Any Tips on Surviving the GABF?

This is a great place to start:

http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/gabf-2015-discussion-info.309770/

12 plus pages of info on the 2015 GABF

 

drink ipa's last...serving size is what? this year?

 

If you don't like it, don't drink it. There are 1912093109283 other beers to try.

 

Construct a list beforehand of breweries and beers you would like to try. For example, when I attended I wanted to try beers that were not distributed in my state (e.g., Alaska Brewing).

As was already mentioned, do not feel compelled to finish your sample of beer. Dump the beers that are not 100% to yuor liking.

As with many things some common sense goes a long way to keep things safe; the challenge here is that once you exceed your sobriety limit the common sense feature seems to not work properly.

Have fun!!

Cheers!

 

When you rinse your cup between beers, drink the water, don't dump it. Forces you to drink more water (good idea at altitude) and slows your drinking down a bit.

 

I have some. Don't let yourself start drinking all the beer like I did at the last festival I went to. Take a taste and dump the rest if you are going try lots of beer. I got tipsy, forgot myself and regretted it after I got home. drink lots of water in between tastings you can't have too much. Eat! AND if you have the will power or the experience limit the beer you try to the ones you are really interested in and leave the rest for the others to tick like madmen.

 

stay hydrated and keep elevation in mind.....higher altitude will put the buzz on you quicker
pace yourself as there is a ton of good beer to sample and dont drink and drive
most importantly have fun! denver is a great small city
eat at euclid hall if you get a chance

 

Cannot emphasize enough to check out breweries with no lines.

When I went in 2013, the usual suspects had tremendous lines (i.e. Russian River, Cigar City, etc), and I would be walking around, let's say, in the Midwest region of breweries, and come across small, uknown breweries/brewpubs with ZERO line I had never heard of. Then, I would see the banner hanging behind them showing how many GABF gold/silver/bronze medals they have won over the years and would see that they are making truly kick ass beer.

But, because they are so small, unknown, and people are only flocking to what they know, the lines were small, and the beer was great.

 

Drink plenty of water.

 

Pace yourself if you're going to more than 1 session, stay off your phone (enjoy the fest), and make sure to hit up the cheese tasting area

 

1) Treat it like a buffet. A liquor buffet. Sample everything but if you don't like it, dump it in the bucket.
2) Drink plenty of water
3) Make infinite notes
4) Enjoy yourself

 

A little of the local "hops" always helps me. A little. And then in the morning too.

 

Have a list of "Must Hit" breweries and a list of "Would Like to Hit" Breweries. If a certain brewery is tapping one of their very limited, rare beers at a certain time, expect a long line to be formed at least, AT LEAST, 30 mins prior to the tapping. As others have said, hit up random breweries and try styles you wouldn't otherwise try. Chat up fellow festival goers in line, it's interesting conversation and you never know who you're talking to Don't be a douche and try to sneakily cut into line, people will see you. Don't knock sample cups out of people's hands and yell "ooohhhh!" That shit gets old. If you're drug tested for work be wary of the outside portapotty area as it's not uncommon to walk through a cloud of gangja smoke out there. Oh and a pretzel necklace is always nice but not mandatory, imo. Tacky? Perhaps, but it really does help with cleansing the palate when trying so many beers. Oh and don't get caught up in the hype of it all. You're at GABF, possibly the best beer festival in the world, enjoy it!

 

Have fun, get a little tipsy and whatever you do, NEVER DROP YOUR GLASS!!!!!

 

I haven't been to GABF yet, but I have been to a few other beer fests and know that they can kick you in the arse. As many have said, stay hydrated, and don't be afraid to dump out beer. You don't get any extra points at the end of the night for beers consumed. Having some idea ahead of time which beers you want to taste is great, but don't worry too much about taking notes, unless it's something that really stood out. After all, you're not at GABF on a homework assignment.

 

Skip it and go to Falling Rock Tap Room instead.

If you have to go, have a strategy, but be prepared to abandon it. Lines will be insane, and you will be forced to skip some stuff.

Download the GABF app.. It was pretty helpful last time I went.

Bring a clothespin for your nose.. The room will be filled with fart after about 45 minutes.

 

Always drink water along with your beer..will keep you hydrated..and less apt to be hungover..and eat right before you go..