Last year, Colorado cleaned up at the Great American Beer Festival. With a total of 40 medals (second only to California's 51), Colorado proved it is well on the way to becoming the reigning champion of craft beer. And, since GABF is the Olympics for beer, it's not just about how many medals you win. It's about how many gold medals you win (Colorado took home 14 last year; Michael Phelps would be proud). This year, stop by past winner booths and make time to visit the newbie contenders.

Some of Colorado’s returning Gold Medal winners:

AC Golden Brewing, Golden

Boulder Beer Company, Boulder

Blue Moon, Golden

Bristol Brewing, Colorado Springs Try Old #23 Barley Wine (gold medal, barley wine ale) 

Del Norte Brewing, Denver Try Manana (gold medal, American-style amber lager)

Glenwood Canyon Brewing, Glenwood Springs

Left Hand, Longmont Try Fade to Black (gold medal, foreign-style stout) 

Rock Bottom Brewing, Louisville

Steamworks Brewing, Durango

Yak & Yeti Brew Pub, Westminster

Image from BobbyLikesBeer.com