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Where to Find Award-Winning Breweries Around Denver

Try last year’s best beers to prep for the 2017 Great American Beer Festival this weekend

by Josie Sexton@josiebsexton Oct 4, 2017, 10:30am MDT

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by Josie Sexton@josiebsexton Oct 4, 2017, 10:30am MDT

Photo © Brewers Association

More than 60,000 beer drinkers this weekend will descend on Denver for the 36th annual Great American Beer Festival.

During three nights, festival attendees will have the chance to try nearly 4,000 beers from 800 breweries across the country. By Saturday winners of the world’s largest beer competition will be chosen from a boozy pool of some 8,000 entries. The GABF awards narrow down the country’s best beers in a given year across 160 styles.

For those gearing up for the weekend festivities, overwhelmed by the options, or just plain uninterested in that much beer tasting, last year’s medal winners are a good starting point for a self-guided tour of Denver-area breweries.

From Evergreen to Aurora, Fort Collins to Castle Rock, 26 Front Range breweries took home medals at the 2016 GABF. They range from Colorado classics, such as Coors, to startups, such as 14er, which has yet to open its brewhouse.

Seek them out while they’re still the reigning champions, and watch for an updated 2017 list to plan the next tour of GABF medal winners.

Breweries are listed from north to south.

• The Hottest Breweries in Denver Right Now, Summer 2017 [EDEN]

• The 38 Essential Breweries in Colorado, July 2017 [EDEN]

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Coopersmith's Pub & Brewing

One of the state’s oldest craft breweries, CooperSmith’s won bronze in 2016 for Not Brown, an English-style brown ale.

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5 Old Town Square, Fort Collins, CO 80524

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Black Bottle Brewery

Fort Collins’ brewpub Black Bottle took home silver for PDA, a Belgian-style tripel.

1611 S College Ave, Fort Collins, CO 80525

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Verboten Brewing & Barrel Project

Loveland-based Verboten took bronze for Little Nonsense, an oatmeal stout aged in bourbon barrels.

127 E 5th St, Loveland, CO 80537

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Grimm Brothers Brewhouse

Grimm Brothers in Loveland won gold for its Little Red Cap, a German-style Altbier.

623 Denver Ave, Loveland, CO 80537

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Left Hand Brewing Co.

Fade to Black, Volume 1 won medals four times in GABF’s foreign export stout category; most recently it took home silver.

1265 Boston Ave, Longmont, CO 80501

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Echo Brewing Co.

Echo’s Erie location won gold for Tri-Town Brown, an English-style brown ale, while the original Frederick brewhouse won gold for Kirby Kölsch, a German golden ale.

5969 Iris Pkwy, Frederick, CO 80530

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Bootstrap Brewing Co.

Bootstrap’s Stick’s Pale Ale earned a gold medal while a bronze went to Wreak Havoc imperial red.

6778 N 79th St, Niwot, CO 80503

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Upslope Brewing Co.

Boulder’s Upslope won silver in 2016 for its American-style Upslope Brown Ale.

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1898 S Flatiron Ct, Boulder, CO 80301

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BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse

The Boulder BJ’s location won a bronze medal in the historical beer category for its version of a Finnish Sahti, Wild & Crazy Rye.

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1690 28th St, Boulder, CO 80301

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The Post Brewing Co.

At the original Lafayette location, or in Denver on South Broadway, try The Post’s gold-medaled Achtertuin Seizoen Farmhouse Ale, a classic saison.

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105 W Emma St, Lafayette, CO 80026

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Front Range Brewing Co.

Lafayett’e first brewery won silver for Piney Ridge, a medium-bodied, Munich-style Dunkel.

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400 W South Boulder Rd #1650, Lafayette, CO 80026

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12Degree Brewing

Louisville’s 12Degree specializes in Belgian-inspired beers and took home bronze for Treachery, a Belgian-style strong specialty ale.

820 Main St, Louisville, CO 80027

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4 Noses Brewing Co.

In the pumpkin spice beer category, Pump Action Imperial Pumpkin Ale reigns, with more than 10 pounds of pumpkin in each barrel and 7.7 percent alcohol in every glass.

