The Brewers Association’s Great American Beer Festival (GABF) kicks off for its 41st edition tonight in Denver at the Colorado Convention Center. For the first time, fest goers will be able to sample cider and hard seltzer along with a dizzying array of craft beer from brewers across the country.
Here is a smattering of facts about this year’s fest …
State with the most breweries representing: (unsurprisingly) Colorado, with beer from 91 breweries poured, followed by California (67), Texas (22), Oregon (19) and Washington (14).
Four states have no breweries pouring: Arkansas, Iowa, Montana and West Virginia.
Brewery-dense New England will only have seven breweries pouring: Athletic and Rhythm from Connecticut (the region’s only state to send more than one), Allagash from Maine, Samuel Adams from Massachusetts, 603 from New Hampshire, Narragansett from Rhode Island, and Whetstone from Vermont.
India Pale Ale’s chokehold on craft continues, with 358 variations of the style being poured, excluding 52 fresh hop and imperial IPAs.
There will be 114 sour ales, Brettanomyces beers and lambics poured; four of them are pickle-flavored, bringing the total number of beers with pickle in their name to six, including the experimental beer category.
We counted 244 selections in the session ales and lagers category, most of which are in the 4.5% to 5.5% ABV range.
People who attend the country’s largest beer festival looking for something other than beer can choose from 37 ciders and 12 hard seltzers.
Five cideries will be pouring at GABF: 2 Towns Ciderhouse, Incline Cider, Seattle Cider, Schilling Cider and Stem Ciders.
Non-alcoholic offerings for designated drivers and fest goers who recognize they can’t drink like they’re in their twenties anymore include 35 non-alc and alcohol-free beers, eight hop waters, three ciders and two NA cocktails.
Four members of the National Black Brewers Association will be pouring at the festival in a designated taproom area, including Crowns & Hops, Harlem Brewing Company, Montclair Brewery, and Rhythm Brewing, as well as Black is Beautiful Vol. 2 hazy IPAs from Weathered Souls and Dogfish Head.
In a GABF first, an International Pavilion will offer imported beers from Belgium, Germany and Iceland, courtesy of Elite Brands of Colorado.
State guilds from Georgia, Florida, New Mexico, Ohio and Texas will offer beers from breweries in those states.
As of Wednesday, only the BA’s members session on Saturday afternoon has sold out.
Tickets cost $95 per session for basic GABF admission. Entrance to GABF and Paired, the BA’s simultaneous food and beer pairing celebration, costs $199.