Colorado tastes great at the Great American Beer Fest.

• Author: Dedrick, Jay

We know Colorado makes lots of beer--typically more than any other state in any given year. That's always worth bragging about when bellying up to a bar in, say, California or Texas.

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Quantity's fine, you say, but how about quality? Well, the results of the Great American Beer Festival from September confirm what beer lovers here know to be true: We've got the most AND the best.

Brewers from the Centennial State garnered a total of 45 medals, beating out California's 39 and more than doubling Oregon's 22. Colorado did it with fewer total entries than California, too-459 compared to 594.

California's "Yeah, but ..." is this: The Golden State nabbed the most gold medals, 17 compared to Colorado's 10. Fair enough. But here's how I'd counter that: If you use a weighted scoring system--that is, count each gold medal as three points, a silver as two and a bronze as one--Colorado comes out ahead in total score.

Washington and Pennsylvania--well-known for their beer-loving folk, too--were the only other states in double-digits with medals.

Colorado also made an impressive showing in awards for Brewery and Brewer of the Year. Coors Brewing and David Ryder took honors in the...