Craft brew’s allure grows

Craft brew’s allure grows

Denver festival reflects state’s thriving industry
Several regional breweries bring home top honors

DENVER — Four Corners breweries shined like gold at the country’s largest beer competition this weekend, bringing home top honors in four categories at the Great American Beer Festival.
Carver Brewing Co., Pagosa Brewing Co., Ska Brewing Co. and Steamworks Brewing Co. all won gold medals. Last year, Telluride Brewing Co. was the only brewery in the region to win a medal.
Carver’s Jeff Albarella won for his Munich Dunkel. He studied brewing in Munich, which he said helped him perfect a style of beer that’s complicated to brew.
Carver’s owner Michael Hurst was happy to see so many small brewpubs winning medals.
“It feels great for Jeff to get the recognition, because he’s been making outstanding beer,” Hurst said.
Southwest Colorado’s gold-medal beers are:
Pagosa’s Peachy Peach, for fruit wheat beer.
Ska’s True Blonde, for English-style summer ale.
Steamworks’ Slam Dunkel, for German-style wheat.
Carver’s Munich Dunkel, for European-style dunkel.
Steamworks owner Kris Oyler already had a wall full of GABF medals from previous years.
“It gets harder and harder. People are getting more technical. They’re getting more trained,” Oyler said Thursday, before the awards were announced. “If you win a medal with this many breweries, you’re doing something right.”
jhanel@cortezjournal.com

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