(Photo © Brewers Association)

The Great American Beer Festival, or simply GABF as it is known in the industry, has returned to the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, Colorado for a weekend of drinking.

According to the Guinness Book of Records Nowhere else in the world are there more beers for beer fans to try than at GABF.

GABF’s three-day tastings (October 10-12) offer visitors the opportunity to sample America’s brewing landscape and have access to thousands of different beers from the country’s best breweries.

And this year, GABF is offering three sessions and presenting an entirely new floor plan. Breweries are grouped according to thematic experience areas of their choice. These curated experience areas are designed to transport festival goers to different worlds, each offering a unique mix of themed decorations, specialty drinks, exciting activities and lively entertainment.

Cover subject areas Cheers!, a traditional German beer garden; Score!, an excursion for sports lovers; Halloween, a contemporary October experience; Run awayan extraordinary explosion of flavors with more than just beer drinks and more; Meet and socializea reinvented Meet the Brewer experience; And Coola backyard gathering with music, lawn games and exclusive beers.

And while beers like pumpkin ales, West Coast-style and hazy IPAs, barrel-aged beers, sour ales and chocolate beers continue to take center stage at the world’s largest beer event, this year’s three-day gathering throws up an even broader spectrum that includes hard ciders, canned cocktails, hard seltzers, Hard soda, hard tea, hard kombucha, other malt-based drinks and all non-alcoholic drinks.

(Photo © Brewers Association)

“Beer is still the star of the show,” Ann Obenchain of the Brewers Association, the Boulder-based trade group that puts on the festival, told Axios, “but we also know that our younger customers and younger attendees are interested in a total experience “We’ve seen a lot of festivals close and as we tell our breweries as an industry association, you have to keep reinventing yourself to be relevant.”

Other changes include the complete elimination of the Saturday evening session. This evening was the least popular with the brewers, as the heavily “overserved” attendees sometimes got a little kick out of it.

The “Membership Meeting” on Saturday afternoons, popular with home brewers and industry professionals, is also now open to the general public this year.

• PAIREDa hugely exciting opportunity inspired by the Brewers Association’s discontinued SAVOR, where renowned chefs collaborate with beverage distributors to create small bites that pair perfectly with craft beers, craft cocktails and ciders. (Tickets sold separately)
• Non-stop entertainment including pop-up surprises like flash mobs, marching bands, oompah bands, beer mug contests and more.
• The return of the fan favorite Hangoutsincluding the silent disco and the karaoke stage.
• A commemorative, collector’s and tasting glass.
• Exchange with industry experts and breweries through seminars and other educational offerings.

So if you’re attending the 2024 Great American Beer Festival, prepare to be blown away!

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(The American Craft Beer crew doesn’t miss a GABF and we’re looking forward to drinking with friends this weekend while we’re in town)