Great British vs Great American Beer Festivals

I recently returned from attending my second Great British Beer Festival (GBBF). I also attended in 1998. I had an excellent time again. I wish I could say the same about the Great American Beer Festival (GABF). I attended that one in 1999 and would never waste my time attending it again, however I would visit Denver again as I had a much better time at the local brew pubs and beer bars than I did at the festival.

My biggest gripe about the GABF is the shot of beer ration while the GBBF gives you the choice of a half (imperial 10 oz) pint or a full (imperial 20 oz) pint. I prefer having a decent quantity of beer to sit and relax with vs constantly standing on a line to refill my shot glass.

I find this shot of beer situation to be the case at all American beer festivals I've attended with the exception of the NERAX festival held near Boston every spring. That is why it is the only American beer festival I go out of my way to attend each year.

I also found the venue for the GBBF much more spacious than the one I attended the GABF at. Also the GBBF had better food options and also had pub games available to play (which I don't recall at the GABF).

I'll be back in London in August 2007 but I'll probably never be in Denver in October ever again.

Cheers, Bruce

Reply to
Bruce
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Sorry to hear that but I found the small samples given at the GABF to be quite sufficient for me to form an educated opinion. My whole intent of attending the event is to taste as many new(to me) brews as I can so that I can seek the impressive ones out online. Ok, so I *do* check out some old favourites as well. ;^) And the lines....they weren't so bad. I had a ball in 2004 and will be back in 2005.

Reply to
Bill Becker

I enjoyed that greatly about the GBBF as well.

But, to be fair, there's a huge difference at the GBBF that is more conducive to that: the vast majority of the beers on offer at the GBBF are less than 5 percent abv. With the way American tastes are, and American beer geekdom is, less than 5 percent abv is sufficient for abject mockery and insinuations that one lacks a sufficiently large wang if you drink such a pansy-ass beer. (No, I don't hold American craft beer consumers' preferences for biggerfasterbettermore! in contempt at all.) It's a much less dangerous - and, I'd argue - propositing to snarf down a few pints of very tasty 4.2 bitter than to try to do the same with a 9 percent imperial mega hopfest my balls are the size of cantalopues grande pils.

Used to be that the Chicago Real Ale Festival was worth going to every year, even with relatively short pours (4 oz). It stopped being worth going to only when they stopped having it.

-Steve

Reply to
Steve Jackson

Perhaps there are some you haven't attended yet have larger portions.

Reply to
Joel
Reply to
The Submarine Captain

The Thursday night and Saturday afternoon sessions aren't crowded with random beerswillers, so are much more enjoyable.

I agree about the food, though the sessions are short enough that I've not found the narrow range of food available to be a problem. The 16th Street Mall is just a couple blocks away and has many choices (including a decent Rock Bottom brewery). As for games, who needs 'em? It's a beer festival.

Reply to
Joel

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