8855 W 116th Cir #4, Broomfield, CO 80021

Visit Website

Also featured in:

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Blue Moon Brewing Co.

Blue Moon, which moved into its sprawling RiNo digs two years ago, garnered a silver medal for its fruit wheat beer Mango Wheat in 2016.

3750 Chestnut Pl, Denver, CO 80216

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Blue Moon - RiNo

Also featured in:

Cannonball Creek Brewing Co.

Two gold medals in 2016 went out to Golden’s Cannonball Creek for Solid Gold, a Belgian-style blonde ale, and Trump Hands, a session IPA.

393 North Washington Avenue, Golden, CO 80403

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Also featured in:

Denver’s Essential Breweries Right Now, Spring 2023

Coors Brewing Co.

Coors Banquet lost only to Pabst Blue Ribbon in the American-style lager category, while Coors Light, an American-style light lager, secured the bronze.

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3777 McIntyre St, Golden, CO 80401

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Prost Brewing Co.

At Prost’s LoHi brewhouse or in the Fort Collins taproom, the Weißbier, a south German-style hefeweizen, is a silver-medal winner.

2540 19th St, Denver, CO 80211

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14er Brewing Co.

The RiNo-based brewery, which will open its brewhouse and taproom in early 2018, won gold in its first year of operation for Rocky Mtn Saison in the chili beer category.

2801 Walnut St, Denver, CO 80205

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Denver Beer Co.

On Platte Street or in Olde Town Arvada, try the current saison on tap. Denver Beer Co. took gold last year for Drama Queen, a red wine barrel-aged saison.

1695 Platte St, Denver, CO 80202

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Fiction Beer Co.

These bookish Park Hill brewers took silver for Alternate Present, a German-Style Schwarzbier.

7101 E Colfax Ave, Denver, CO 80220

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Also featured in:

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Cerebral Brewing

Cerebral took home a silver medal in its first year brewing for Dreamy Thing, a Brettanomyces beer fermented with house-grown yeast.

1477 Monroe St, Denver, CO 80206

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Also featured in:

Denver’s Essential Breweries Right Now, Spring 2023

Baere Brewing Co.

Baker’s tiny Baere Brewing won bronze for its flagship Saison, a classic saison.

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320 Broadway, Denver, CO 80203

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El Rancho Brewing Co.

Evergreen’s El Rancho took home the gold in 2016 for a historical beer, the Finnish Sahti Valhalla. Evergreen brews this farmhouse ale with barley, oats, and rye, then flavors its with juniper berries and fermented with baker’s yeast.

29260 US-40, Evergreen, CO 80439

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Copper Kettle Brewing Co.

Copper Kettle’s Blond, a sessionable Belgian-style ale, won gold last year. Also try the gold-medaled Mexican Chocolate Stout.

1338 S Valentia St #100, Denver, CO 80247

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Dry Dock Brewing Co. — South Dock

Decade-old Dry Dock took silver for its Aurora-brewed Munich-style Helles.

15120 E Hampden Ave, Aurora, CO 80014

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Also featured in:

Rockyard American Grill & Brewing Co.

Warning Sign, a 12 percent ABV German-style Eisbock, brought in a gold medal for this Castle Rock brewery, which collaborated on the project.

880 Castleton Rd, Castle Rock, CO 80109

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Coopersmith's Pub & Brewing

5 Old Town Square, Fort Collins, CO 80524

One of the state’s oldest craft breweries, CooperSmith’s won bronze in 2016 for Not Brown, an English-style brown ale.

Open in Google Maps

5 Old Town Square, Fort Collins, CO 80524

Visit Website

Black Bottle Brewery

1611 S College Ave, Fort Collins, CO 80525

Fort Collins’ brewpub Black Bottle took home silver for PDA, a Belgian-style tripel.

1611 S College Ave, Fort Collins, CO 80525

Visit Website

Verboten Brewing & Barrel Project

127 E 5th St, Loveland, CO 80537

Loveland-based Verboten took bronze for Little Nonsense, an oatmeal stout aged in bourbon barrels.

