Third Annual Krispy King Lager Competition at Barrels & Bottles Brewery To Kick Off 2024 Great American Beer Festival
What began as a pre-GABF gathering of some of Barrels & Bottles craft brewery buddies has become a highly anticipated celebration of world-class lagers that are light bodied, pale colored, and ridiculously enjoyably crispy.
GOLDEN, CO— What’s soon-to-be the most sought-after lager competition returns for the third year at Barrels & Bottles Brewery just before the 2024 Great American Beer Festival® (GABF). The Krispy King Lager Competition is going down on Wednesday, October 9th.
What began as a pre-GABF gathering of some of Barrels & Bottles craft brewery buddies has become a highly anticipated celebration of world-class lagers that are light bodied, pale colored, and ridiculously enjoyably crispy. In years past, the average ABV for beers on tap has been 4.8%. Barrels & Bottles Head Brewer Chris Munda calls it “a never ending search for excellence through crisp, delicious, palatable brew whilst celebrating togetherness.”
This year, 35 breweries are coming from coast to coast to compete in this esteemed competition judged by expert professional brewers. The list of breweries include several Colorado locals Cannonball Creek Brewing, Call To Arms Brewing, and Wibby Brewing; as well as Russian River Brewery, Live Oak Brewing, Green Bench Brewing, and pFriem Family Brewers— just to name a few. Find the complete list at krispykinglager.com.
The 2024 Krispy King Lager Competition is slated for Wednesday, October 9 from 3 to 7pm at Barrels & Bottles Brewery in Golden, Colorado at 1055 Orchard Street. The first, second, and third place competition winners will be announced at 6pm so guests have plenty of time to taste them before the event ends. To further boost FOMO, Trinity Cigar Mobile Lounge will be on site, Boss Battle Arcade Bus will offer free arcade games, Kneadful Rings will serve lager donuts, and TATtered-N-Torn will have a make your own trucker hat setup. Not to mention live music by Andy Eppler from 3 to 5pm, and A-Mac of Kash’d Out from 5 to 8pm. The Barrels & Bottles kitchen on site will be open with food specials, and there will also be wine and cocktails on tap.
Two small buses will be looping from the Denver Convention center to Barrels & Bottles during this event. Guests are also encouraged to travel safely via RTD Train Rail Station, Uber or Lyft, or designated drivers.
The Krispy King Lager Competition is open to the public and free to attend.
Media inquiring about this regal beer competition 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.
Crystal Springs Brewing Co., Great Divide Brewing Co., and Lone Tree Brewing Co. Collaborate on Colorado Sweep Wheat Ale
Colorado Breweries Collaborate on American Fruit Beer after sweeping 2021 GABF Category.
Photo courtesy Nikki A Rae Photography
DENVER, CO— Last year three prized Colorado craft breweries made headlines when they swept the competitive American Fruit Beer category at the 2021 Great American Beer Festival®. Their collaboration brew Colorado Sweep, an American Wheat Ale, is now available at each brewery’s tasting room.
The hardware that the Crystal Springs Blood Orange Kölsch (gold), Great Divide Wild Raspberry Ale (silver), and Lone Tree Peach Pale Ale (bronze) took home last year was the perfect impetus for these Front Range breweries to join forces for a collaboration beer to celebrate and serve at the annual Colorado Brewers Guild Collaboration Fest.
“This idea came about immediately after the GABF awards were announced in September 2021,” says Matt Sandy, Great Divide’s Marketing Manager. The winners were Crystal Springs Blood Orange Kölsch (gold), Great Divide Wild Raspberry Ale (silver), and Lone Tree Peach Pale Ale (bronze). “Because Colorado swept the American Fruited Ale category, we thought it would be fun to collaborate with the other breweries and keyed in on Collaboration Fest as being the perfect arena to celebrate this group effort. Not only has the fest become one of the country’s premier showcases for unique collaborations, it also fell around the same time we were planning on releasing our winning beer, Wild Raspberry Ale, in 6-packs.”
Crystal Springs, Great Divide, and Lone Tree gathered last month to craft an American Wheat Ale with both white and flaked Wheat, and Hallertau Magnum, Saaz, Cascade, and Lemondrop hops to create complexity of body, and refreshing, citrus and fruit-forward flavors. The breweries then added blood orange, raspberry, and peach to represent the fruits in all three of the award winners.
“The combination of fruits contributed by each brewery should create a fun and refreshing beer that we are all excited to share with the public at Collaboration Fest,” says Lone Tree Sales & Marketing Director Dennis Stack.
Festival-goers at Collaboration Fest should be on the lookout for this inspired fruit beer before it’s gone. Catch Colorado Sweep on tap at each brewery’s respective locations while supplies last.
Contact Emily Hutto at hutto@radcraftbeer.com with media inquiries about Colorado Sweep.
ABOUT CRYSTAL SPRINGS BREWING CO.
Crystal Springs Brewing Company is dedicated to brewing craft beer that utilizes the potential of hops, malt, yeast, and adjuncts to make the world a happier and better place. The brewery was started in the owners garage in 2010 and opened in Louisville, CO in 2013 where we have expanded our production to serve the Front Range of Colorado. Visit Crystal Springs online at crystalspringsbrewing.com.
