The Great American Beer Festival is America’s premier beer festival, professional competition, and cultural phenomenon.
Each year, GABF represents the largest collection of U.S. beer ever served, in a public tasting event plus a private competition. GABF brings together the brewers and diverse beers that make the U.S. the world’s greatest brewing nation. Tasting sessions offer attendees the opportunity to tour America’s brewing landscape, one ounce at a time, with access to more than 1,500 different beers from over 500 of the nation’s finest breweries.
The festival takes place at the Colorado Convention Center. 700 14th Street, Denver, CO 80202
As of June 1, 2022, there are no plans to impose restrictions on access to the festival, or to impose conditions such as mask or vaccine requirements. This is subject to change at any time, pending local, state, and federal guidelines. Great American Beer Festival (GABF) and its producer, the Brewers Association, are monitoring local, state, and federal guidelines and will adhere to those guidelines in force at the time of the event. Masks are always welcome. Ultimately it is up to everyone to decide for themselves whether to attend or how much to participate in the festival
Pricing information for the 2022 GABF will be posted to the Tickets page.
Save these dates:
2022: October 6-8
2023: September 21-23
The first festival was held in 1982 at the Harvest House Hotel in Boulder. There were 24 breweries, 47 beers, and 800 attendees.
The festival moved to Denver in 1984.
The 10th festival was held at the Denver Merchandise Mart with 150 breweries, 500 beers, and 7,000 attendees.
Due to continued growth and popularity and the fact that the iconic Currigan Hall was being dismantled, the festival moved from Currigan Hall in Denver to the Colorado Convention Center in 2000.
The Great American Beer Festival has been held every year since 1982 and is presented by the Brewers Association, a not-for-profit educational and trade organization that is devoted to making quality brewing and beer information available to anyone. The Brewers Association also promotes and protects American craft beer, American craft brewers, and the community of brewing enthusiasts. The Brewers Association serves craft brewers and homebrewers and produces bi-monthly magazines and books about the brewing industry.
On Saturday, October 8, 2022 beginning at 10 AM MT. Streaming info to come.
GABF Official Numbers
| 2021 | 2020* | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attendance | n/a | n/a | 60,000 | 62,000 | 60,000 | 60,000 | 60,000 | 49,000 | 49,000 | 49,000 |
| Breweries at the Festival | n/a | 1,100* | 800 | 800 | 800 | 780 | 750 | 710 | 624 | 578 |
| Beers at the Festival | n/a | n/a | 4,000 | 4,000 | 3,900 | 3,800 | 3,800 | 3,500 | 3,142 | 2,774 |
| Breweries in the Competition | 2,192 | 1,720 | 2,295 | 2,404 | 2,217 | 1,752 | 1,552 | 1,309 | 732 | 673 |
| Beers in the Competition | 9,680 | 8,806 | 9,497 | 8,496 | 7,923 | 7,227 | 6,647 | 5,507 | 4,809 | 4,338 |
| Categories Judged | 97 | 91 | 107 + Pro-Am + 70 Collaboration |
102 + Pro-Am + Collaboration |
98 + Pro-Am |
96 + Pro-Am |
92 + Pro-Am |
90 + Pro-Am |
84 + Pro-Am |
84 + Pro-Am |
| Number of Judges | 170 | 115 | 322 | 293 | 276 | 264 | 242 | 222 | 201 | 185 |
| Avg. Number of Beers in each Category | 99.6 | 97 | 88 | 83 | 81 | 75 | 72 | 61 | 51 | 51 |
| Category with Highest Entries | Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ale: 427 | Juicy or Hazy IPA: 377 | Juicy or Hazy IPA: 348 | Juicy or Hazy IPA: 391 | American-Style India Pale Ale: 408 | American-Style India Pale Ale: 312 | American-Style India Pale Ale: 336 | American-Style India Pale Ale: 279 | American-Style India Pale Ale: 252 | American-Style India Pale Ale: 203 |
| Medals Awarded | 290 | 272 | 318 | 306 | 293 | 286 | 275 + 3 in Pro-Am | 268 + 3 in Pro-Am | 252 + 3 in Pro-Am | 251 + 3 in Pro-Am |
| Volunteers | 118 | 72 | 4,280 | 4,393 | 4,308 | 3,732 | 3,400 | 3,300 | 3,245 | 3,023 |
| Volunteer Hours Worked | 4,131 | 3,105 | 63,623 | 68,596 | 66,854 | 57,681 | 55,188 | 47,214 | 41,919 | 54,515 |