GABF
2023 GABF Guided Routes | Best Barrel-Aged & High ABV Beers to Try at GABF
September 20, 2023 | Tristan Chan
The Great American Beer Festival is finally back! With the insane multitude of beers being served on the festival floor, it can sometimes feel a bit overwhelming. So PorchDrinking is … Read More
2023 GABF Guided Routes | Best Lagers to Try at GABF
September 20, 2023 | Tristan Chan
The Great American Beer Festival is finally back! With the insane multitude of beers being served on the festival floor, it can sometimes feel a bit overwhelming. So PorchDrinking is once again here to help you navigate that lineup and help with planning your route at the fest. As part of that research, we’ve sifted through every beer pouring at this year’s fest to curate a series of themed routes to help you plan for your GABF based on various styles and flavors.
2023 GABF Guided Routes | Hoppy Beers to Try at GABF
September 19, 2023 | Tristan Chan
The Great American Beer Festival is finally back! With the insane multitude of beers being served on the festival floor, it can sometimes feel a bit overwhelming. So PorchDrinking is once again here to help you navigate that lineup and help with planning your route at the fest. As part of that research, we’ve sifted through every beer pouring at this year’s fest to curate a series of themed routes to help you plan for your GABF based on various styles and flavors.
Great American Beer Festival 2023 Preview Guide: Chocolate Beers
September 18, 2023 | David Nilsen
There are some excellent chocolate beers being poured at the Great American Beer Festival 2023! Ranging from rich dessert concepts to beers highlighting cacao in unique ways, here are the chocolate beers you need to try when you’re at the festival.
The Complete PorchDrinking 2023 GABF Week Events Guide
September 16, 2023 | Emma Wargolet
The return of the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) each year serves as one of the greatest spectacles in American craft beer. And while the festival, which kicks off this week on Thursday, September 21, is a feat in and of itself, what happens outside of the Convention Center is equally as exciting. External beer events built around the return of GABF have already begun kicking off, and they offer beer fans a unique opportunity to explore rare and exciting new beers from breweries not typically available in the state of Colorado but also serve to showcase some of the best that the state of Colorado can offer. Read More
Great American Beer Festival 2023 Preview Guide: Non-Alcoholic Beers & Beverages
September 15, 2023 | David Nilsen
The Great American Beer Festival is all about trying some of the best beers in the country, but what if you’re trying to be mindful of how much alcohol you consume, or aren’t drinking at all? No worries! There are dozens of delicious non-alcoholic beers, hop waters and other NA options at the Great American Beer Festival 2023. Here’s our guide to all the options.
The PorchCast Ep. 107 | Jill Preston – Left Hand Brewing’s 30th Anniversary
September 15, 2023 | Tristan Chan
In episode 107 of The PorchCast, Tristan and Korey were joined by Jill Preston, Director of Marketing for Left Hand Brewing at Left Hand’s newest location in Denver’s River North Art District right next to Mission Ballroom to recap what a monstrous past two years it’s been for the pioneer Colorado brewery.
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Amalgam Brewing’s GABF Week Releases Mark New Chapter with Bierstadt Lagerhaus
September 13, 2023 | Tristan Chan
After a slew of brewery closures, Anheuser-Busch’s recent sell-off of several “High End” brands, and the Brewers Association’s recent reports detailing diminished craft beer sales within the industry, it has become evident that the momentum of craft beer has slowed over the last two years. However, great craft breweries always find ways to adapt, and the best are able to do so while still remaining true to the ideals that made this industry so successful over the last decade. Next week’s release of Welcome to the Here and Now, a West Coast Pilsner from Denver’s Amalgam Brewing may appear on the surface to be just another exciting entry from one of the state’s most highly regarded, yet under-the-radar breweries, but this newest release is also representative of Amalgam’s next evolutionary phase.
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Great American Beer Festival 2023 Preview | Ohio Beer
September 12, 2023 | David Nilsen
Ohio is a fantastic craft beer state, with over 420 craft breweries that together make the Buckeye State the sixth highest in craft beer production in the country. Numerous Ohio breweries will be pouring their best beers at this year’s Great American Beer Festiva. Here’s our guide to the Ohio beers you can taste at the Great American Beer Festival 2023!
GABF Ticket Sale Dates & 2024 Big Beers, Belgians & Barleywines Update
June 21, 2023 | Tristan Chan
We’ve got good news and bad news on the beer festival front. Beginning with the good news, the 2023 Great American Beer Festival has announced that tickets will go on sale July 11 and 12 for this year’s event taking place September 21 – 23.
