Maximize Your Great American Beer Festival Experience: The Ultimate Denver Guide

If you’re heading to Denver for the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) Week, get ready for an unforgettable journey into the heart of American craft beer. This comprehensive guide is designed to help you make the absolute most of every session and every surrounding event. Prepare to conquer GABF week like a seasoned pro! Cheers to the best beer week EVER!

The Great American Beer Festival (GABF) stands as the pinnacle celebration of American craft beer. For anyone who has had the pleasure of attending, it’s more than just an event; it’s a monumental experience that showcases the innovation, passion, and diversity within the U.S. brewing industry. It’s truly the ultimate beer festival, drawing enthusiasts, brewers, and industry professionals from across the globe to Denver, Colorado.

For those unfamiliar, GABF is renowned as the top public tasting opportunity and one of the most prestigious brewing competitions in the USA. Held annually, the festival offers four immersive tasting sessions where attendees have the unique chance to explore an astounding array of beers. Picture this: over 800 breweries from all corners of the country converge under one roof, pouring from a selection of approximately 4,000 different beers, all available for tasting in convenient one-ounce samples. This format allows for an unparalleled exploration of styles, flavors, and brewing techniques. Whether your palate favors traditional lagers, hoppy IPAs, rich stouts, tart sours, or experimental brews, GABF guarantees you’ll find an endless variety to discover and enjoy.

Let’s be candid: GABF, while exhilarating, can also be an overwhelming whirlwind. With hundreds of thousands of people flooding each session and an almost intimidating number of choices, navigating the festival requires a strategy. That’s precisely why we’ve crafted this last-minute guide – to ensure you maximize your time, discover incredible beers, and truly savor every moment of this incredible week.

Planning Your GABF Adventure: Pre-Festival Strategies

Successful navigation of GABF begins long before you step foot into the Denver Convention Center. A little preparation can transform a chaotic experience into a truly rewarding one, ensuring you hit your must-try breweries and discover hidden gems.

1. Know A Few Breweries You Want To Hit

While a rigid, minute-by-minute plan for an entire session is impractical – beers run out, unexpected discoveries divert your path, and lines inevitably form – having a partial plan is invaluable. This year, the “My GABF app” has become an indispensable tool for many attendees. This brilliant application not only provides a comprehensive list of all participating breweries and the specific beers they will be serving but also pinpoints their exact location within the sprawling Denver Convention Center. This feature is a game-changer, allowing you to save your target breweries in advance and navigate the ‘maze’ with confidence.

I always make it a point to visit my long-standing favorite breweries, not just to re-enjoy their classics, but also to see if they’re pouring anything new or exclusive for the festival. GABF is the perfect venue to sample more from breweries you’ve only had a taste of before, or to finally try those acclaimed names you’ve heard so much about. The app also highlights various “festival tours” which can guide you through specific styles or flavor profiles you adore. I was pleasantly surprised by the many fun add-ons and features within the app, and I’m genuinely excited to see how it enhances my overall festival experience. Download it, save your favorites, and keep it handy to rate beers as you go!

A quick note of caution: the Denver Convention Center can sometimes be a bit of a “dead zone” for cell reception. It’s always wise to anticipate potential offline mode functionality or load your critical brewery lists beforehand. Having a digital or even a physical backup of your top picks can save you from connectivity headaches. After the festival, I’ll definitely share an update on how well the app performed offline!

2. Check Your Favorite Breweries For Their Pouring List

The GABF app is continuously updated with the most current pouring lists, usually by the day of or the day before the sessions. This gives you a crucial window to scout out what your favorite breweries are bringing. Many breweries leverage GABF as an opportunity to unveil new creations, experimental brews, or extremely rare pours that might only be available on tap at their own taprooms. Taking the time to review the pouring lists for a handful of your most anticipated breweries is incredibly rewarding and can lead to some truly fabulous discoveries that you wouldn’t want to miss.

For me, a dedicated craft beer enthusiast, a few breweries always make my priority list to ensure I don’t miss out on their most sought-after offerings before they’re tapped dry by session’s end. Here are some of my top picks:

• Avery Brewing Co.: Known for their bold and often high-ABV beers, always a must-visit.
• Bull & Bush Brewery: A Denver institution with a history of award-winning traditional styles.
• Wicked Weed Brewing: Masters of sours and barrel-aged creations, offering unique and complex flavors.
• New Belgium Brewing Co.: A pioneer in the craft beer scene, always bringing innovative and beloved beers.
• Great Divide Brewing Co.: Another Denver staple, consistently producing excellent and diverse beers.

Beyond these established favorites, my personal list of breweries I’ve yet to try but am eager to explore is extensive. GABF is the perfect occasion to broaden your horizons and find your next favorite brew. Don’t be afraid to venture into new territories!

