NoCo brewers reap honors

DENVER – Two Fort Collins brewing companies, both accustomed to national recognition for their product quality, each won multiple awards for beers and ales at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver.

Odell Brewing Co. and New Belgium Brewing Co., both of which make beers for national retail distribution, shared the regional spotlight with Fort Collins-based brewpub Coopersmith’s, Highlands Ranch-based CB & Potts, with a Fort Collins restaurant, and brewpub chain Rock Bottom Brewery, with a restaurant in Loveland.

Odell topped the winners’ list with three medals. The company’s new American-style India Pale Ale won a gold medal in that category. Longtime staple Easy Street Wheat won a silver in the American-style wheat beer category, and Odell Extra Special Red won a bronze medal in the double red ale competition.

New Belgium, also a perennial medal winner, was recognized with two bronze medals, one for its Mothership Wit organic wheat beer and another for its Le Terrior ale.

Coopersmith’s won a silver medal for Sigda’s Green Chile beer.

Judges evaluated 2,793 beers from 473 breweries in awarding the medals. Eight percent of all beers entered in the competition earned awards.

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