2006 GABF celebrates 25 years with expanded festival site, festival history display, America's biggest beer list and much more
Denver, CO - May 15, 2006 - The Brewers Association (BA) is announcing details for its 2006 Great American Beer Festival, September 28 - 30 at the Colorado Convention Center (at 14th Street and Stout Street) in Denver, Colorado. The 2006 edition will be the 25th installment of the nation's premier, annual celebration of America's breweries and rich brewing culture. The festival will feature 1600 of the nation's best beers from over 370 American breweries. Once again, it will be the biggest selection of American beers ever gathered together in the United States.
"The 25th anniversary of the GABF is truly a celebration of the creativity, excitement, flavor and diversity of American Beer," says Charlie Papazian, GABF founder and president of the Brewers Association. "At our first festival in 1982 we had 20 brewers, and only three or four were microbrewers. We were really trying to draw attention to the traditions of flavor and diversity that were being lost, that were beginning to be recovered by microbrewers at the time. Today, the GABF and the number of craft beers made by America's small, traditional and independent brewers has grown beyond our biggest dreams."
The GABF is deemed the ultimate event for tasting the beers of the globe's greatest brewing nation. "The Great American Beer Festival," says Garrett Oliver, brewmaster for Brooklyn Brewing, "is the swirling, dynamic, luminous core of what is now the most exciting beer culture on the planet."
GABF visitors enjoy one-ounce beer samples from the fest's breweries. These breweries are arranged on the festival floor by regions of the country, giving beer lovers a walking tour of the nation's beer-blessed landscape. Many of the booths are staffed by the brewers themselves. Over 29,500 beer enthusiasts from Colorado, the US and around the world attended last year's GABF. The 2006 GABF will cover 188,000 square feet in the newly renovated Colorado Convention Center.
The GABF also hosts one of the world's largest and most prestigious tasting competitions. Over 100 professional beer judges from the United States and abroad evaluate over 2,335 beers entered by more than 466 domestic breweries. Gold, silver and bronze medals in 69 beer-style categories will be awarded September 30 at the 1:30 p.m. awards ceremony held during the Special Connoisseur Tasting Session.
This year, the GABF's popular food & beer pairing seminars will feature an A-list of America's brewers joined by local and national celebrity chefs for demonstrations on how to cook with beer, and pair different styles of beer with various dishes.
Last year, 2700 volunteers from around the world helped staff the GABF, and they put in over 40,000 hours of volunteer labor.
The festival will also present live music by Colorado artists, beer education booths, and other attractions. Visit
Public tasting sessions are offered 5:30 -10 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. Tickets are $35 in advance and $40 at the door for Thursday, and $40 in advance ($45 at the door) for Friday and Saturday nights. A special Connoisseur Tasting Session on Saturday afternoon (noon-
4:40 PM) is open to the public for $50. Public tasting sessions sell out quickly, advance-ticket purchases are strongly recommended. $15 Designated Driver tickets and special group discounts are also available.Tickets are on sale now at the Great American Beer Festival web site (
Based in Boulder, Colo., U.S.A., the Brewers Association (BA) is a not-for-profit trade and educational association for small and craft brewers. The Brewers Association was established in 2005 by a merger of the Association of Brewers and the Brewers' Association of America. Visit the website: