The best beers in the Southwest

Dozens of brewers in the Southwest Win Medals at the 2008 Great American Beer Fest


By Angele Sionna


Attention beer lovers - if you weren't able to go to the Great American Beer Fest, don't dispare. You can try many of the best beers without leaving the Southwest!

Here's a look at the brewers in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah who took home gold, silver or bronze medals in the Great American Beer Fest this month.

Category: 4 Fruit or Vegetable Beer - 87 Entries
Bronze: Sangre de Frambuesa, Santa Fe Brewing Co., Santa Fe, NM

Category: 6 Coffee Flavored Beer - 28 Entries
Gold: Java the Hut, CB & Potts Restaurant & Brewery (Flatirons - Westminster), Broomfield, CO
Silver: Big Shot Espresso Stout, Twisted Pine Brewing Co., Boulder, CO
Bronze: Double Espresso Stout, Barley Brothers Brewery and Grill, Lake Havasu City, AZ

Category: 9 Specialty Honey Beer - 33 Entries
Bronze: Honey Moon Summer Ale, Blue Moon Brewing Co., Golden, CO

Category: 11 Other Strong Beer - 32 Entries
Gold: Derail Ale, Durango Brewing Co., Durango, CO

Category: 12 Experimental Beer - 82 Entries
Silver: Fifteen Avery Anniversary Ale, Avery Brewing Co., Boulder, CO

Category: 14 American-Belgo Style Ale - 36 Entries
Silver: Brush Fire Ale, Pump House Restaurant & Brewery, Longmont, CO

Category: 15 American-Style or German-Style Sour Ale - 34 Entries
Bronze: Fifth Element, Squatters Pub Brewery, Salt Lake City, UT

Category: 17 Wood- and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer - 79 Entries
Silver: The Legend of the Liquid Brain Imperial Stout, Bull & Bush Brewery, Denver, CO

Category: 20 Kellerbier/Zwickelbier - 23 Entries
Bronze: Zwickel, Chama River Brewing Co., Albuquerque, NM

Category: 21 Smoke-Flavored Beer - 31 Entries
Bronze: Second Hand Smoke, The SandLot, Denver, CO

Category: 22 International-Style Pilsener - 22 Entries
Silver: Yep, Still Boneheads, The SandLot, Denver, CO

Category: 24 Bohemian-Style Pilsener - 34 Entries
Gold: Pleasantville Pils, Durango Brewing Co., Durango, CO
Silver: Pallavicini Pilsner, Pug Ryans Brewery, Dillon, CO

Category: 25 Munich-Style Helles - 30 Entries
Bronze: BS Helles, The SandLot, Denver, CO

Category: 26 Dortmunder or German-Style Oktoberfest - 16
Entries
Silver: Westy Export, CB & Potts Restaurant & Brewery (Flatirons -
Westminster), Broomfield, CO

Category: 35 German-Style Schwarzbier - 23 Entries
Gold: B3K, Wynkoop Brewing Co., Denver, CO
Silver: Cherny Bock, Bohemian Brewery, Midvale, UT

Category: 36 Bock - 39 Entries
Gold: Goat Rancher, The SandLot, Denver, CO
Bronze: Butt Head Bock, Tommyknocker Brewery, Idaho Springs, CO

Category: 39 Golden or Blonde Ale - 40 Entries
Bronze: All Nighter, Chicago Brewing Co., Las Vegas, NV

Category: 49 Imperial or Double Red Ale - 30 Entries
Silver: Alpha Dog Double Red Ale, Big Dog’s Brewing Co., Las Vegas, NV
Bronze: Weekender Red Ale, Amicas, Salida, CO

Category: 50 Bitter or Pale Mild Ale - 42 Entries
Silver: Hopsmith Pale Ale, Bull & Bush Brewery, Denver, CO
Bronze: Sawtooth Ale, Left Hand Brewing Co., Longmont, CO

Category: 51 Extra Special Bitter or Strong Bitter - 43 Entries
Bronze: Standing Wave Pale Ale, Kannah Creek Brewing Co., Grand
Junction, CO

Category: 53 Irish-Style Red Ale - 31 Entries
Gold: Red Rocks Red Ale, Rock Bottom Brewing, Louisville, CO

Category: 54 English-Style Dark Mild Ale or Brown Ale - 48
Entries
Gold: Sweet George’s Brown, Dillon DAM Brewery, Dillon, CO
Silver: Old Elk Brown Ale, Walnut Brewery, Boulder, CO
Category: 56 German-Style Altbier - 27 Entries
Bronze: All The Way Alt, Desert Edge Brewery, Salt Lake City, UT

Category: 57 South German-Style Hefeweizen - 52 Entries
Gold: Wixa Weiss, Wynkoop Brewing Co., Denver, CO

Category: 58 German-Style Wheat Ale - 32 Entries
Bronze: Wasatch Hefeweizen, Wasatch Brew Pub, Park City, UT

Category: 59 Belgian-Style Witbier - 53 Entries
Gold: Mothership Wit/Organic Wheat Beer, New Belgium Brewing Co.,
Fort Collins, CO
Silver: Belgian Wit, Redrock Brewing Co., Salt Lake City, UT
Bronze: Squatters Wit, Utah Brewers Co-op, Salt Lake City, UT

Category: 64 Belgian-Style Strong Specialty Ale - 44 Entries
Bronze: Golden Armor, CB & Potts Restaurant & Brewery (Highlands
Ranch), Highlands Ranch, CO

Category: 65 Brown Porter - 30 Entries
Bronze: Prospector Porter, Tommyknocker Brewery, Idaho Springs, CO

Category: 66 Robust Porter - 47 Entries
Gold: Nolan’s Porter, Barrio Brewing Co., Tucson, AZ
Silver: Sweet Sanderine Porter, Il Vicino Brewing Co., Albuquerque, NM

Category: 67 Classic Irish-Style Dry Stout - 19 Entries
Silver: Shaft House Stout, Dostal Alley Brewpub & Casino, Central City, CO

Category: 69 American-Style Stout - 23 Entries
Gold: Terminal Stout, Rock Bottom Brewing, Louisville, CO

Category: 70 Sweet Stout - 19 Entries
Silver: Milk Stout, Left Hand Brewing Co., Longmont, CO

Category: 72 Imperial Stout - 44 Entries
Bronze: Yeti Imperial Stout, Great Divide Brewing Co., Denver, CO
To see a full list of winners from all across the country, see beertown.org.