GABF 2015 Discussion & Info

Do they let people into the festival hall before the breweries start pouring beer? I don't think I'll be getting there just to wait 90 minutes in line and spend my time at one of the breweries in the area before heading in instead.

 

I plan to arrive early (likely an hour or more) but it'll be a good thing to wait because I'll have been drinking that day since 11/12 and so it give me some time to recover with some food I'll bring while standing in line to give me another base. Having a friend there will help alleviate the boredom.

 

Awesome, thanks a ton for that heads up! That sounds better than waiting in line when I could be having fun elsewhere, like @cfh64 said.

 

This wasn't the case a few years ago. The first few thousand tickets sold to AHA members were given a separate entrance. They let this entrance in approximately 10 minutes prior to the festival opening (I know because I was in the line). You could tour the festival hall or start lining up at a brewery, but they did NOT actually pour beer until 5:30PM.

For the past 2 years, I understand they have a separate entrance line for those with Farm to Table tickets. They may follow the same procedures with that line. We will see.

 

Thanks for the info, guess I'll grab a bite to eat during that time then instead of waiting in line to get inside.

 

New Belgium's events calender is PACKED. They have a special event with J. Wakefield called Miami Weiss I think and they want you to dress like 90s Miami lol. There are SO MANY cool events happening in the next week, I can't believe it.

And my local bottle shop just put all their craft bombers on sale. I picked up Speedway Stout for $9.99.

 

First time at GABF and was wondering how crazy the hops and pie CSA event on Wednesday will be? I am headed out west later that day and was wondering if the line will be crazy at opening?

 

When they have an event on a Saturday it can get pretty packed for the first few hours. But it generally settles down around 2PM-ish. Even though it is GABF week, it's still on a Wednesday and I'd be surprised if it got crazy early on. It might get busy as people get out of work though.

 

I bet it's packed from the start. That place is not very big at all. I've been saying they need to utilize the parking lot next door for events like this.

 

Yep! After attending my first three or four I do the same thing. I don't get to the Convention Center until about 20 minutes after doors open. I get in fast and believe me, there is no shortage of beer.

 

It will be interesting with WTF that same night. Sure there is a lot of audience overlap there. Sure some people will hit both, but not this old guy.

 

So, it's here. GABF week. Here some last minute tips:

Weather is gonna be perfect. Mid 80s all week...so they say. It'll be hot in the sun, but there's a big difference in the shade. Night time will be cooler (50s). So, layer it up...but not too much. Shorts and a long sleeve does it for me.

Water. I can't stress this enough. Drink lots of water.

Utilize not-your-car transportation. Light Rail, Uber, Lyft, taxis, etc...

When at GABF, when you get the sample move aside so others can step on up

If you're gonna drop your glass....do NOT drop it in the bathroom. Ick

Bathrooms are fairly quick. Note the porta-pissers on the "smokers" ramp

Pretzel necklaces look cool, but the salt is bad bad bad.

Have fun!

 

Not that I would know anything about this, but I've heard that La Boheme will waive your cover charge if you have a GABF ticket...

 

Can we start a new trend and instead of yelling "OOooohhh" when someone drops their glass, yell "BABA BOOEY" instead?

 

"Boom goes the dynamite!"

 

I'm in!

 

For anyone who hasn't been in Colorado before, because of the dry air, few clouds, and the altitude, you get a lot more UV exposure than you would other places. So be aware of that I guess.

 

I have been reading about it but since you guys are locals, how hard it is to get from the airport to Downtown in public transportation? Is it better to buy tickets online or can I just show up and pay?