GABF Adding 11,000 Tickets This Year

This year’s Great American Beer Festival will be expanded by 11,000 tickets and 90,000 square feet in the festival hall at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. A maximum of 60,000 attendees will have the opportunity to sample 3,500 beers from more than 800 breweries at the largest beer festival in the U.S.

Tickets go on sale July 29 at Ticketmaster for the event that runs Sept. 24-26 at a cost of $80. A special pre-event sale will be held July 28 for members of the hosting Brewers Association and the American Homebrewers Association.

Cumulative to all four sessions, the number of attendees will rise by 11,000 this year if the event again sells out due to the expanded space. The expanded space in Hall B will feature “meet the brewer” pouring booths. The breweries pouring in this section are committed to having brewers or brewery staff on hand for each session without assistance from GABF volunteers. Festival goers will have a better opportunity to discuss the beers with those who brewed them.

Recognized as one of the world’s most distinguished beer competitions, this year’s line-up will include 6,500 beers from over 1,500 breweries competing in the BA’s 92 different beer style categories. Gold, silver and bronze medals will be announced Saturday, Sept. 26 during the final session.

A separate ticket is available for the Farm to Table Pavilion. That section will feature 21 chefs from nine states, who will plate their dishes for guests and talk about their pairings. Some beers exclusive to this pavilion will be served.