The Great American Beer Festival is considered by many as the granddaddy of all beer festivals. Held over a three- day span in Denver, Colorado, Great American Beer Festival (GABF) is arguably the greatest and most prestigious beer festival of them all, with thousands of beers available for tasting and a competition that pits the nation’s best brews against each other for a coveted Gold, Silver, or Bronze medal in any one of more than 100 style categories.
2019 Highlights
Here are some unique features to keep in mind as you prepare to descend on Denver for GABF 2019:
Format: The format of the festival is returning to that of regions, with breweries organized alphabetically by state. This is great news for those (like me!) who were dissatisfied with last year’s format, which was a straight alphabetical listing by brewery.
Paired: We all know the magic that results when the right beer is paired with the right food. Paired will bring food and beer together, featuring some of the top chefs and brewers from across the nation.
The Backyard: Sponsored by the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, this fun zone is a place where you can play a round of cornhole, twister, and other games while listening to live tunes and sipping on your favorite brew.
Designated Driver Lounge: A place for the ever- important non- drinkers to meet and mingle. The DD lounge will offer unlimited soft drinks plus complimentary chair massages.
GABF ProAm Booth: Stop by this booth when you get the chance and sample some of the best homebrewer/commercial brewing collaborations,
Heavy Medal Booth: Featured here are past GABF and World Beer Cup Medal winners all in a single space. If you want to taste a continuous stream of victory, be sure to stop here.
IKON Pass Stage: Head here for live entertainment from renowned musical artists such as Leftover Salmon, Wood Belly, Meadow Mountain, and others.
Jameson Caskmates Barrel Aged Beer Garden: World famous Jameson Irish Whiskey is a taste treat in its own right and here, guests will get to sample beers that have been aged in Jameson whiskey barrels from more than 20 different breweries across the United States.
Meet the Brewer: Is there a specific brewery that brews several beers you have grown to love more and more with each passing day? This is your chance to meet the folks responsible for crafting the delicious liquid and bringing it to the masses.
Silent Disco: Sponsored by Oskar Blues Brewery, this is a place where guests can don a pair of wireless headphones and dance to the musical tunes that only those wearing the headphones can hear.
The highlights above are what you can expect in addition, of course, to row after row of delicious craft beer. GABF is the best opportunity around for craft beer fans to sample beer from across the United States including hard- to- find brands/styles that are only available to a small region of the country. It’s a beer festival like no other and it comes to Denver October 3 through October 5, 2019. See you in Colorado this weekend!
That looks like a lot of fun! Too bad my beer days are behind me lol!
There’s always time for a final hurrah!
This is one event I would love to attend! Sounds wonderful! My husband and I have very different tastes in beer, but we’d certainly meet up in the Heavy Medal Booth or the Beer Garden. Looking forward to your report after you come back to see if you enjoyed it as much as last year!
You would both have a blast! Literally thousands of beers to choose from, so no matter what your preference, you would have no problem finding beer to your liking