Beyond the Convention Center: GABF Week Events

Attending a GABF session is fantastic, but the festival experience truly extends throughout Denver, transforming the entire city into a craft beer mecca. There are countless events happening outside the main convention center sessions, with most kicking off early in the week. One session alone is rarely enough to satiate a true beer lover’s palate, so it’s essential to immerse yourself in the vibrant local scene. Make a list of all the exciting tap takeovers, special releases, and meet-the-brewer events happening around town. Here are some top spots and events to consider hitting up this week:

• Hops & Pie: This spot is an absolute gem in Denver. Not only do they boast some of the best pizza in the city, made with fresh, scratch-made dough daily, but their constantly rotating tap list is truly incredible. During GABF week, Hops & Pie elevates its game with some truly killer tasting events:
  • Wednesday: CSA Portfolio Tasting kicks off at 11:30 am, featuring an impressive lineup from Crooked Stave, Jester King, Jolly Pumpkin, and many other esteemed breweries.
  • Thursday: Casey Brewing & Blending takes the stage, and this is definitely a tapping I won’t miss! I absolutely adore their beers. They’ll be pouring Cherry East Bank, Oak Theory, Apricot Fruit Stand, and more – pure deliciousness!
  • Friday: California Breweries Takeover spotlights West Coast talent, including The Rare Barrel, Fieldwork Brewing Co., Cellarmaker Brewing Co., and others. I’m keen to explore these breweries personally, as I haven’t had much exposure to them yet.
  • Saturday: TRVE & Friends brings together a fantastic selection of breweries, some of which might be new to you, like Brewery Bhavana and Scratch Brewing Co. If you’re eager to try new breweries and seek a broader selection than what GABF offers, Hops & Pie is a must-visit!

• Falling Rock Tap House: This establishment transforms into one of the most vibrant hubs during GABF week. Before, after, and even during the sessions, Falling Rock hosts continuous new tappings, often featuring incredibly rare and sought-after beers. It’s our favorite spot to unwind after the main sessions conclude, as it fosters an incredible sense of beer camaraderie. A couple of years ago, we ended up sharing a booth and some fantastic food with a couple deeply rooted in the brewing industry, leading to a memorable evening of conversation and some truly epic beer samples they generously shared. Be sure to check out the GABF events section for a detailed schedule of their special tappings.

These are just a couple of highlights, but Denver truly comes alive with craft beer during GABF week! Keep an eye out for other exciting events, such as Avery’s pre-party at Improper City on Thursday from 3 pm to 6 pm. The city is teeming with options, and the official GABF website dedicates an entire section to these week-long festivities. Click here for the official GABF events section and find something perfectly tailored to your tastes!

Mastering Your GABF Session: Essential Tips for Success

Once you’re inside the Denver Convention Center, amidst the vast sea of brewers and enthusiastic attendees, there’s one crucial mantra to engrave in your mind: GABF isn’t a race, it’s a marathon. This isn’t just a catchy phrase; it’s the key to a truly enjoyable and memorable experience. The most vital piece of advice for any session is to:

PACE. YOURSELF.

My very first GABF session was, to put it mildly, a giant mess. I enthusiastically (and foolishly) sampled far too many beers too quickly. The consequence? The next day was spent curled up in bed with a splitting headache, feeling utterly miserable. Learn from my mistakes: avoid getting overly intoxicated within the first hour. Doing so risks losing the rest of your precious session time to aimless wandering and impaired judgment. With thousands of beers to sample and incredible opportunities to meet the actual brewers at many booths, you absolutely want to remain lucid enough to fully appreciate the craft, engage in meaningful conversations, and savor the vast diversity of flavors.

Another crucial aspect to remember is the inevitable presence of lines. You’ll encounter lines to get into the festival, lines for popular beer booths, and lines for the restrooms. They are a fundamental part of the GABF experience, and they can get quite long. Patience is paramount. Don’t rush; simply embrace the wait for the beers you are truly eager to try. If you’re attending with a group, leverage your collective power: while one person holds a spot in a longer line, a friend can grab quick samples from a nearby, less-crowded brewery. This tactic often leads to wonderful serendipitous discoveries, as you stumble upon smaller, lesser-known breweries pouring truly amazing beers you might otherwise have overlooked.

Beyond pacing and navigating lines, here are a few more critical tips for an optimal GABF session:

• Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate: Drink plenty of water between samples. Water stations are usually available throughout the venue. This is vital for staying energized and preventing excessive dehydration.
• Eat Something Substantial: Don’t enter GABF on an empty stomach. Eat a good meal beforehand, and consider bringing snacks like a pretzel necklace (a classic festival accessory!) or grabbing food from the vendors inside the convention center.
• Dress Comfortably: You’ll be doing a lot of standing and walking. Wear comfortable shoes and breathable clothing.
• Have a Designated Driver or Transportation Plan: This is non-negotiable. Plan your rideshare, public transport, or designate a sober driver well in advance. Enjoy the beer responsibly.
• Bring a Small Bag: A small backpack or tote can be useful for stashing souvenirs, your tasting glass, and other essentials.

Finally, and this might seem obvious but it’s tragically common: **DO NOT FORGET YOUR TICKET AND ID.** I’ve witnessed the disheartening scene of people being turned away at the entrance because they left their ticket at home or their ID in another bag. Don’t let this happen to you! Double-check everything before you leave your accommodation.

While many sessions quickly sell out, there’s still a chance to secure tickets for the Great American Beer Festival Thursday night session (all other public sessions are typically sold out). Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity to experience the best of American craft beer! Click here to buy tickets!