GABF 2015 Discussion & Info

Whew...guess I got what I wanted anyway
See ya'll Thursday!

 

I'm no expert, but I have been 4 times. Here are some strategies I would suggest:

-Have a plan ahead of time. Identify specific regions and breweries you want to visit. It's unlikely that you'll get through the entire convention center in one session, so try to narrow it down to a small handful. It's likely your plan will go out of the window about halfway through anyway.
-If there are high profile breweries/beers that you want to try (i.e. Pliny, Zombie Dust, etc.), do those first thing. There will likely be a line immediately, but it will only get longer throughout the session. It's easier to wait patiently when you and others are still relatively sober.
-You'll find yourself approaching any booth that doesn't have a line because of the easy access. By all means take chances on breweries that you've never heard of and look interesting, but don't get caught in a routine of hitting every booth in a section. You'll reach the end of an 'alley' and have wasted 30 minutes and drank 30 ounces of beer that you didn't care about drinking.
-Have fun. Some people take it too seriously and lament the over-imbibing and lack of appreciation of the beers. It's your festival, make of it what you want, and have a good time. There are no rules (besides not being a drunk-ass. Also get your sample and move to the side, don't block others. Other than those, there are no rules!).

 

I do believe they finally have controlled the scalpels a bit. Tickets still available over a hour into the sale

 

The contract between BA and Ticketmaster is either coming to an end....or they just renewed it. I remember them saying a couple of years ago that "they will review the contract with Ticketmaster". So, I guess what I'm saying is that I'm not sure what's going on. Just that they know of the challenges and problems.

I haven't bought tickets in years, but it seems this year's selling went relatively smoothly...for now.

 

Does it usually sell out during the member pre-sale?

 

Let me check with my wife. She may like the PAIRED treatment.

 

San Diego it sounds like he wants the paired tickets. Not the regular.

Yes the members pre-sale has sold out fast the past few years

 

The line to get in will be stupid long, so plan on getting in line around 3:30 if you don't want to wait. It's a mad rush of people once the doors open. Everyone rushes to Goose Island/3F/RR/Cigar City booths as soon as it opens, and those lines never die down. Don't drop your glass, and bring some sort of pretzel necklace to munch on and clean your palate. Other than that enjoy the craziness =)

 

Download the App and get the update a couple of days before the festival. Check back to the Mountain Forum frequently and get information on what is going on around town. Pick some beers that you REALLY want to try and head there first. Get some sort of a game plan but don't plan on following it because you will see things that you want to try on the way.

 

Why would you want to arrive 2 hours early if you dont want to wait? We showed up near 5:30 last year and got through the gates in like 10 minutes. Arriving early seems pointless.

 

I ment if he should show up early if he doesn't want to wait in line when the doors open up. Last year I got in line around 3:15 and had about 100 people in front of me. The year before that, I was in line at 5:15, and didn't get in until 6pm and missed a half hour of the festival. That line easily is wrapped around the convention center by the time the doors open

 

I'll be making my first trip out to GABF this year as well. Thanks for all the info this far. I'll likely look into the Thursday session during the onsale as well.

I'm coming from the New England area so will make sure to bring some Treehouse and some other great IPA's to trade. Since I'm not too familiar with the west coast/ Midwest scene what are some of the top IPA's I should be looking for besides Pliny and what are the must visit breweries in the Denver area?

 

Can't tell if this is a troll I think my meter is broken... If you are serious there's literally a thread for best CO IPAs and then there's about 23097549812 threads in here about best Denver area breweries, tap houses, and bottle shops.

 

Brewery list released:

https://www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com/at-the-festival/breweries-at-the-festival/

 

http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/favorite-colorado-ipas.113302/

 

No TG this year sucks but the addition of Lawson's is huge.

 

J. Wakefield too. I like

 

Decided to pick up a Sat. night tix too, just in case. ;-)

 

Founders is finally back. Woo-hoo!