Seven Medal-Winning Beers. One Colorado Malthouse.
- Jul 31
- 2 min read
Updated: Aug 3
We'll say it.
We get irrationally excited when our Root Shoot breweries win beer medals.
Not because shiny medals are cool (okay...they are), but because every medal-winning beer starts somewhere. And for seven beers recognized at this year's U.S. Open Beer Championship, that story started in our barley fields before ever reaching a brewhouse.
The U.S. Open Beer Championship is one of the largest beer competitions in the country, with over 8,000 entries judged across more than 150 beer styles. Whether it's a crisp Kölsch, a rich stout, or a perfectly balanced lager, only the best beers earn a spot on the podium.
This year, Colorado breweries brought home 30 medals, continuing the state's reputation as one of America's premier brewing destinations. Even better? Seven of those medal-winning beers were brewed with Root Shoot malts.
Now that's worth raising a pint to.
Meet the Medal Winners
These breweries didn't just make great beer. They made some of the best beer in America. And let's be clear, we're not claiming the medals. The brewers dreamed up the recipes, nailed the fermentation, dialed in the water chemistry, and brewed beers worthy of national recognition.
We just happened to grow the grain.
...Okay, and malt it.
Turns out those two things matter quite a bit.
🥇 Gold – Honey Kölsch
Bent Barley Brewing Co.
100% Root Shoot Malt: Genie Pale & Honey Malt
🥇 Gold – Professor Funk 601
Gilded Goat Brewing Company
100% Root Shoot Malt: Pilsner Malt, Malted Wheat & Raw Wheat
🥈 Silver – Meandering Wheat
Gilded Goat Brewing Company
100% Root Shoot Malt: Pilsner Malt, Malted Wheat & Raw Wheat
🥈 Silver – ESB
Old 121 Brewhouse
Featuring Root Shoot White Wheat & Munich 4
🥉 Bronze – Old 121 Lager
Old 121 Brewhouse
100% Root Shoot Malt: Pilsner, Malted Corn & Munich 4
🥉 Bronze – Festbier
Los Dos Potrillos Cervecería
100% Root Shoot Malt: Pilsner, Munich 10, Vienna & Chit Malt
🥉 Bronze – Spotted Dog Stout
Pumphouse Brewery
100% Root Shoot Malt: Genie Pale & White Wheat
Seven Beers. Seven Different Stories.
One of our favorite parts of this year's results? These weren't seven versions of the same beer.
A Kölsch. A wheat beer. A funky ale. An ESB. A lager. A Festbier. A stout.
Different brewers. Different styles. Different approaches.
The common denominator was the commitment to quality from grain to glass, and that's exactly why we do what we do.
Congratulations to Bent Barley Brewing Co., Gilded Goat Brewing Company, Old 121 Brewhouse, Los Dos Potrillos Cervecería, and Pumphouse Brewery on an incredible showing at the U.S. Open Beer Championship.
Thanks for trusting us with your grain.
We'll keep growing the barley.
You keep giving the judges difficult decisions. 🍻
