Barrels & Bottles Brewery Presents The Fifth Annual Krispy King Lager Competition

Barrels & Bottles Krispy King Lager Competition:

Golden, Colorado, is getting ready for another celebration of crisp, clean and highly drinkable lager as Barrels & Bottles Brewery prepares to host the fifth annual Barrels & Bottles Krispy King Lager Competition. What began as a gathering of local brewery friends has grown into one of the area’s standout pre-Great American Beer Festival beer events, with the 2026 competition bringing an impressive 47 lagers to Golden.

The 2026 Barrels & Bottles Krispy King Lager Competition will feature breweries from more than 15 states, with nearly half of the competing breweries coming from Colorado. The event also brings together returning champions, first-time competitors, special VIP lagers and plenty of entertainment, creating a full day built around one of craft beer’s most deceptively difficult styles: the crisp, clean lager.

For lager fans heading toward the 2026 Great American Beer Festival season, Krispy King offers a chance to sample dozens of carefully brewed lagers while enjoying live music, food and plenty of Golden beer culture. Barrels & Bottles has also continued to position its Camp George West location as a community gathering place for beer, food and events.

Here is the full announcement from Barrels & Bottles Brewery:

GOLDEN, CO— Returning for its fifth year, the majestic Barrels & Bottles Krispy King Lager Competition at Barrels & Bottles Brewery will serve its largest assortment of lagers yet— with 47 expressions from across the country competing for the crown. This renowned Great American Beer Festival pre-game is going down on Thursday, October 8.

Brewers from more than 15 states will compete for the title of crispiest, cleanest, most excellent lager at this famed event, which will also feature live music from A-Mac of Kash’d, and emcee and DJ Matthew Rising. There will be eats from Woody’s Wood Fired Pizza, onsite screen printing of Krispy King tees, and a DIY trucker hat station. 

The 2026 celebration will include a brewer’s VIP tent with two lagers made by Cannonball Creek Brewing (the 2025 Krispy King champions) and Bierstadt Lagerhaus (returning judges and Krispy King supporters since day one). Cannonball Creek is serving an Italian Pilsner made with Adeena hops from Crosby Hops, malt from Root Shoot Malting, and yeast from the Brewing Science Institute (BSI). This lager will be canned and available for purchase to-go. The featured Bierstadt collaboration was made with hops from Charles Faram, Synergy Select Pils malt from Briess Malt, and yeast from BSI. 

On the list of 2026 Krispy King competitors are more past winners Wayfinder Beer, as well as first-time participants Blind Tiger Brewery & Restaurant, Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co., Good Word Brewing, Lucky Envelope Brewing, Schilling Beer Co, Urban Roots Brewing, and Wooly Pig Farm Brewery. Nearly half of the breweries hail from Colorado, with entrants from across the state. Find the complete list of breweries bringing krispy lagers that are less than 5.5% ABV at krispykinglager.com. 

The top five Krispy King Lager Competition winners will be announced at 7pm. The brewer that comes in first will earn the distinguished Krispy King crown and cape, and the reverence of lager lovers everywhere. 

“Five years ago we just invited a few of our local brewery friends and drank some delicious, light, crispy lagers. We never thought this event would grow to what it is today,” say Barrels & Bottles Founders Abby and Zach George. “Now, we are still drinking delicious, light, crispy lagers with our old and new friends. We can’t ask for much more than that!” 

DAY OF DETAILS

When: Thursday, October 8 from 2 to 9pm 

Where: Barrels & Bottles Brewery in Golden, Colorado at 1055 Orchard Street. 

The Krispy King Lager Competition is open to the public and free to attend. 

Transportation from Downtown Denver to Barrels & Bottles Brewery is currently being coordinated, and details will be available soon at krispykinglager.com. Guests are encouraged to travel safely via RTD Train Rail Station, Uber or Lyft, or designated drivers. 

ABOUT BARRELS & BOTTLES BREWERY

Barrels & Bottles Brewery was formed in Abby and Zach George’s mind many years before they opened their first location in 2013. They met overseas and both found a passion for great people, food and drinks. Nowadays you can find them at their Camp George West location, either pouring you a beer, serving you food and or enjoying a pint with friends and neighbors. Learn more at barrelsbottles.com.

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