127 E 5th St, Loveland, CO 80537

Visit Website

Grimm Brothers Brewhouse

623 Denver Ave, Loveland, CO 80537

Grimm Brothers in Loveland won gold for its Little Red Cap, a German-style Altbier.

623 Denver Ave, Loveland, CO 80537

Visit Website

Left Hand Brewing Co.

1265 Boston Ave, Longmont, CO 80501

Fade to Black, Volume 1 won medals four times in GABF’s foreign export stout category; most recently it took home silver.

1265 Boston Ave, Longmont, CO 80501

Visit Website

Echo Brewing Co.

5969 Iris Pkwy, Frederick, CO 80530

Echo’s Erie location won gold for Tri-Town Brown, an English-style brown ale, while the original Frederick brewhouse won gold for Kirby Kölsch, a German golden ale.

5969 Iris Pkwy, Frederick, CO 80530

Visit Website

Bootstrap Brewing Co.

6778 N 79th St, Niwot, CO 80503

Bootstrap’s Stick’s Pale Ale earned a gold medal while a bronze went to Wreak Havoc imperial red.

6778 N 79th St, Niwot, CO 80503

Visit Website

Upslope Brewing Co.

1898 S Flatiron Ct, Boulder, CO 80301

Boulder’s Upslope won silver in 2016 for its American-style Upslope Brown Ale.

Open in Google Maps

1898 S Flatiron Ct, Boulder, CO 80301

Visit Website

BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse

1690 28th St, Boulder, CO 80301

The Boulder BJ’s location won a bronze medal in the historical beer category for its version of a Finnish Sahti, Wild & Crazy Rye.

Open in Google Maps

1690 28th St, Boulder, CO 80301

Visit Website

The Post Brewing Co.

105 W Emma St, Lafayette, CO 80026

At the original Lafayette location, or in Denver on South Broadway, try The Post’s gold-medaled Achtertuin Seizoen Farmhouse Ale, a classic saison.

Open in Google Maps

105 W Emma St, Lafayette, CO 80026

Visit Website

Front Range Brewing Co.

400 W South Boulder Rd #1650, Lafayette, CO 80026

Lafayett’e first brewery won silver for Piney Ridge, a medium-bodied, Munich-style Dunkel.

Open in Google Maps

400 W South Boulder Rd #1650, Lafayette, CO 80026

Visit Website

12Degree Brewing

820 Main St, Louisville, CO 80027

Louisville’s 12Degree specializes in Belgian-inspired beers and took home bronze for Treachery, a Belgian-style strong specialty ale.

820 Main St, Louisville, CO 80027

Visit Website

4 Noses Brewing Co.

8855 W 116th Cir #4, Broomfield, CO 80021

In the pumpkin spice beer category, Pump Action Imperial Pumpkin Ale reigns, with more than 10 pounds of pumpkin in each barrel and 7.7 percent alcohol in every glass.

8855 W 116th Cir #4, Broomfield, CO 80021

Visit Website

Blue Moon Brewing Co.

3750 Chestnut Pl, Denver, CO 80216

Blue Moon, which moved into its sprawling RiNo digs two years ago, garnered a silver medal for its fruit wheat beer Mango Wheat in 2016.

3750 Chestnut Pl, Denver, CO 80216

Visit Website

Blue Moon - RiNo

Cannonball Creek Brewing Co.

393 North Washington Avenue, Golden, CO 80403

Two gold medals in 2016 went out to Golden’s Cannonball Creek for Solid Gold, a Belgian-style blonde ale, and Trump Hands, a session IPA.

393 North Washington Avenue, Golden, CO 80403

Visit Website

Related Maps

Coors Brewing Co.

3777 McIntyre St, Golden, CO 80401

Coors Banquet lost only to Pabst Blue Ribbon in the American-style lager category, while Coors Light, an American-style light lager, secured the bronze.

Open in Google Maps

3777 McIntyre St, Golden, CO 80401

Visit Website

Prost Brewing Co.

2540 19th St, Denver, CO 80211

At Prost’s LoHi brewhouse or in the Fort Collins taproom, the Weißbier, a south German-style hefeweizen, is a silver-medal winner.

2540 19th St, Denver, CO 80211

Visit Website