GABF 2023 – Quick Recap

Here are the centered around Los Angeles winners from today’s award ceremony in Denver….

Golds

Common Space Sonrisa – American style lager

Highland Park Hand of Josh – International Pale Ale

Claremont Craft Ales Triple IPA – Imperial IPA

Highland Park DDH Pillow – Imperial Hazy

Silvers

Angel City Apple Pomace Puncheon – Experimental beer

Beachwood Hoppa Emeritus – American black ale

Bronzes

HopSaint Random Acts of Greatness – other Strong Ale

Firestone Walker Propagator Extra Pale Ale – International Pale Ale

Beachwood Glenlongbeach – Scottish-style ale

Angel City Trois Annees Cuvee – Belgian Style sour

IPA Winners

WC IPA – Westbound & Down Westbound Select

Hazy IPA – 1852 Brew Co Away Days

Best Beer Name

Ain’t Afraid of No Goats my favorite beer name – bock of course

Denver Day – Casa Bonita

Fans of South Park know of the famous Casa Bonita.  Heaven to one Eric Cartman.  Now comes Casa Beer, created by Denver’s Ratio Beerworks, a Mexican-style lager with lime.  The very sessiony 4.8% ABV beer is available on draft at bars (yes, plural) throughout the restaurant.

Relax, Don’t Worry. Learn About Homebrew

Some may consider having a building at a prestigious university named after them proof of a life well led. But I would argue that having brewing equipment named after you is even better.

Which leads to a fundraising campaign as brewing legend Charlie Papazian explains, “Metropolitan State University of Denver plans to name their 3 ½ barrel brewing laboratory after me. The Charlie Papazian Brewing Education Lab.

In effect they are commemorating the role that homebrewers and beer enthusiasts like you and I have played in making the world a better place for the enjoyment of beer. Who would have thought that! I enjoy being involved with initiatives that help assure great beer for the future.”

Virtual GABF

The Great American Beer Festival (GABF), the big beer festival on the calendar is not going on as in the past. Instead of September 24-26 at the Big Blue Bear and in person in Denver, it will now be an “immersive online experience October 16-17.”

Though this sucks for the beer community and the breweries and bars in Denver that saw a big attendance boost, it was not a decision that comes as much of a surprise considering how 2020 is shaping up to be a year filled with bad news.

According to the Brewers Association, the virtual GABF is still in the planning stages but expect to see beer tastings, brewer interviews as well as food and beer pairing ideas possibly with a delivery of beer angle as well.

The good news is that the beer competition will take place in 2020. Will Pandemic beer be a style category?

I see this as a golden opportunity to try out crazy ideas and also how to incorporate more of the country into GABF since plane fare and time away is now off the table as an excuse not to go. And if all goes well with the re-openings, maybe smaller, mini GABFs can be held around the country. I vote for any wacky plan.

A Friend in Koreatown


Coming up on the 16th, the Koreatown Beer Belly will be hosting Our Mutual Friend, the Denver brewery, not Janice from accounting.

For this special Thursday edition of their One Night Stand (#ONS) the following will be pouring…
1. Times Arrow (IPA)
2. Inner Light (Mosaic Pale Ale)
3. Riot of Color (Mango Lime Berliner Weiss)
4. Wicket (Belgian Wit)
5. All Colorado (IPA)
6. Weirding Way (Brett Saison) bottle pour
7. Gratitude Four (Pink Guava Saison) bottle pour

GABF 17 Ticket Info


It is ticket time! This fest is a bit easier than say, the Firestone Walker Invitational, but you do have to be on the ball.

It is Great American Beer Festival time again! Tickets for the public go on sale via the ever so much fun Ticketmaster on August 2nd 10:00 AM MOUNTAIN TIME!

So be prepped and logged in and have a separate tab to immediately look for hotels in Denver cause that race is even harder sometimes.

Advance Warning – GABF16

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Set your alarms for 10am on August 3rd, that is when tickets for the 35th Great American Beer Festival become available for purchase.

Just a little gathering in Denver and their Convention Center for more than 800 breweries and somewhere close to 3,800 beers. This year the fest runs from Thursday, October 6th to Saturday, October 8th.

This year the general session tickets are $80. They will go quickly.