| Industry | Alcoholic beverage |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1994 |
| Founder(s) | Brian Dunn |
| Headquarters | Denver, Colorado, USA |
| Products | Beer |
| Website | http://www.greatdivide.com |
Great Divide Brewing Company was founded by Brian Dunn in 1994 in Denver, Colorado, USA.[1] Three months after brewing its first batch of beer, it won the first of the brewery's twelve Great American Beer Festival and four World Beer Cup awards.[2] By 2007, Great Divide was ranked by RateBeer.com as the 23rd best brewery in the world with three of the world's top 100 beers. In December 2008, Beer Advocate magazine ranked them as the seventh best brewery on the planet.
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Due to a 45% increase in sales in 2007, the brewery was forced to expand. In September 2008, Great Divide opened a new brewery that tripled its production. At the same time, they changed the art on all of their labels.[3]
Great Divide Brewing Company was founded with the notion of brewing strong beers, which are defined as having an alcohol content greater than 7%. Six of the thirteen beers made by Great Divide in 2006 exceeded this threshold, and one, Old Ruffian, has over 10.2% alcohol content, which is twice that of America's top selling beer Budweiser.[4] “I also think that brewers like to sell the beer that they like to drink." Dunn said, "And as people who can and do drink beer all day long, it’s obviously more interesting for us to drink big beers that are long on flavor and complexity.”[4]
When Invesco Field, the home of the Denver Broncos, opened in 2001, Great Divide's Denver Pale Ale (DPA) was one of only three craft beers selected to be sold at the stadium. Dunn indicated that Denver Pale Ale was selected because it had won more national and international awards than any other Colorado beer.[5] In 2000, Denver chef Bill Clifford made a Braised DPA Lamb Shank for the White House Tree Lighting Ceremony.[6] In 1997, Great Divide beer was used in the NBC miniseries Asteroid.[7]
| Beer | Competition | Category | Year | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hercules Double IPA | Australian International Beer Awards | 2008 | Silver Medal | |
| Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout | Australian International Beer Awards | Wood Aged Beer | 2008 | Silver Medal |
| Titan IPA | Australian International Beer Awards | Indian Pale Ale | 2008 | Silver Medal |
| Hercules Double Pale Ale | Australian International Beer Awards | 2007 | Gold Medal | |
| Hibernation Ale | US Beer Tasting Championship | Old/Strong Ale | Winter 2007 | Regional Champion |
| Old Aged Yeti Imperial Stout | European Beer Star | Stout | Nuremberg 2007 | Silver Medal |
| Old Aged Yeti Imperial Stout | Australian International Beer Awards | Wood Aged Beer | 2007 | Bronze Medal |
| St Bridget's Porter | Stockholm Beer and Whisky Festival | Porter/stout | 2007 | Silver Medal |
| Samurai | US Beer Tasking Championship | Golden Ale/Kolsch | Summer 2007 | Best of the Rockies |
| Titan IPA | European Beer Star | Indian Pale Ale | Nuremberg 2007 | Silver Medal |
| Titan IPA | Australian International Beer Awards | Indian Pale Ale | 2007 | Silver Medal |
| Titan IPA | US Beer Tasking Championship | Indian Pale Ale | Summer 2007 | Best of the Rockies |
| Wild Raspberry Ale | US Beer Tasting Championship | Fruit Beer | Summer 2007 | Best of the Rockies |
| Wild Raspberry Ale | US Beer Tasting Championship | Fruit Beer | Summer 2007 | Best of the Rockies |
| Yeti Imperial Stout | US Beer Tasting Championship | Imperial Stout | Winter 2007 | Regional Champion |
| Denver Pale Ale | Great American Beer Festival | Classic English-Style Pale Ale | 2006 | Bronze Medal |
| Denver Pale Ale | US Beer Tasting Championship | Pale Ale | Summer 2006 | Best of the Rockies/Southwest |
| Hercules Double IPA | International Beer C0. | 2006 | Worlds 50 Best Beers | |
| Hibernation Ale | Great American Beer Festival | Aged Beer | 2006 | Silver Medal |
| Old Ruffian Barley Wine | Great American Beer Festival | Barley Wine | 2006 | Gold Medal |
| Old Ruffian Barley Wine | US Beer Tasting Championship | Barley Wine | Winter 2006 | Grand Champion |
| Old Ruffian Barley Wine | US Beer Tasting Champion | Barley Wine | Winter 2005 | Regional Champion |
| Old Ruffian Barley Wine | Great Alaska Beer and Barley Wine Festival | Barley Wine | 2006 | Honorable Mention |
| Titan IPA | Stockholm Beer Festival | 2006 | Bronze Medal | |
| Yeti Imperial Stout | US Beer Tasting Championship | Imperial Stout | Winter 2006 | Honorable Mention |