Barrels & Bottles Brewery Presents The Fifth Annual Krispy King Lager Competition

2025 Krispy King Lager Competition winners: Cannonball Creek Brewing

GOLDEN, CO— Returning for its fifth year, the majestic Krispy King Lager Competition at Barrels & Bottles Brewery will serve its largest assortment of lagers yet— with 47 expressions from across the country competing for the crown. This renowned Great American Beer Festival pre-game is going down on Thursday, October 8.

Brewers from more than 15 states will compete for the title of crispiest, cleanest, most excellent lager at this famed event, which will also feature live music from A-Mac of Kash'd, and emcee and DJ Matthew Rising. There will be eats from Woody's Wood Fired Pizza, onsite screen printing of Krispy King tees, and a DIY trucker hat station. 

The 2026 celebration will include a brewer’s VIP tent with two lagers made by Cannonball Creek Brewing (the 2025 Krispy King champions) and Bierstadt Lagerhaus (returning judges and Krispy King supporters since day one). Cannonball Creek is serving an Italian Pilsner made with Adeena hops from Crosby Hops, malt from Root Shoot Malting, and yeast from the Brewing Science Institute (BSI). This lager will be canned and available for purchase to-go. The featured Bierstadt collaboration was made with hops from Charles Faram, Synergy Select Pils malt from Briess Malt, and yeast from BSI. 

On the list of 2026 Krispy King competitors are more past winners Wayfinder Beer, as well as first-time participants Blind Tiger Brewery & Restaurant, Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co., Good Word Brewing, Lucky Envelope Brewing, Schilling Beer Co, Urban Roots Brewing, and Wooly Pig Farm Brewery. Nearly half of the breweries hail from Colorado, with entrants from across the state. Find the complete list of breweries bringing krispy lagers that are less than 5.5% ABV at krispykinglager.com. 

The top five Krispy King Lager Competition winners will be announced at 7pm. The brewer that comes in first will earn the distinguished Krispy King crown and cape, and the reverence of lager lovers everywhere. 

“Five years ago we just invited a few of our local brewery friends and drank some delicious, light, crispy lagers. We never thought this event would grow to what it is today,” say Barrels & Bottles Founders Abby and Zach George. “Now, we are still drinking delicious, light, crispy lagers with our old and new friends. We can't ask for much more than that!” 

DAY OF DETAILS

When: Thursday, October 8 from 2 to 9pm 

Where: Barrels & Bottles Brewery in Golden, Colorado at 1055 Orchard Street. 

The Krispy King Lager Competition is open to the public and free to attend. 

Transportation from Downtown Denver to Barrels & Bottles Brewery is currently being coordinated, and details will be available soon at krispykinglager.com. Guests are encouraged to travel safely via RTD Train Rail Station, Uber or Lyft, or designated drivers. 

Media inquiring about Krispy King can contact Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com.

ABOUT BARRELS & BOTTLES BREWERY

Barrels & Bottles Brewery was formed in Abby and Zach George’s mind many years before they opened their first location in 2013. They met overseas and both found a passion for great people, food and drinks. Nowadays you can find them at their Camp George West location, either pouring you a beer, serving you food and or enjoying a pint with friends and neighbors. Learn more at barrelsbottles.com.

Barrels & Bottles Brewery to Tap Pliny the Younger from Russian River Brewing Company

GOLDEN, CO— Eureka! Gold is struck one again in the foothills of the Rockies as the coveted, extremely rare release of Russian River Brewing Company’s Triple IPA, Pliny the Younger finds its way to Barrels & Bottles Brewery and on tap Sunday, February 17 for one day only.

Pliny the Younger will grace Barrels & Bottles beginning at 1pm. The brewery will begin distributing tickets at 11am which will guarantee holders an 8 oz. pour for $8 and is redeemable until 5pm on February 17. All tickets will be given on a first come first served basis.

Elite Brands of Colorado will be donating proceeds from all sales of Pliny the Younger will benefit Sense of Security— an organization dedicated to the support of Coloradans living with breast cancer by providing aid for housing, food, transportation, and other basic living expenses of patients. In addition, Barrels and Bottles will be donating $1 for every pint of Pliny the Younger sold.

In addition to a special tapping of Pliny the Younger, Barrels & Bottles will also have Russian Rivers famed double IPA, Pliny the Elder available on tap throughout the day while supplies last

For more information about Barrels & Bottles and their world-class tap list contact Emily Hutto at coop@radcraftbeer.com.

About Pliny the Younger

Pliny the Younger is considered a “triple” IPA, simply meaning that it is higher in alcohol and has tons of hops. The alcohol should finish at about 10.25%, although it is remarkably dry for the amount of malt used in the recipe. It is loaded with hop flavors, bitterness, and aromatics. The hops used in this year’s recipe are of excellent quality from the 2018 harvest: Warrior, Amarillo, Simcoe, Centennial, CTZ, Chinook, Crystal, and Citra. Russian River brewed Younger for the first time in 2005 as a winter seasonal, building upon the Pliny the Elder recipe while pushing the envelope with malt, hops, and alcohol just to see how far they could go!

About Barrels & Bottles Brewery

Zach and Abby George opened Barrels & Bottles on 12th Street in downtown Golden in October 2013. The brewpub has 27 beer taps, 24 wines on tap, and a slushie machine for serving its infamous wine slushies. Barrels & Bottles also serves farm-fresh food menu with cheese platters, baguettes, and various beer-friendly small plates. The brewpub was named Golden Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year in 2014. Find Barrels & Bottles online at barrelsbottles.com.