This publication has mentioned the Great American Beer Festival countless times. Your favorite Beer of the Month Club is extra prideful when we can bring you the brews that bring home the medals from the GABF!
The beer competition itself is key. The international Professional Judge Panel, in blind taste tests, identifies the three beers that best represent each style category. The gold, silver and bronze medals are recognized worldwide, symbols of excellence, and giving the respective breweries ultimate bragging rights.
An epic experience (and, no kidding, listed as one of the 1,000 places to visit before you die!), it is The Place for craft beer enthusiasts to gather. The top beer festival and competition in the U.S., it offers the public a chance to taste the biggest assemblage of craft brewed beers ever served. It’s a veritable meeting of the minds of the brewers and their brews, the world’s top beer industry professionals, and dedicated craft beer drinkers. An annual event, it’s usually held in Denver, Colorado in late September or early October.
Founded in 1982, its increase in size and enthusiasm matches the explosion of the U.S. craft brew industry. The Guinness Book of World Records acknowledges that the GABF offers beer aficionados more beer styles on tap than any other event on Earth. More than 700 of nation’s finest breweries provide samples of over 3,500 different beers. They represent every geographical region in the country, and every known type of craft brew.
So huge is the convention, the vendors are arranged geographically. Samples of all brews are offered in 1 ounce cups made of Lexan, an odorless and tasteless plastic. (Glass glasses are reserved for use at the restricted special sessions and for Best in Class judging events.)
If an Autumn weekend in Colorado (being surrounded by the biggest offering of craft beer ever) interests you, check out further details on-line. As with any event attended by thousands of people who are there to sample beer, there are restrictions to ensure all guests will have an excellent experience. With that in mind, and knowing that in recent years tickets have sold out in advance with no on-site tickets available, please plan well ahead.
ASK MR. BEERHEAD: JON MURPHY OF BUFFALO GROVE, IL ASKS: “PROFESSIONAL WINE TASTERS DO NOT SWALLOW THE WINE. SAME THING IN BEER TASTING EVENTS?”
Beer needs to be swallowed for the full experience to be appreciated. Most beer is carbonated in varying degrees. When swallowed, the carbonation is converted to a gas that wafts from your throat to your nasal passages. This gas carries with it some of the beer’s flavor molecules. It is the combined sense of taste and smell that gives your brain an overall ass-essment of the flavor. Some judges, though, will hold the beer in their mouth while breathing in at the same time to achieve the nuances, then expel it. (Swallowing is usually not problematic, as beer is less alcoholic than wine.)
