American-Style Strong Pale Ale)
- Dostal Alley Brewpub & Casino – Jacob Mack Mild Ale (Craft Malt Beer – new category)
- Los Dos Portrillos Cerveceria – Agua Fresca (American Fruit Beer) – First time winner
- The Empourium Brewing Company – Honey Panda (Specialty Beer)
- The Well in Wellington – Altbier (Classic Gluten-Free Ale or Lager) – First time winner
- Verboten Brewing and Barrel Project – Grow Old With You (Barley Wine or Wheat Wine)
- Wild Blue Yonder Brewing Co. – Sereno Moreno (Mexican-Style Pale Lager)
- Wild Blue Yonder Brewing Co. and Geoff Humphrey Castle Rock – The Burden of Being Wonderful (Pro-Am)
Silver Medal Winners:
- 105 West Brewing Co. – Mexican Lager (Mexican-Style Pale Lager)
- Cannonball Creek Brewing Co. – Featherweight (American Pale Ale)
- Glenwood Canyon Brewing Co. – Endless Groove (New Zealand Pale Ale)
- Liquid Mechanics Brewing Co. – Kolsch (German-Style Koelsch)
- New Image Brewing Company and Offset Bier Co. – Neon Lady (Collaboration) – first time winner
- Old 121 Brewhouse – Colt 121 (Other Strong Beer) – first time winner
- Second Dawn Brewing Company – Wolf of the Woods (Italian-Style Pilsener)
- Verboten Brewing and Barrel Project – Coconut CO (Field Beer)
Bronze Medal Winners:
- Cannonball Creek Brewing Co. – Trump Hands (Session India Pale Ale)
- Holidaily Brewing Company – Fat Randy’s IPA (Hoppy Gluten-Free Beer)
- Holidaily Brewing Company – Favorite Blonde Ale (Classic Gluten-Free Ale or Lager)
- Liquid Mechanics Brewing Co. – El Poblano Borracho (Chili Beer)
- Locavore Beer Works – Friend of the Devil (German-Style Schwarzbier) – first time winner
- MainStage Brewing Co. – Oktoberfestfest (German-Style Maerzen) – first time winner
- Pattern Break Brewing Co. – Negroni Ale (Experimental Beer) – first time winner
- Prost Brewing Company – Prost Helles (Munich-Style Helles)
- River North Brewery – Quandary (Belgian-Style Strong Specialty Ale)
- Ska Brewing – Westskalle (Belgian-Style Abbey Ale)
- Tommyknocker Brewery & Pub – Jack Whacker Hazy Wheat (American-Style Wheat Beer)
“Colorado continues to showcase why we call ourselves The State of Craft Beer. Congrats to all of the medal winners!” says Adelson.
For the full list of 2026 GABF medalists, visit GreatAmericanBeerFestival.com.
