What
For the 36th year, beer lovers will gather in Colorado at the Great American Beer Festival (GABF), the renowned American beer festival and competition, to find their #HoppyPlace and sample some 3,800 beers from more than 800 breweries around the country.
When
Thursday, October 5: 5:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Friday, October 6: 5:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Saturday, October 7*: 12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
*Brewers Association and American Homebrewers Association members-only session
Saturday, October 7: 5:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Where
Colorado Convention Center, 700 14th Street, Denver, Colorado
Why
GABF brings together the brewers and beers that make the U.S. the world’s most diverse brewing nation. Since its conception in 1982, GABF has been growing and evolving along with the American brewing community and represents the largest collection of U.S. beer ever served, in the format of a public tasting event plus a privately judged competition. Showcasing scores of diverse beers, Thrillist dubbed the event, “The One Beer Festival You Must Go to Before You Die.”
This year, GABF will welcome back popular awards and attractions—including the Golden Ticket Giveaway, Heavy Medal Booth and Support Your Local Brewery Pavilion—offering attendees the opportunity to sample unique indie and international award-winning beers.
Tickets
GABF tickets will be available for purchase to the general public online on August 2, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. MDT/12:00 p.m. EDT via Ticketmaster.com.
A ticket pre-sale exclusively for members of the American Homebrewers Association and Brewers Association will take place on August 1, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. MDT/12:00 p.m. EDT. Members will receive a personal offer code to purchase tickets for this session. You must have purchased a membership to the American Homebrewers Association or Brewers Association by July 23, 2017 at 11:59 p.m. PDT, to be eligible for the member pre-sale.
Members-Only Session tickets are $70 each, with a two ticket limit per member number.
General Session tickets are $85 public/$80 members (if purchased during the members only sale on August 1) and include:
- Commemorative tasting cup
- Unlimited one-ounce samples of your choice of 3,800 beers
- Festival guide and free app to help attendees navigate the festival hall
- Access to dozens of educational and interactive seminars
- Opportunity to speak with brewery representatives at designated “Meet the Brewer” booths.
- Complimentary artisan cheese samples, craft soda samples and a variety of other food options.
- Entertainment, including live music, games, costumes, a silent disco and more.
Note: Due to limited availability, GABF General Session ticket sales are capped at four tickets per session per ticket buyer.
Additional ticket information can be found on the GABF website.
Media Access
To apply for media credentials, please visit the media access section of the GABF website.
Website
Note to Editors
Please visit the following links for event b-roll and photos.
New for 2017
New Festival Hall Layout
- More Meet the Brewer Booths: Meet and mingle with the brewers behind your favorite beers. This year, there will be over 150 participating brewers!
- Expanded Brewpub Pavilion: Get a taste of your local brewpub! A record 48 breweries, representing each region of the country, will pour their locally brewed beers right in the center of the festival hall.
- CraftBeer.com #beertravel Pavilion: There’s no better vacation than a “beercation”! CraftBeer.com will provide an opportunity for established and growing craft beer destinations to interact with 60,000 dedicated beer lovers.
Story Ideas
GABF Competition: In addition to showcasing quality beers, GABF features one of the world’s largest and most distinguished commercial beer competitions. In 2017, approximately 8,100 beers from more than 2,250 breweries will compete in 96 beer style categories for gold, silver and bronze medals, awarded by GABF’s Professional Judge Panel. (Note: final, official competition statistics will be published on Saturday, October 7, after competition results are compiled and medals are announced.)
The Business of Small Beer: The craft brewing phenomenon is not only quenching the thirst of patrons across the nation, but now with over 5,400 active breweries, it is also having a tremendous impact on our economy. At GABF, discover the economic impact these small and independent breweries have on our national and regional economies. Learn about the recently unveiled Brewers Association independent craft brewer seal and see what’s next for this thriving industry.
Beer and Food: As beer becomes an increasingly important ingredient on menus, Paired, GABF’s intimate beer and food pairing pavilion, provides a tasty format to indulge in carefully crafted beer and food pairings. Attendees will sample craft beers not served anywhere else in the festival along with foods prepared by the who’s who of celebrated chefs. As in previous years, attendees will require a separate ticket ($160) that includes access to the festival. Paired tickets are available exclusively to members of the American Homebrewers Association and the Brewers Association and as such, can only be purchased during the members only sale on August 1. Limited tickets may be available for media.
More Information
Click here for Great American Beer Festival history, facts and figures.
2017 Sponsors
GABF is made possible by the support of our generous sponsors.
Social Media
Follow @GABF on Twitter, hashtag #GABF and #HoppyPlace; Like GABF on Facebook; and follow @greatamericanbeerfestival on Instagram.
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About the Brewers Association
The Brewers Association is the not-for-profit trade association dedicated to small and independent American brewers, their beers and the community of brewing enthusiasts. The Brewers Association (BA) represents more than 70 percent of the brewing industry, and its members make more than 99 percent of the beer brewed in the U.S. The BA organizes events including the World Beer Cup℠, Great American Beer Festival®, Craft Brewers Conference & BrewExpo America®, SAVOR℠: An American Craft Beer & Food Experience, Homebrew Con, National Homebrew Competition and American Craft Beer Week®. The BA publishes The New Brewer® magazine and its Brewers Publications™ division is the largest publisher of contemporary and relevant brewing literature for today’s craft brewers and homebrewers.
Beer lovers are invited to learn more about the dynamic world of craft beer at CraftBeer.com and about homebrewing via the BA’s American Homebrewers Association and the free Brew Guru™ mobile app. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
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