ABOUT GREAT DIVIDE BREWING CO.
Founded in 1994, Great Divide Brewing Company is Denver’s oldest and largest packaging brewery and one of the most decorated breweries in America, recognized for brewing some of the globe’s most balanced yet assertive and flavorful beers. These beers have landed an impressive amount of acclaim, earning 18 Great American Beer Festival® medals, five World Beer Cup® awards and 14 spots on Beer Advocate's "Top Rated Beers: Colorado.” Here at Great Divide, Bold Character isn’t just a catchphrase. It’s the philosophy behind what we brew, how we think and what we believe. For more information visit greatdivide.com.
ABOUT LONE TREE BREWING CO.
Lone Tree Brewing Company was the first brewery to open in Lone Tree, Colorado in Denver’s South Metro area in 2011, and has remained a local staple for a decade. Lone Tree creates community around a stylistically diverse lineup of flagship, seasonal, and limited release beers that are sold in cans and on draft across Colorado, and in select locations in Kansas. Find the brewery online at lonetreebrewingco.com.
Karl Strauss Brewing Company Bottles Renowned Queen of Tarts Dark Sour Ale for the First Time
This Great American Beer Festival® gold medal-winner is one of the most anticipated small batch beer releases of the year.
SAN DIEGO, CA— The queen has returned… this time in bottles! Karl Strauss Brewing Company is re-releasing its highly coveted Barrel Aged Queen of Tarts Dark Sour Ale beginning on September 12th for a limited time. It will be available on draft, and for the first time ever it will also be packaged in 500 mL bottles.
“We are really proud to package Queen of Tarts. People have been asking for this for a long time, and we’re thrilled to be able to meet the demand for this fan-favorite sour ale. Don’t wait around, because it’ll go fast!” says Matt Johnson, Brewmaster of Brewery Operations.
Queen of Tarts is one of the most anticipated small batch beer releases of the year for Karl Strauss. This Great American Beer Festival® award winner, which received a gold medal in the American-Style Sour Ale category, is aged on Michigan-grown tart cherries in first generation red wine barrels. Flavors of French oak, tart cherry, and lightly roasted malts are backed by a lively finish.
“Crack open a fresh bottle and you’ll notice a ton of cherry aroma up front, with a slight oaky flavor and a clean, lactic sourness. But these bottles will also cellar really nicely. Expect that cherry flavor to become a little more subdued and the lactic sourness to round out. I am really looking forward to trying this batch of Queen again in a few years!” says Sean Albrecht, Head Brewer.
Queen of Tarts will be available on draft and in 500mL bottles beginning on September 12th for a limited time at Karl Strauss’ Tasting Room and Brewpubs.
For more information on Queen of Tarts, contact Emily Hutto at coop@radcraftbeer.com.
ABOUT KARL STRAUSS BREWING COMPANY
Karl Strauss Brewing Company has been proudly independent since 1989, pioneering the craft beer scene with innovative and award-winning beer releases like Aurora Hoppyalis IPA, Queen of Tarts Dark Sour, and Boat Shoes Hazy IPA. For more information, visit www.karlstrauss.com or call the brewery at (858) 273-2739. Share it. Cheers.
Last Minute Liquor Store Luck Leads to Ska GABF Gold
Ska Brewing was awarded a gold medal for its Oktoberfest at 2018 GABF, but not without a little last-minute drama.
DURANGO, CO— Over the weekend, OG craft lager brewery Ska Brewing was awarded a gold medal for its Oktoberfest in the Vienna-Style Lager category at the 2018 Great American Beer Festival, but not without a little last-minute drama.
Ska listed their newly released Oktoberfest when filling out the original festival entry form, but were caught off-guard when it came time to ship the competition beers and they had none. “The beer was so popular that we sold through it before we had a chance to hold any back to ship,” said Kristen Muraro, Sales and Marketing Director at Ska. “I had to run to the liquor store to buy one of the last 6-packs in Durango to ship to the competition.”
Ska’s Oktoberfest is crafted with 100 percent German-sourced Munich and Vienna malts that impart nutty, bready, toasty flavors, all balanced by Noble hops. It finishes clean and crisp. Ska are proud producers of Colorado’s first craft lager in a can, Mexican Logger, and as Muraro notes, the Oktoberfest was a natural addition to Ska’s portfolio; “this classic style really took hold in the Americas when German-speaking immigrants brought their recipes and brewing practices to Mexico in the mid-19th century.”
Ska Oktoberfest is still available while supplies last on tap at the brewery’s World Headquarters in Durango, and will return again for the fall season in 2019.
Contact Emily Hutto at coop@radcraftbeer.com for more information about Ska Brewing or their new, award-winning Oktoberfest craft lager.
ABOUT SKA BREWING
Based in Durango, Colorado, Ska Brewing was founded in 1995 and produces more than a dozen award-winning beers fueled with Ska music, and lots of it. Pioneers in the canned craft beer movement, Ska Brewing is known for an array of styles in 12 oz cans that include Mexican Logger, Modus Hoperandi, Pink Vapor Stew, and Rue B. Soho. For information (a lot of it), more music, and a good time, visit www.skabrewing.com.
