Breaking Down the Newcomers & Breweries Missing from 2018 GABF

Each year one of the most exciting aspects of the Great American Beer Festival is the ability to explore and sample some of the country’s best new breweries that have emerged on the scene. Additionally, it can be equally as rewarding to revisit some familiar faces you may only get to try once each year at the country’s largest beer showcase. However, with the evolving landscape of craft beer, and varying priorities, we also tend to lose some familiar friends. As we’ve done each year, we’ve broken down the new / returning breweries as well as those who sadly aren’t coming back for this year’s Great American Beer Festival.

(READ: The Complete List of Breweries Attending 2018 GABF)

2018 New/Returning Breweries

This is the complete list of breweries who are attending GABF in 2017 who did not attend last year. Notable new and returning breweries that you shouldn’t miss include Against the Grain Brewery, Barrel Theory, Hop Butcher for the World, More Brewing, Monday Night Brewing, Offshoot Beer, Telegraph Brewing and Commonhouse Aleworks who are all making their debut. Notable returners who weren’t at the festival last year include J. Wakefield, Logsdon Farmhouse Ales, New Glarus, Pure Project and more.

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2018 Missing Breweries

This is the list of breweries who attended last year’s fest, but will not be in attendance this year. The biggest disappointments include major absences from AC Golden, Adroit Theory, Belching Beaver, Black Project, Boulevard, Brewery Ommegang, Council Brewing, Comrade, DC Brau, Ex Novo, Founders, Georgetown Brewing, Half Acre, Jolly Pumpkin, Kuhnhenn, Miller Coors, Mike Hess, New Image, Off Color, Schlafly, Scofflaw, Scratch, Service Brewing, Starr Hill, Southern Tier, The Wrecking Bar, Toppling Goliath, Uberbrew, West Sixth, Weyerbacher and many more.

Also in remaining with last year’s theme, several corporate brewery conglomerates were granted spots for only a handful of their portfolio. This year only Wicked Weed and 10 Barrel will represent the Anheuser-Busch InBev-owned The High End entities. And only Revolver Brewing will represent Coors’ craft division.

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