Left Hand and other Colorado brewers win big at GABF
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Left Hand Brewing accepts a GABF medal on stage at the awards ceremony in Denver. Photo: John Frank/Axios
Left Hand Brewing won its first Great American Beer Festival medal in 1994, the year it opened. Five, in fact.
What's new: On Saturday — 28 years later — the Longmont brewery proved its still on top.
- Left Hand won brewery of the year in the highly competitive large category (15,001-100,000 barrels produced) at the GABF awards ceremony in Denver.
- It also took home a silver medal for its famous Milk Stout and a bronze for its St. Vrain Tripel — maintaining its status as the most decorated brewery in the state.
What they're saying: "It's unbelievable," head brewer Gary Glass told Axios seconds after he accepted the brewery of the year award. "I was just hoping to medal."
Why it matters: GABF is America's premier beer competition, and winning one of the 300-plus medals helps put a brewery on the map.
- This year, the festival celebrated its 40th anniversary and a cheery return after a two-year pandemic hiatus.
By the numbers: The 2022 contest saw 2,154 breweries submitting more than 9,900 beers.
Details: In Colorado, 25 breweries won a collective 27 medals — second most of any state behind California's 77, per an Axios count.
- The first-time winners were Bierstadt Lagerhaus, River North, Rock Cut and Resolute.
- Cannonball Creek extended its winning streak to 10 consecutive years.
The other Colorado winners in this year's competition:
Gold medals:
- The Post in Lafayette for El Corn in the international dark lager category
- Comrade in Denver for More Dodge Less RAM in the American-style IPA category — the most competitive contest
- Crooked Stave in Denver for Stay the Funk In in the Belgian-style sour ale category
- Our Mutual Friend in Denver for Trystero in the brett beer category
- Jessup Farm Barrel House in Fort Collins for Barrel-Aged Soft Skills in the wood- and barrel-aged beer category
Silver medals:
- Our Mutual Friend for Biere Ovale in the mixed-culture brett beer category
- Joyride in Edgewater for Black Razz Blonde in the American fruit beer category
- Baere in Denver for Saison in the classic saison category
- Launch Pad in Aurora for Citronaut in the English ale category
- Westbound & Down in Idaho Springs for Spirit of the West in the English IPA or New Zealand IPA category
- Westbound & Down and Denver's Bierstadt Lagerhaus for Chicago Peaks kölsch in the collaboration category
- New Terrain in Golden for Mirage in the American sour ale category
- Resolute in Centennial for Execrator in the German-style Doppelbock or Eisbock category
- Dry Dock in Aurora for Docktoberfest in the German-style Maerzen category
- Holidaily in Golden for BuckWit Belgian in the gluten-free beer category
- River North in Denver for Hello Darkness in the other strong beer category
- Twisted Pine in Boulder for Rockin' Roggen in the rye beer category
- CooperSmith's Pub in Fort Collins for Sticky Fingers Saison in the Pro-Am competition with homebrewer Mark Pennick
- Bristol in Colorado Springs for Laughing Lab in the Scottish ale category
Bronze medals:
- Breckenridge in Littleton for Agave Wheat in the American wheat beer category
- Cerebral in Denver for Fuego Reserva in the chili beer category
- SandLot in Denver for Wild Pitch in the German wheat ale category
- Odell in Denver for Dark Helmet in the imperial stout category
- Cannonball Creek in Golden for Rosemary Sourdough in the specialty saison category
- Rock Cut in Estes Park for Wooden Mayhem in the wood- and barrel-aged strong stout category