This Golden brewery has Colorado’s longest awards streak

When 19 Colorado breweries earned medals this past April at the Brewers Association’s World Beer Cup international beer competition, one name came as no surprise: Cannonball Creek Brewing.

The taproom-only brewery in Golden has long been a powerhouse at both the World Beer Cup and its U.S. counterpart, the Great American Beer Festival, collecting 26 medals between the two competitions. In fact, since first entering the Great American Beer Festival in 2013, Cannonball Creek has medaled every year, giving it the second-longest active streak in the country and the longest in Colorado. It’s also medaled at every World Beer Cup through 2023.

But when Cannonball first got started 13 years ago, medal streaks were far from the goal. When it opened along Highway 93 next to a 7-Eleven, it was only the second craft brewery in Golden, after Golden City Brewery (not counting Molson Coors). Just getting customers was the immediate concern. 

“Our only goal was to sell enough beer from the taproom to survive,” says co-owner and Head Brewer Brian Hutchinson. “We were worried about whether or not little old Golden could handle two craft breweries.” 

But Golden was more than ready. On Cannonball’s first day, the line to enter the taproom went out the door. With only four beers on tap, customers drank through the supply so quickly that the brewery had to shut down a few days later to produce more and meet the growing demand. 

Cannonball quickly expanded its lineup, adding beers like Featherweight Pale Ale and Battlecat Stout, which earned the brewery its first accolades at the GABF in 2013, launching the streak that continues today. 

The team behind these beers is no stranger to Colorado’s long history of exceptional craft brewing. Both Hutchinson and co-owner Jason Stengl are alumni of the Mountain Sun family of breweries, a well-known and respected cornerstone of the state’s craft beer scene. 

There, they honed their skills for years alongside Jonathan Lee, who later became the third member of the Cannonball team when the brewery realized it needed additional help. Like Mountain Sun, they chose to remain a taproom only, bucking the distribution model embraced by many other breweries. 

“We take satisfaction in who we are and what we do,” says Hutchinson. “Staying this small allows us to remain hands-on in the brewing process, which is why we got into this in the first place.” 

That ethos is reflected in the brewery’s tap list. While many breweries have embraced trends like Smoothie Sours and Hazy IPAs to attract new customers during a difficult period for the industry, Cannonball Creek Brewing has remained committed to the clear West Coast IPAs and traditional lagers that define its identity. 

“These are the beers we’ve been most passionate about since day one,” Hutchinson says. “These are the beers we drink.”

At this year’s World Beer Cup in April, 293 beers were submitted in the West Coast IPA category, the most entries for any other category at the event. Cannonball Creek’s Project Alpha 81 was declared the best of the bunch. The series is the ultimate embodiment of Cannonball’s love of West Coast IPAs and their thirst for innovation. Originally conceived in 2014 to test new ingredients and brewing processes for improving the flagship Mindbender IPA, the project soon took on a life of its own.

Project Alpha has since become one of Cannonball’s most anticipated beer releases, with each variant adopting its own identity. 

“Designing, brewing, and drinking a new Project Alpha is still one of my favorite things about my job,” Hutchinson says. “It is the never-ending pursuit of the perfect IPA.” 

While the pursuit continues, with Project Alpha 82 and 83 having already been tapped at their brewery, being named the world’s best West Coast IPA has got to feel pretty close to perfection.

As for Golden, it proved more than able to support two breweries. In fact, today eight are pouring in the city or surrounding area (again, not counting Molson Coors).

Cannonball Creek Brewing is located at 393 Washington Ave., Golden, and is open from 2 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, noon to 10 p.m. on Friday, and noon to 9 p.m. Saturday through Sunday. For more information, visit cannonballcreekbrewing.com