GABF 2015 Discussion & Info

Ya, basically helping people understand the complexities of beer...insofar as a crowded beer hall allows. As a pourer, I usually got questions like, "why is this beer dark?" "what is the difference between....?" and "Is this a fruit beer?" This is my first Beer Geek stint...so we'll see what happens. (probably a lot of "where' the pisser?")

 

That's awesome I want to do that. How do I sign up for next year?

 

Water water water water....and some food. High altitude and dryness will suck the liquid right out from ya

 

I think 2nd entrance is on the Welton st. side

 

Is that list complete? No cigar city, New glarus, three floyds, etc

 

No, it's just the breweries that respond to their request. The BA discourages it, so many don't. I used to do this for my column and it was about a 50% success rate. Kudos to Porch Drinking, it's A LOT of work. Seriously.

Oh, and Three Floyds is bringing 7 bottles of zombie dust and a half drunk bomber of gumballhead.

 

Nice to see they're doubling what they've brought in previous years.

 

Hi everyone.... I'm from Brazil and this will be my first time at the GABF. I've been to the Hunahpu's Day and to the Extreme Beer Fest. But I think GABF will be very very different from these fests.

Will there be any kind of bottle sharing during the week?? I'll be in Denver from Sep 23rd - 29th and I would be glad to take some Brazilian craft beers (and maybe Cantillons n Westvleteren) to share.

I've bought tickets to every single session (sorry, liver!!) and i'm planning on getting in line early (about 2 hours before).

Enjoy GABF guys!!

Cheers!!

 

Welcome! You're right, this is vastly different from Huna and EBF. For starters there are many, many, manies more people than either of those with much more beer. Also, GABF is now so much more than just GABF. There is no shortage of things to do and beers to drink all over Denver during your entire stay. In case you missed it http://brewtallyinsane.com/2015/08/27/gabf-2015-calendar/

As far as bottle shares, I believe there are a few but (this is just my opinion) I don't think they are too prevalent because there are already so many options and so much beer to try without having to have a share. Out of curiousity, are you coming all the way from Brazil by yourself?

 

Yes! I'm going by myself!!! I thing Ill be completely lost there. I'm waiting for the list o beers that will be poured there to select where to go and what to drink.

I love sours, ipas and RIS. I've been to some breweries in California, Florida and to Trillium in Boston. My favorites in these places are: Russian River, Societe, Alpine, Lost Abbey, Alesmith, The Bruery, Cigar City, Funky Buddha n Cycle).

I would appreciate suggestions on what breweries and beers to try, and on where to go in Denver (Sep 23rd - 29th).

Cheers!!

PS: As a good craft beer lover, I'm taking more craft beers than clothes in my luggage. Free Brazilian craft beers to the friends I'll make during my stay in the USA.

 

Damn dude, that's some serious dedication! You're an extremely well traveled beer enthusiast, I'm jealous. I honestly wouldn't even know where to start with the breweries since there are so many. Goose Island, 3 Floyds and Surly are always great for the Midwest section but they'll also have the longest lines.

The schedule I posted is a pretty good guide. Hops and Pie, Crooked Stave The Source, Falling Rock, and Freshcraft always have great line ups of beer but that comes in the price of long lines and over crowdedness (pretty much everywhere in Denver will be pretty bad though).

If you like heavy metal and great beers, TRVE is one of my personal favorites and is somewhat on the "less" crowded side if you get there closer to opening. Check their hours though, much to my dismay I don't think they open until 4 or something like that during the week.

 

I'd say just go with the flow. Don't be shy or quiet when out and about. Ask other beer geeks what's going on, chances are they'll drag you along to wherever.
No need to venture out of downtown. I mean, you can, but they'll be plenty of things going on in that area.
Bottle shares: Not really sure. I've seen them at hotels, parking lots, alleys, houses and breweries. If you can find a small plastic cup to take around with you, you'll be set!

Event lists:
https://www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com/travel/week-events/
http://www.westword.com/restaurants...-week-2015-calendar-of-amazing-events-6996845
http://blogs.denverpost.com/beer/2015/08/07/gabf-week-2015-calendar-tappings-dinners-and-more/15129/
http://brewtallyinsane.com/2015/08/27/gabf-2015-calendar/
and on and on....

And drink lots of WATER!!

 

If you're here on the 23rd and nothing to do get over to Hops & Pie. Fantastic lineup all day starting at noon I think. Or try to snag a ticket to WTF later that night. They have a list up on FB

 

Shhhhh....j/k. Ditto, those two events are exactly my plans.

I am curious about Hops and Pie though. Anyone have an idea of whether they usually tap all the beers they list at once or if they stagger them throughout the day?

 

I think they are staggering them but I guess I don't know for sure.

 

Staggered. I remember missing BA Abraxas last year but got to try some other beers that I wanted as a result. Looking forward to a crazy week/weekend.

 

Damn! I figured it would be too good to be true and I don't blame them, I'll just hope to get what I'm hoping to get.

 

Any sightings of the beer list yet? I've seen a couple breweries list what they're bringing but not the consolidated list yet.

 

When I started attending GABF about 5 years ago, getting in line early was more important since some sought-out breweries brought a limited number of bottles that would tap quickly. Most breweries have since addressed this issue and I find even "walez" last longer than I expect.

I used to arrive at the Convention Center about 1.5 hours before the start time. That would get me in the hall about 10-15 minutes after opening. No more. I now arrive about 15 minutes after the festival begins. I find that I only have to wait about 10 minutes to get into the hall. It made no sense to me to waste 90 minutes of boredom to gain 10 minutes of drinking.

The other argument for arriving early is to avoid the uber-long lines at the popular breweries. I have also found this to be untrue - the lines at the popular breweries more-or-less stay the same through the festival (often, they are shorter an hour after opening).

So yeah....especially if I was visiting from out-of-town.....I wouldn't arrive early at all and instead utilize that time for something else. Either way - have a great time!

 

Normally I get in early, before general admission, but based on how fast people flood in and observing the lines at the more popular breweries I would have to say this man is probably spot on. It's tempting to show up very early due to the intimidating line but I wouldn't be so sure there is that much of a benefit.

You could probably spend the extra time it would take to wait in line at one of the gazillions of bars, brewpubs and breweries in the area and drink just as good beer or "whalez" at one of the special tappings without missing out on much if anything.