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The Great American Beer Festival returns to Denver this week, and most of the industry is already in town. And as always the ACB crew will be on hand and covering the vibe 24/7 – so stay with us for the best of one of craft beers most important events.
Just Because You Don’t Have Tickets Doesn’t Mean You Can’t Enjoy The GABF – This year’s GABF sold out to the public in just over an hour…so it’s understandable that many of you were left empty-handed. But actually the GABF is but the centerpiece to days of special craft beer events taking place all over the city and the majority of them that are open to the public! In fact we know of beer fans who travel to Denver without tickets and still enjoy a first-class GABF experience without ever hitting the GABF itself.
The “What The Funk!? Invitational (presented by Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project and the Shelton Brothers) has garnered its own independent reputation over the years – and it’s strategically thrown annually the week of the GABF.
The Denver Post came up with great list of all the cool events happening in addition to the GABF itself, and you can tap into their many suggestions HERE.
Meet The Brewer At This Year’s GABF – Craft beer’s growth has led to increasing demands on its brewers, and as much as they’d like too, they are no longer available to represent their brands at every event. In hopes of stemming this now almost unavoidable problem, the GABF is returning the MEET THE BREWER section which they introduced last year. Located in the heart of Hall B, this is your opportunity to meetup with craft beer’s creators, to learn more about all they’re doing – and it’s not to be missed.
More Than Just A Beer Festival – The GABF is not just a major-league beer festival, it’s also one of the nation’s most important beer competitions. There will be five different judging sessions taking place during the festival’s three-day run, where an international panel of experts will be assigned beers to evaluate in 92 beer-style categories. This year’s competition is expected to see nearly 6,500 beers from over 1,500 breweries all competing for their chance at the coveted gold, silver and bronze medals.
Heavy Medal Award-Winners Booth – There will also be a NEW booth introduced at this year’s GABF that we’re excited about, where attendees can enjoy a variety a variety of award-winning offerings of 2015 Great American Beer Festival. The Heavy Medal booth will be rockin it in Hall B (near Section Y) and we expect that you’ll find us there a lot.
What We’ve Been Drinking Lately (Portland, OR) – We’d like to thank all the breweries who ship us beer on occasion. Last night we began, what we expect to be days of serious drinking in Denver, with a two-for-one combo from Flying Dog Brewery who teamed up with Salazon Chocolate for a delectable pairing. The Gourd Standard Pumpkin IPA (6.7%) provides a great balance of spice, sweetness and IPA bitterness, but when matched up with a Sea Salt & Pumpkin Beer, 72% cacao dark chocolate, featuring some of The Gourd Standard in the recipe? It’s an indulgent treat like no other.
GABF banner photo courtesy of the Brewers Association