Favorite Beer Names of GABF 2022
October 21, 2022 | Emma Wargolet
Sometimes, it is not the description of the beer that pulls you in, but the name of the beer. I have zero qualms about purchasing Hopewell Brewing Co.’s Ya Filthy Animal simply because of the name of the beer (turns out it is my favorite holiday beer, so that one paid off), and going into Great American Beer Festival, my philosophy remained the same.
The Illinois Breweries That Produce GABF-Winning Hazy Beers (And That’s Not All They Do)
October 18, 2022 | Mathew Powers
The Brewers Association introduced the Hazy/Juicy IPA category for the Great American Beer Fest awards in 2018, reflecting the style’s presence and impact within the brewing world — and the first gold medal went to Chicago’s Alarmist Brewing with its Le Jus. Eris Brewery & Cider won bronze in that same category for its Folken Haze. The next year, Old Irving followed with another gold for its ever-popular Beezer. Indeed, Chicago stood as king of the hazy-beer hill. All told, seven Illinois breweries have received a total of nine medals (four gold) in five years for the hazy/juicy Pale Ale, Strong Pale Ale, IPA and Imperial IPA categories. Here are the The Illinois Breweries that Produce GABF-winning Hazy Beers, and a little more about what they brew, serve, and offer.
Texas Ties Highest Medal Count at 2022 GABF Competition
October 14, 2022 | Kindsey Bernhard
Texas breweries brought home 21 medals at the Great American Beer Festival Competition, tying their medal count from 2017. Texas had a strong bounce back after only winning 14 medals in 2021 and 10 medals in 2020.
There were 18 first-time GABF winners and seven of those were Texas breweries; 3 Nations, Edgewise Eight, Mad Pecker, Maple Branch, Old 290, Pecan Street and Roadmap. Texas was the third most awarded state behind California and Colorado.
Bean to Barstool Podcast | Favorite Beers of GABF Week
October 13, 2022 | David Nilsen
Bean to Barstool host David Nilsen just got back from covering the Great American Beer Festival in Denver for PorchDrinking, as well as the Denver Rare Beer Tasting. While he was in Denver, he attended PorchDrinking’s 10th anniversary festival, hosted a beer and chocolate pairing at Lady Justice Brewing, and stopped in at many of Denver’s best breweries, including Jagged Mountain Brewery, Our Mutual Friend, Cerveceria Colorado and Wah Gwaan Brewing.
In this episode, David shares his favorite beers and experiences of Great American Beer Festival week.
Ohio Breweries Find Repeat Success at GABF
October 13, 2022 | David Nilsen
Ohio craft breweries once again performed well on the national stage, bringing home eight medals from the 2022 Great American Beer Festival. Notably, every Ohio winner had previously been recognized at GABF or the World Beer Cup.
The ROI of the Great American Beer Festival
October 10, 2022 | Julie Rhodes
The 40th anniversary of the Great American Beer Festival marks the first time the event has been held in person and open to the public since 2019. To say that brewers and craft beer fans are excited is an extreme understatement. While participation and attendance were limited this year due to renovations to the Colorado Convention Center, the exhibitor floor was still packed with over 200 suppliers and drew over 10,000 fans to the event.
2022 GABF Results | What Breweries Won Big This Year?
October 8, 2022 | Emma Wargolet
The last two years have been… let’s say rough. One beacon of light that has emerged the last few months has been the re-emergence of beer festivals. However, due to its massive size, there were doubts that Great American Beer Festival would be able to come back swinging in 2022. Doubt no more, because the masses of craft beer nerds have descended upon Denver to bask in GABF’s glory once again.
Illinois Breweries Who Won Big at 2022 GABF Competition
October 8, 2022 | Mathew Powers
Illinois breweries, including nine within the Chicago metro area, came away with 10 medals at the Great American Beer Fest, with Double Clutch Brewing emulating what On Tour Brewing did in 2017: win two beer medals and the “Brewery of the Year” for a small brewery award (0-250 barrels). The only gold went to Maplewood Brewing for its Oatmeal Stout. The 10 beer medals is down from the robust 16 Illinois breweries won in 2021, but still a more than respectable showing.
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Colorado Breweries Who Won Big at the 2022 GABF Competition
October 8, 2022 | Tristan Chan
Colorado has perennially performed well at GABF, but after a somewhat lackluster showing last year with only 21 medals they rebounded in a big way in 2022. This year, independent … Read More
2022 Great American Beer Fest Day 1 Recap | Standouts and Hidden Gems
October 7, 2022 | Mathew Powers
The bagpipers did more than kick-off the 40th annual Great American Beer Fest; they signaled the end of a two-year hiatus caused by the global pandemic. And with that re-start, the PorchDrinking team is back roaming the aisles and aisles of booths, sampling beer and taking notes. Without further ado, here is our team’s GABF Day 1 Recap – our favorites and hidden gems.
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