E-Malt.com News article: USA, CO: The Great American Beer Festival® to celebrate its 30 years

The 30th edition of the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) will take place in Denver, CO from September 29 to October 1n The Brewers Association reported on August, 31.

The premier U.S. beer festival and competition is expected to serve 2,400 different beers, in one-ounce tasting portions, from an estimated 465 U.S. breweries to the event's 49,000-plus attendees. The entire event sold out in just one week.

It is the largest collection of U.S. beer ever served. This is a public tasting event plus a private competition. GABF brings together the brewers and beers that make the U.S. the world's greatest brewing nation. This event showcases the diverse beers that make craft brewing one of the fastest-growing segments of the beer, wine and spirits industry.

Celebrating 30 Years

The Great American Beer Festival has come a long way since its humble beginnings in 1982 as an offshoot of the 4th Annual National Homebrew and Microbrewery Conference. Nevertheless, if the name is any indication, its aspirations were great, and over 30 years, the event has grown from 800 attendees to 49,000, and from a 5,000 square foot festival hall to one close to 300,000 square feet.

New for 2011

•A special pavilion taking attendees back 30 years to the first Great American Beer Festival, complete with photos, a representation of the beers and breweries from the 1982 event, fun facts, a photo booth, 80's music and costumes and more!

•The Farm to Table Pavilion features pairings from an all-new slate of chefs and craft brewers.

•All new presentations in the Beer & Food Pavilion and Brewers Studio. A few highlights include:

◦Sweet and Smokey Chicago Style
Join Top Chef winner and owner/chef of the Girl & the Goat, Stephanie Izzard, and Jared Rouben, brewmaster at Goose Island's Clybourn pub, for a glimpse into their collaborative kitchen-to-kettle brewing process. Stephanie and Jared will share insights on brewing beers to complement food and creating food to complement beers.

◦The Great American Beer & Food Pairing Challenge-The Homebrew Chef
The Homebrew Chef, Sean Paxton, cooks up mystery dishes and challenges two brewers to find the perfect beer pairings from one of the 2,400 beers at the GABF. This fast-paced presentation is sure to delight the senses with amazing food and fantastic beer.

◦Celebrating 30 Years of the GABF
Join GABF founder and Brewers Association president Charlie Papazian, as well as Ken Grossman of Sierra Nevada Brewing Company and Jim Koch of Boston Beer Company, for a look at 30 years of the GABF. They will share stories about the origins of the festival and how things have changed over the last three decades. Beers from both breweries will be served along with a special "birthday" cake.

◦The U.S.-Italy Craft Beer Connection
Join Lorenza Dabove, the Italian beer expert and champion of craft beer, as he teams up with American brewers Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery and Eric Wallace of Left Hand Brewing Co. to talk about the impact of the American craft beer scene on Italian beer culture.

GABF Competition

In 2011, an estimated 4,000 beers will be judged by 170+ judges hailing from across the globe. New competition categories include:

•Fruit Wheat Beer - The soft sweetness of a wheat beer is taken to a new level when combined with the complex flavors of fruit, such as raspberries, blueberries and more.

•Chocolate Beer - Once part of the Herb and Spice Beer category, this bold, flavorful beer is a delight for beer and chocolate lovers alike.

•American-Style Brett Ale - These tart beers are increasingly found in many craft brewers' line-ups, giving beer enthusiasts a funky, complex beer that challenges perception of how beer can taste as the result of a wild yeast known as brettanomyces.

•International-Style Pale Ale-Distinguishing themselves from American - and English - varieties, these beers have a wide range of hop characters, good balance and moderate alcohol, making them great session beers.

•In 2011, the top style by number of entrants is American ‐ Style India Pale Ale (175 entries), and this category has been the top entered at GABF since 2001.

Business Angle

In 2010, beer sales totalled $101 bln (Brewers Association). The number of U.S. breweries is at its highest level (1,790) since before Prohibition.

Craft Brewer Success

America's craft brewers continue to gain in sales and popularity. Passion and exploration continue to grow as America's beer drinkers enjoy unrivaled quality and diversity of craft brewed beer. The craft brewing industry (small and independent) grew 14 percent by volume and 15 percent by dollars in the first half of 2011, and that growth appears to be accelerating. Of the 1,790 breweries in the U.S., 1,740 are considered craft brewers.


02 September, 2011