GABF 2016

There should be a write up of all the events shortly before the event...like this from last year:
http://www.westword.com/restaurants...-week-2015-calendar-of-amazing-events-6996845

 

FR hardly ever updates their tap list.

Star Bar puts on some good events. Just about any of the local beer bars have some awesome stuff that week.

 

Even if Falling Rock updated their tap list, it would only be accurate for maybe 2 minutes during GABF week.

 

Beers Made by Walking is a cool, smaller event.

 

I'll try to answer #1 based on my experience.

Ever since TicketMaster took over the ticketing portion of the event, 'demand' has sky-rocketed. I put quotes around 'demand' because it seems like at least half the tickets are immediately available for purchase (at twice the price) on StubHub. My intuition tells me there may be something up here...

Then when you get down to the convention center, tons of scalpers are all over selling tickets as well as folks like yourself just trying to get rid of actual extras. I would say there are probably a thousand tickets per session (maybe more) eaten by these scumbags who bought up all the tickets before beer lovers could even get a sniff at them.

All that being said- no one with a brain is paying full price outside of the event.

TLR- take care of it in advance if you want to recoop the money you've spent.

 

They said there will around 850 breweries this year but the list they have currently of breweries attending 2016 i see around less than 800, anyone know if more breweries will be announced later or any word on how many breweries will be at 2016 fest????? Thanks

 

A few less wouldn't bug me. One of the reasons the event last year was so great is because there was more room. Packing in an additional 50'ish breweries makes no real difference in the grand scheme of things, but the additional room can make a crowd much more pleasant.

 

I think there's a section this year that will have all the 2015 medal winners. At least from those breweries showing up this year. In the Meet the Brewer section. I'm still foggy on this as the volunteer info they gave us was vague.

 

Guess I'm in the minority but I'm not going or missing this year's GABF. Other stuff going on; not sure if I'll try going to 2017. And I'd missed only one since I started going back in early 90s

 

After all of the awesomeness last year, watch it go back to a complete mess this year

 

I enjoyed the extra room, too... but... by the time I got to the annex, time was running too short to check everything out... plus... Short's was out of beer!

 

Does this usually sell out fairly quick or do I have time to adjust my plans if I'm interested?

 

I don't know whether it sold out last year.

 

@sharpski Don't waste your time on saturday. GABF standouts have usually gone dry already, you would be better off checking things out around town at that point.

 

And westword has stared the list.

http://www.westword.com/restaurants...-week-2016-calendar-of-amazing-events-8246507

 

I always meant to ask you when I was still living in Chicago and more active in the Great Lakes forum but are you the same Redpac from the famed LWF?