Photo courtesy of the Great American Beer Festival Facebook page
Whether you’re attending the Great American Beer Festival or not, there are lots of exciting beer events leading up to GABF and continuing throughout the week. While Colorado is always a great place for craft beer, GABF week is the absolute best time to be here!
***Note: I will be updating this as other event information is released, so check back! Also, there are far too many awesome events to include in this one post; these are just some of my personal picks. See my Facebook Events page for even more good stuff!***
Sat., Oct. 1, 1-5 p.m.: 1st Annual Townie Fest at The Post Brewing (105 W. Emma St., Lafayette).
Uptown, downtown, eastside, westside; we’re all townies and we all need a beer when we meet. Townie Fest is a day of fun with the friends and family and all Townies are welcome. Oktoberfest is happening in Germany and costumes are welcomed! Great American Beer Fest is the next weekend, didn’t get a ticket? Great! Come to Townie Fest and get your drink on and earn yourself a chance at GABF tickets for 2016!
We’ll have a “Celebrity Dunk Tank” for all to dunk their favorite local celebrity. Lots of games and activities to keep you laughing, and winning awesome prizes including an all expenses paid trip to Portland Oregon to tour some breweries!
We’ll have special tappings throughout the day – so get here early and stay a while to get be a part of all the excitement! We’ll have a boot-stomping good time to start it off with a local jam and end with live music from Malai Llama.
Sat., Oct. 1, 1-4 p.m.: 11th Annual Fresh Hop Fest at The Future Home of Brewery Liberati (2403 Champa St., Denver).
The beer-centric minds of the Colorado Brewers Guild, Falling Rock Tap House, and Two Parts have done it again! We present to you: The 11th Annual Falling Rock Fresh Hop Festival!
This year’s event has landed in a new and improved location—the old Golden Bell Press building, and the future home of Liberati Brewing is located just a few blocks from Falling Rock. This event showcases a medley of fresh hopped beers created by breweries from across the country. The majority of beers will come from the greater Colorado area, but some out-of-state guests will grace us with their presence as well!
What in the heck is a fresh hopped beer? Here’s the timeline… Hops growers have about 24 hours to get the hops from the farm to the brewery’s drying kiln before they start showing signs of spoilage. But if these hops are utilized within that 24-hour window, then eureka, we’ve got ourselves one heck of a beer! These beers are exciting because each one is different, all have varied levels of hoppy flavor, and are super exclusive due to the fresh hop process. Don’t miss out!
Ticket includes entry to the event, unlimited libations, and a commemorative glass. Trust us when we say it will be worth every penny. Buy now and save. At door prices will increase by five dollars (if any tickets remain)…
Sat., Oct. 1, 2 p.m.-11:59 p.m.: Gratitude 2016 at Our Mutual Friend Brewery (2810 Larimer St, Denver).
It’s time for Gratitude! A celebration of friendship and the beer made possible by it. Every year (the Saturday before GABF) we take the opportunity to celebrate you! We wouldn’t be where we are today without the support of our customers, friends, family, and countless people in the craft beer industry.
To show our appreciation we will have $4 standard and $5 special release pours all day! Over 20 beers on tap! At least 6 bottle releases (including Gratitude 3 sour ale)! Food trucks! Music! Giveaways! No ticket required.
Mon., Oct. 4, 5 p.m.: Annual GABF Tapping Party at Falling Rock Tap House (1919 Blake St., Denver).
Join us as we celebrate the Great American Beer Festival in our own special way! Featuring many of the great beers we are are known for carrying as well as some special kegs including new, fun and one-off beers from our friends. Be there early to get a good spot for watching the clock count down to zero and toast the start of one of the Greatest Weeks in Beer!
Mon., Oct. 3-Sat., Oct. 8: GABF Week at Freshcraft (1530 Blake St., Denver).
Freshcraft has special tappings and events all week long, starting on Monday Oct. 3rd and going through Saturday Oct. 8th. Click on individual events for more information:
Mon., Oct. 3: Wild & Sour Monday
Tue., Oct. 4: Local Showcase Tuesday
Wed., Oct. 5: Upslope Brewing
Thur., Oct. 6: Casey Brewing and Blending, Cigar City Brewing, and Ska x Telluride Spirit Animal Night
Fri., Oct. 7: Odell x Wicked Weed, Left Hand Warrior Firkin Tapping, and Stone, Green Flash, Station 26 and Melvin
Sat., Oct. 8: Breakfast with The Bruery and Surly Brewing
Mon., Oct. 3, 4-7 p.m.: Meet the Brewer at Strange Craft (1330 Zuni St, Unit M, Denver).
Our brewer, Tim Myers, will be giving tours every 30 min. He’ll lead a Q&A about Strange Craft beers and share samples. Limited to 10 people each half hour. Signup sheet in the tasting room.
Mon., Oct. 3, 6-9 p.m.: GABF Launch Party with Great Divide at Avanti F&B (3200 Pecos St, Denver).
We are working on our line up for GABF week, and its all going to start here with our Great Divide Launch Party! Going to be a great week for craft beer, we hope to see you here.
