Festival Moves Outdoors For The First Time As Colorado Breweries Bring Home National Honors
by Mark Smiley
Beer Festival Under The Sun: Craft beer enthusiasts enjoy sunny skies while sampling beers from breweries across the country at the 2026 Great American Beer Festival.
The Great American Beer Festival traded convention center walls for Colorado sunshine this year, marking a dramatic change for one of the nation’s most celebrated craft beer events. Held October 10 and 11, 2026, at Denver’s Levitt Pavilion, the festival moved from its longtime home at the Colorado Convention Center to an outdoor setting featuring live music, craft beer, and a more relaxed atmosphere.
The change represented one of the most significant transformations in the festival’s history. Rather than navigating the enormous exhibit halls of the convention center, attendees experienced a festival designed around the outdoor venue, with an emphasis on connecting directly with the brewers behind their favorite beers.
A New Era For The Great American Beer Festival: The official artwork for the 2026 Great American Beer Festival celebrates the event’s move to Levitt Pavilion in Denver’s Ruby Hill Park. Held October 10–11, the festival embraced Colorado’s outdoor culture while showcasing award-winning craft beers from across the country.
The Brewers Association, which organizes the event, said the move was intended to create a fresh experience that better reflected Colorado’s outdoor culture. “Taking the festival outdoors lets us reimagine what’s possible,” said Ann Obenchain, vice president of marketing and communications for the Brewers Association, when the new location was announced.
Colorado Breweries Strike Gold
While the venue attracted considerable attention, Colorado breweries once again demonstrated why the state remains one of the country’s premier craft beer destinations. The competition attracted 7,267 beer and cider entries evaluated by 225 judges over three days. Nationally, 243 breweries and cideries earned a combined 336 medals.
Among the Colorado winners was Glendale’s own Bull & Bush Brewery, which captured a gold medal for its Pineapple 3 Way in the Belgian-Style Fruit Beer category. The recognition adds another prestigious national honor to the longstanding brewery’s accomplishments.
A New Home For Beer Lovers: A glass bearing the Great American Beer Festival logo overlooks Denver’s Levitt Pavilion, the festival’s new outdoor home at Ruby Hill Park. The 2026 event marked a major departure from its longtime location at the Colorado Convention Center.
Other Colorado gold medal winners included Los Dos Potrillos Cervecería in Parker for Agua Fresca in the American Fruit Beer category, Cannonball Creek Brewing Co. in Golden for Mindbender in the American-Style Strong Pale Ale category, and Verboten Brewing in Loveland for Grow Old With You in the Barley Wine or Wheat Wine category.
Denver’s Sandlot Brewery at Coors Field earned gold for Calamansi Wheat in the Fruit Wheat Beer category, while The Empourium Brewing Co. took gold for Honey Panda in the Specialty Beer category.
Bent Barley Brewing Company in Aurora also captured gold for its Dry Irish Stout, and Dostal Alley Brewpub & Casino in Central City won gold for Jacob Mack Mild Ale in the Craft Malt Beer category.
More Colorado Breweries
Earn Recognition
Colorado’s success extended beyond the gold medals. New Belgium Brewing in Fort Collins earned silver for Trippel, while Avery Brewing in Boulder took silver for White Rascal in the Belgian-Style Witbier category. River North Brewery in Denver received bronze for Quandary, and Golden’s Cannonball Creek added a bronze medal for Trump Hands in the Session India Pale Ale category.
Colorado cider producers also enjoyed success. Aurora’s Haykin Family Cider captured gold and silver in the Experimental, Barrel-Aged or Specialty Cider category, while Snow Capped Cider in Austin, Colorado, swept all three medals in the No/Low Tannin Cider category.
A New Chapter For A Denver Tradition
Founded in 1982, the Great American Beer Festival has grown into one of the country’s most prestigious beer competitions and tasting events. Its annual gathering has helped establish Denver’s reputation as a national center for craft brewing.
The 2026 festival also reflected changes in the industry, introducing competition categories for rice lager, hop water, and additional gluten-free beer styles.
Moving outdoors was a bold departure from the familiar convention center experience, but it also gave organizers an opportunity to rethink the event’s format and create a stronger connection between brewers and attendees.
