If you are considering a trip to Colorado in the fall and are not sure where to go or what to do, let me suggest something. Head to Denver and the Great American Beer Festival, or GABF as it’s affectionately known. GABF is the largest beer festival in the world. This year alone it was host to over 450 breweries and more than 2,000 different craft beers available. What is craft beer though? Who is a craft brewer? The Brewers Association defines a craft brewer as “An American craft brewer is small, independent and traditional. Small: Annual production of beer less than 2 million barrels. Independent: Less than 25% of the craft brewery is owned or controlled (or equivalent economic interest) by an alcoholic beverage industry member who is not themselves a craft brewer.” Essentially, they are the brewers who create a beer, not mass produce it.
The General Session on Day 1.The event is a chance for these craft brewers to get their beers exposed to so many people who would not otherwise know of these breweries or get a chance to try there beers. This is especially important when you consider that the U.S. has more breweries in operation than prior to Prohibition, but most of us may not even know exist. It is also a chance for many to be educated about what beer has to offer. The event has seminars on everything from beer styles, to how to start a brewery. Many industry representatives are on site as well.
The festival descends upon Denver each year with force. People from all parts of the globe come to attend what is the chance of a lifetime to learn more about beer itself, try a wide variety of styles from a wide variety of breweries, and even learn how to pair beer with food. The festival has three general sessions for the public and one session for members of the American Homebrewers and Brewers Associations.
The festival also has what is known as the Farm to Table Pavilion which features craft beer paired with local food prepared by the Culinary Institute of the Rockies. This year, nine breweries were represented with a total of twelve food pairings.  This was an especially nice event, as it gave me a chance to talk to the brewers and ask questions about the beer and why it was paired with each dish.
This was incredible.In addition, the festival has many off site events hosted by brewpubs, breweries and craft beer organizations. I attended an event called ‘Beer for Boobs” which benefits breast cancer and is hosted byThe Ladies of Craft Beer, an organization of women involved in craft beer that seeks to educate other woman. I had the opportunity to attend this event and it was both fun and educational and proceeds went to a great cause.When considering a trip to Denver n the fall, you must consider attending part or all of this festival. It is quite a lot of fun and very educational and you are still within driving distance to many great places in Colorado, such as Rocky Mountain National Park, Boulder and Glenwood Springs, home of the Glenwood Hot Springs Pool.