The Great American Beer Festival is Back!

The 27th Annual Great American Beer Festival is set to kick off in Denver on October 9th. The event will run through October 11th and feature the largest collection of US beers ever assembled, served in one ounce tasting portions.

Charlie Papazian, president of the Brewers Association, said, “The Great American Beer Festival is the greatest beer tasting event in the world. It provides liquid proof that the United States is the world’s finest brewing nation, and shows why American craft beer is in such high demand.”

The 2008 GABF will feature more than 1,900 different beers from 400 U.S. breweries. As in 2007, 46,000 beer aficionados are expected to attend this year’s event, and last year the GABF sold out in advance of the opening session. A highlight of the festival is that many of the beers are served by their makers, giving attendees the chance to meet many of their beer heroes and to sample beers that are normally not available out of state.

Last year, U.S. beer sales again surpassed the combined sales of wine and spirits, and sales from craft brewers continued to grow with an astounding 58% increase from 2004 to 2007. Gallup in July 2008 confirmed beer is still the most popular adult beverage in the U.S., beating wine by double digits.

Attendees can enjoy festival favorites including the chance to judge a beer with a GABF judge or brewer, attend beer and food pairing talks, and sit in on interviews with brewing industry luminaries. The festival has also furthered their environmental initiatives by continuing to recycle an estimated 47,000 bottles and cans, and new this year, offsetting 100% of its electricity with renewable energy credits.

In 2007, the most hotly contested beer styles were: American-Style India Pale Ale (120 entries), Fruit Beer or Vegetable Beer (94 entries), American-Style Strong Pale Ale (91 entries), Wood and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer (72 entries), Imperial or Double India Pale Ale (72 entries).

http://www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com

information provided by Julie Herz of the Brewers Association