Colorado Brewers Bag Nearly Two Dozen Awards at World Beer Cup

Colorado’s craft brewers had another strong showing at the annual World Beer Cup awards on April 22 during the Craft Brewers Conference in Philadelphia, with nineteen breweries collecting a total of 23 medals.

Colorado brewers grabbed both gold and silver medals in the most crowded category, West Coast-style IPA, which had 293 entries. Cannonball Creek Brewing in Golden took gold for its Project Alpha 81, while Crystal Springs Brewing Company in Louisville took silver for Mosaic Madness.

“Colorado continues to showcase why we are the state of craft beer,” says Colorado Brewers Guild executive director Shawnee Adelson. “Taking both silver and gold in West Coast-Style IPA, the most competitive category in the competition, is a testament to our brewers’ skill and creativity.”

The state’s medal leader was River North Brewery for the second year in a row. They earned a gold in the coffee beer category for Squirrels Just Want to Have Fun and silvers for Espresso Hello Darkness in coffee stout or porter and Pumpkin Spice J. Marie, a pumpkin/squash or pumpkin spice beer.

A number of breweries and specific beers continued to assert themselves year after year. The Post earned its third straight medal for East County Fine Malt Liquor, in the other strong beer category, while Verboten Brewing stretched its winning streak to five years. Verboten also saw its barley wine, Grow Old With You, take its fourth straight medal, tying a previous winner from Glenwood Canyon Brewing for the most-awarded Colorado beer at the World Beer Cup.

“With nine beers earning World Beer Cup medals for at least the second time, it’s clear that Colorado doesn’t just make world-class beer — we make it consistently,” Adelson says.

Six breweries also bagged their first WBC medal: Crystal Springs, Hideaway Park Brewery, Liquid Mechanics Brewing, Lone Tree Brewing, Los Dos Potrillos, and Peculier Ales.

The World Beer Cup dates back to 1996, when the Brewers Association created it to celebrate the art and science of brewing for an international field. The 2026 WBC included more than 8,100 beers from 1,644 breweries in fifty countries competing in 113 style categories.

Gold Medal Winners:
• River North Brewery: Squirrels Just Want to Have Fun (Coffee Beer)
• Bull & Bush Brewery: Ghoul Fuel-Rum Diaries Edition (Wood and Barrel-Aged Beer)
• Ska Brewing: True Blonde (English-Style Pale Ale)
• Cannonball Creek Brewing Co: Project Alpha 81 (West Coast-Style India Pale Ale )

Silver Medal Winners:
• River North Brewery: Pumpkin Spice J. Marie (Pumpkin/Squash or Pumpkin Spice Beer)
• River North Brewery: Espresso Hello Darkness (Coffee Stout or Porter)
• Bull & Bush Brewery: Kauai Pie (Dessert or Pastry Beer)
• Odell Brewing Company: Friek (Fruited American-Style Sour Ale)
• Peculiar: Barenbrau Bock (German-Style Bock or Maibock)
• Hideaway Park Brewery: Little Mac (Australian-Style Pale Ale)
• Verboten Brewing: Grow Old With You (Barley Wine-Style Ale)
• Westbound & Down – Westbound Mill: Trade Deficit (Export Stout)
• Telluride Brewing: Face Down Brown (American-Style Brown Ale)
• Cannonball Creek Brewing Co: Mindbender (American-Style Strong Pale Ale)
• Crystal Springs Brewing Co: Mosaic Madness (West Coast-Style India Pale Ale)

Bronze Medal Winners:
• Los Dos Potrillos Cerveceria: Agua Fresca (Fruit Beer)
• Liquid Mechanics Brewing Company: El Poblano Borracho (Chili Beer)
• The Empourium Brewing Company: Animals Strikes Curious Poses (Honey Beer)
• The Post Brewing Co: East County Fine Malt Liquor (Other Strong Beer)
• Ratio Beerworks: Dear You (American-Belgo-Style Ale)
• Stodgy Brewing Company: Gin Barrel Sour Red (American-Style Sour or Wood & Barrel Aged Sour Beer)
• Lone Tree Brewing Company: Mexican Lager (Mexican-Style Pale Lager)
• 12Degree Brewing: Cactus Juice (Berliner-Style Weisse)

The full awards list can be found at WorldBeerCup.org.