(Rad)Craft Night at Strange Craft, Monday September 17
This GABF kickoff event features Colorado beer author Ed Sealover and local wood designer and manufacturer Spooky Bat Designs
RadCraft is taking over Monday night Craft Night at Strange Craft to kick off the 2018 Great American Beer Festival!
Colorado beer author Ed Sealover will join us to sign copies of his book Colorado Excursions with History, Hikes and Hops. From 6-6:15, 21+ guests can enjoy Strange Craft samples while Ed talks shop.
Guests can also enjoy a showcase local wood designer and manufacturer Spooky Bat Designs. Spooky Bat makes custom tap handles, coasters, wooden magnets, wooden bookmarks, and so much more.
The first 20 guests to arrive at this event get a free pretzel necklace-making kit to ready themselves for the Great American Beer Festival!
Lone Tree Brewing Wins Two Great American Beer Festival Medals for Mexican Lager and Hop Zombie IPA
Lone Tree Brewing Company was awarded a gold medal for its Mexican Lager and a silver medal for its Hop Zombie IPA at the 2017 Great American Beer Festival®.
Photos by Colin Bridge
LONE TREE, CO — Lone Tree Brewing Company was awarded a gold medal for its Mexican Lager and a silver medal for its Hop Zombie IPA at the 2017 Great American Beer Festival® in the American Style Lager or Light Lager category and the Imperial Red Ale categories, respectively.
When Lone Tree’s Mexican Lager, formerly known as Summer Siesta, won a silver medal in the American Style Lager category in 2015, Lone Tree became the first independently owned craft brewery to win in the style category (followed closely by Sycamore Brewing who won a bronze medal in the category). “Our gold medal is a monumental achievement. It speaks to our quality, consistency and flavor,” says Lone Tree Head Brewer Josh West.
Mexican Lager is distributed year-round in canned 6-packs across Colorado and in select locations in Kansas and Nebraska.
The cult-followed Hop Zombie IPA comes out just once each year, during which time it has only been available on-draft and in limited bombers out of the brewery’s tasting room in Lone Tree, Colorado.
“These medals express to the beer world that we are relevant, passionate and committed to producing the highest quality craft beer possible,” adds West.
“The Mexican Lager was our way to prove to the beer consumer that sometimes less is more,” says Lone Tree Sales Director Bridgette Geiger. “The Hop Zombie was our way of saying if you take quality ingredients and craft them just right— and have a little fun in the process— good things happen.”
For more information about the winning beers or with any other media inquiries about Lone Tree Brewing Co., contact Emily Hutto at coop@radcraftbeer.com.
ABOUT LONE TREE BREWING COMPANY
Lone Tree Brewing Company was the first brewery in Lone Tree, Colorado that opened near Park Meadows Mall in 2011. The neighborhood-focused, family-friendly brewery and tasting room regularly hosts community events that gather around a stylistically diverse lineup of flagship, seasonal, and limited release beers. Lone Tree's cans and 22-ounce bombers are sold across the state of Colorado, as well as Kansas and Nebraska. Its draft beer is poured at many bars and restaurants in its distribution footprint as well. Find the brewery online at lonetreebrewingco.com.
Hop Zombie IPA Returns To Lone Tree
On September 30, Lone Tre Brewing Co. guests who purchase a case of Hop Zombie IPA will be entered into a raffle to win two tickets to the Saturday afternoon session of the Great American Beer Festival®.
Photo by Colin Bridge
LONE TREE, CO — Hop Zombie Day is creepin’ on up. On Saturday, September 30 Lone Tree Brewing Company will release bombers of Hop Zombie Imperial Red IPA and serve the beer on draft. Hop Zombie typically sells out in one day.
Hop Zombie is Lone Tree Brewing’s most anticipated release of the year. It’s a complex, bold IPA that’s deep red in color, with rich malt character balanced by huge hop flavor and aroma created by eight different hops. Hop Zombie is a beer brewed to bring you back from the grave, weighing in at 8.9 percent ABV and 90 IBUs. A very limited number of bombers will be available at the brewery only, and bottles cannot be reserved in advance.
Brewery guests who purchase a case, or 12 bombers, of Hop Zombie will be entered into a raffle to win two tickets to the Saturday afternoon session of the Great American Beer Festival®.
For more information about this famed beer or its history, contact Emily Hutto at coop@radcraftbeer.com.
ABOUT LONE TREE BREWING COMPANY
Lone Tree Brewing Company was the first brewery in Lone Tree, Colorado that opened near Park Meadows Mall in 2011. The neighborhood-focused, family-friendly brewery and tasting room regularly hosts community events that gather around a stylistically diverse lineup of flagship, seasonal, and limited release beers. Lone Tree's cans and 22-ounce bombers are sold across the state of Colorado, as well as Kansas and Nebraska. Its draft beer is poured at many bars and restaurants in its distribution footprint as well. Find the brewery online at lonetreebrewingco.com.