Colorado's world (beer) champs.

• Author: Jones, Marty
• Position: The beer guy

To quote roots rocker Webb Wilder, "You're never too small to hit the big time." Kevin DeLange understands this more than any brewer in Colorado these days. A few weeks ago he stepped across a stage before thousands of his peers at the World Beer Cup awards ceremony in Seattle. There, he accepted a prestigious gold medal for his HMS Victory ESB, in the competition's Special/Best Bitter Bracket.

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But while the ceremony (the beer world's equivalent to Oscar night) bestowed medals on the biggest and best from around the globe, DeLange's Aurora outfit is one of the world's smallest. His prize is proof that size doesn't matter when it comes to making the planet's best beers.

DeLange and his partner, Kevin Kellogg, are self-taught homebrewers. A few months ago they added a tiny brewery next door to their homebrew supply store, and launched themselves into the brewing business.

The accolade from the WBC is big for them. "We always knew the beer was good," DeLange says, "but to have that judging panel, in that competition verify it for us, that's a big honor."

Colorado's craft brewers claimed 12 medals in the competition, tying the state with Washington for third place for most medals per state. (Behind California and Wisconsin.)

Denver's Flying Dog Brewery won a silver medal for its Old Scratch in the American-style amber lager category. Lefthand Brewing Co. (in Longmont) won a gold medal for its delightful Milk Stout, while Boulder Beer's Never Summer Ale landed a silver medal in the strong ale category.

Among the state's smaller craft breweries, little Tommyknocker Brewery in Idaho Springs brought home a silver for its Jack Whacker Wheat, and a gold for its Butthead Bock. Boulder's Twisted Pine won a pair of medals, too, for its Northstar Imperial Porter and Big Daddy Espresso Stout. Other micros winning medals were the Bull & Bush (in Glendale) which won a medal in the English-style IPA category for its wonderfully hoppy Man Beer.

The state's microbrewers arguably land more national recognition that any Colorado industry. Still, the WBC medals are a wonderful bonus for their winners.

"We're pretty giddy," says Flying Dog president Eric Warner. "Having (Old Scratch) win back-to-back golds at the Great American Beer...