In 1982, the first Great American Beer Festival hosted 22 breweries, less than a thousand attendees and a few dozen beers. Today, thirty years later, the GABF welcomes  49,000 attendees who will be able to sample some of the over two thousand beers in the festival hall, at the Colorado Convention Center, from 466 breweries, over the course of three days.

While the festival, today, may not resemble the first festival three decades ago, the mission is what it has always been, to introduce attendees to the various exciting beers that are being made in this country. It's just that there are a few more, now.

To see how the GABF has grown over the last several years, go to GreatAmericanBeerFestival.com for the Official GABF Numbers.