Most brews that won medals at the Great American Beer Festival are still on tap

By the Thirst Team

The Great American Beer Festival and its awards ceremony may be over, but you can still drink most of the award-winning beer.

Click on the map above to find every Colorado brewery that won a medal at the 2023 Great American Beer Festival. Visit the taproom, meet the brewers, learn about the beers and, of course, have a few sips.

Possibly the most interesting tale behind a winning beer comes from the storied and longstanding Wynkoop Brewing Co. The downtown Denver brewery made Kurt’s Mile High Malt coffee lager using a recipe created by Kurt Vonnegut’s grandfather. On the beer’s third edition, it earned a silver award and is on tap for a limited time.

Here is a list of the other beers available right now.

14er Brewing in Denver won a bronze for its Piña Colada Milkshake IPA, which is on tap at the brewery for a limited time.
You won’t have any trouble finding the two winning beers from Avery Brewing in Boulder. The classic flagship White Rascal ale won a gold medal, and its passion fruit-infused cousin won silver. Both are widely available in grocery stores and liquor stores all over Colorado.
Banded Oak Brewing in Denver has its gold-winning Ye Old Ale on tap. The beer was aged for a year in Colorado whiskey barrels.
There is so much Colorado goodness in the green chile honey kölsch at Bent Barley Brewing in Aurora. The beer is available at the brewery, and includes Pueblo chiles and Colorado hops and honey.
The gold-winning Wreak Havoc imperial red from Bootstrap Brewing in Longmont is on tap and widely available in cans around Colorado.
Likewise, Laughing Lab scottish ale from Bristol Brewing in Colorado Springs is one of Colorado’s best known and most widely distributed craft beers.
Call to Arms Brewing in Denver is currently pouring the Cherry Freedom Fries saison, which earned a silver medal. Bonus plug for the new fresh hop edition of the Janet Reno’s Dance Party IPA.
Cheluna Brewing in Aurora earned a silver medal for its Orizaba Cold IPA, and a gold medal for its Luna Nueve Mexican Export Lager collaboration with Prost Brewing. Both are on tap at the Cheluna taproom in Stanley Marketplace and both Prost taprooms.
Diebolt Brewing Co. in Denver earned a silver for the Populator barleywine. An aged 2018 vintage is currently on tap.
Hideaway Park Brewery in Winter Park won a silver for its Skate Juice malt liquor, which is on tap.
Knuckle Puck Brewing has its gold-winning Blown Tire American amber ale available in its Longmont taproom.
Sawtooth Ale from Left Hand Brewing is another Colorado classic that is available in all forms all over the state. It won a gold medal at GABF.
Lone Tree Brewing won silver for its flagship Mexican lager, which is also widely available on taps and in cans.
New Terrain Brewing in Golden has its silver-winning Rise & Climb kolsch on tap, and hosts a Specialized bike demo on Wednesday and a brass band extravaganza on Saturday afternoon.
Odell Brewing released its Big Sippin’ imperial sour ale earlier this month, in tulip glasses and cans, just in time to win a silver medal.
Another pair of widely available Colorado standards won awards. Old Chub Scotch Ale from Oskar Blues Brewery in Longmont earned a bronze, and Prost Brewing in Denver got a silver for its Prost Pilsner. Prost also currently has a lager collaboration on tap (see Cheluna blurb above).
Like some of their beloved punk bands, Ratio Beerworks in Denver figured out it had a quirky hit on their hands and brought back the King of Carrot Flowers saison as a year-round offering last spring. Now it is a gold-medal winner and is on tap at both taprooms and many other fine establishments.
Red Leg Brewing in Colorado Springs has its silver-winning Wunder Bier dark lager on tap and in six packs at its Colorado Springs taproom, which also hosts a bike-toberfest bike show and party on Oct. 7.
Resolute Brewing has its gold-winning Execrator doppelbock, as well as a barrel-aged version, at both its Centennial and Arvada taprooms.
Rock Bottom Brewery won a gold for its Foggy London Town porter, which is available on tap in Denver. Call other locations to check availability.
Seedstock Brewery in Denver earned a timely gold medal for its Oktoberfest Marzen, which is on tap now.
The Empourium Brewing Co. in Denver won a bronze medal for the on-tap Conditions of My Parole coffee blonde ale.
Westbound & Down Brewing won three GABF medals. The gold-winning Westbound Select IPA is not currently on tap. The repeat silver-winning Spirit of the West IPA is on tap in Idaho Springs and Lafayette. The bronze-winning Coloradan cream ale is on tap in Denver, Lafayette and Idaho Springs.
Wild Blue Yonder Brewing in Castle Rock has its silver-winning Scottish Wildcat Scotch Ale on tap.

Other winning beers from Colorado:

Blue Moon Brewing in Denver — Barrel Aged Maibock (silver)

Cannonball Creek Brewing in Golden — Featherweight pale ale (gold)

Coopersmith’s Pub in Fort Collins — She Fancies Herself a Little French (Gold in the pro-am category, shared with homebrewer Mark Pennick)

Dostal Alley Casino & Microbrewery in Central City — The Sauer House Project: Ellie’s Version (silver)

Liquid Mechanics Brewing in Lafayette — Cerveza Mecanica pilsner (silver)

New Belgium Brewing in Fort Collins — Rob's Baltic Porter (silver in the Pro-Am competition, shared with homebrewer Rob Hardisty)

Pumphouse Brewery in Longmont — Forager IPA (silver)

River North Brewery in Denver — Midnight Hike chocolate beer (silver)

Wibby Brewing in Longmont — Wibby Jibby pilsner (gold)