Mon., Oct. 3, 5-10 p.m.: Stone + First Draft Collab Release at First Draft Taproom & Kitchen (1309 26th St, Denver).
We collaborated with Stone on a crazy blend to create Stone Mixtape Ale vol. 15 – Brett the Rockies. With the help of Stone’s Senior Manager of Brewing and Innovation Steve Gonzalez, we blended a Brett-fermented foudre blend with Stone Ruination 2.0, and added cannibis oil as a finishing touch.
Come try this one-of-a-kind beer at First Draft starting Monday during GABF week. We’ll also be tapping Stone Barrel-Aged Brown Ale with Balaton Sour Cherries and Stone Cali-Belgique aged in Tequila Barrels!
Tue., Oct. 4, 5:30-8:30 p.m.: Beers Made by Walking at Denver Museum of Nature & Science (2001 Colorado Blvd., Denver).
Beers Made By Walking invites brewers to go on nature hikes and create new beers inspired by plants identified on the trail. Each beer is a unique, drinkable portrait of the landscape. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Museum. Must be 21+ to attend. Tickets are $35.
Participating breweries: Baere, Black Project, Bonfire, Burial (NC), Cerebral, Crazy Mountain, Crooked Stave, Dry Dock, Elevation, Fiction, Fieldhouse, Fonta Flora (NC), Great Divide , Happy Leaf Kombucha, Hopworks (OR), Horse and Dragon, Living The Dream, Mockery, Odd 13, Odell, Our Mutual Friend, Paradox, Ratio, Riff Raff, Scratch (IL), Spangalang, Stem Cider, Strange Craft, TRiNiTY, TRVE, Goldspot + The Grateful Gnome collaboration.
Tue., Oct. 4, 6-10 p.m.: What the Funk!? Invitational 2016 at Exdo Event Center (1399 35th St., Denver).
What the Funk!? Invitational is a celebration of all things barrel-aged from boozy and strong to wild, sour, and funky. Sponsored by Denver-based brewery Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project and Shelton Brothers this festival features numerous breweries from across the United States and around the World making some of the best Barrel-aged libations. For more information and tickets please visit wtfinvitational.com
Tue., Oct. 4, 5-10 p.m.: Odd13 Brewing Showcase at First Draft Taproom & Kitchen (1309 26th St, Denver).
We’re getting the GABF party started early with some great offerings from Odd13 Brewing! The Odd13 crew will be in the house with giveaways as well. Taplist includes:
– Codename Superduper Fan
– Hawaiian Bartender
– The Economist
– Codename Superfan
– Boulder Brett
– Chainsaw the Princess of Karate (collab with Big Choice Brewing. Proceeds from Odd13 Taproom sales go to support breast cancer charities)
Tue., Oct. 4-Fri., Oct. 7: GABF Week Events at The Crafty Fox (3901 Fox St, Denver).
Tue., Oct. 4: The Crafty Fox & CSA Distributing Present GABF Gems! Come on down to The Crafty Fox on Tuesday October 4th and try some rare beer gems! We will be tapping fun rare beers from the following breweries: Lawsons, Bell’s, Half Acre, Two Roads, Council, Perennial, Fremont, Jack’s Abby, Boneyard, Gigantic, Blackberry Farms, Stillwater, Off Color, La Cumbre, Greenbench, Almanac, Ecliptic, Crux, Cascade, AleSong, Jolly Pumpkin, Against the Grain, and Lord Hobo!
Wed., Oct. 5: The Crafty Fox & Horse and Dragon Food/Beer Pairing! We will be teaming up with Horse & Dragon Brewery out of Fort Collins and doing a custom food and beer menu. We will be pairing a fun custom food menu with their Sad Panda Coffe Stout, Bounty of the Bine Fresh Hop Pale Ale, The Agitated Aardvark Imperial IPA, The Scottish Tradesman Rum Barrel Aged Coconut Porter, Perambluation Gose, and Harry Hughes Aggie Jasmine Green Tea Pale Ale! Not only will be have some fun food/beer pairings we will also be cooking the food with their spent grain, hops, wort, and yeast.
Thur., Oct. 6: The Crafty Fox presents Wicked Weed! We will be teaming up with Wicked Week Brewery out of North Carolina and we will be tapping 21+ of their rare beers. Like sours, IPAs, stouts?! Well, Wicked Weed will be sending out a very diverse lineup of beers which will help showcase the brewery. Come on down and help us welcome Wicked Weed to Colorado!
Thur., Oct. 6: The Crafty Fox presents Odd 13! We will be tapping some of the rarest beers that Odd 13 Brewery out of Lafayette CO has to offer! Like Odd 13 beers? Well, we will be tapping some of Odd 13’s heaviest hitters.
Fri., Oct. 7: Bellingham Beer in Denver w/ Melvin & Crooked Stave! Check out Bellingham’s finest breweries as they visit the Crafty Fox in Denver on October 7th from 4:00 PM – close! Drink beer and win prizes!
Wed., Oct. 5-Sat., Oct. 8: Beerliner & Chill: Brewers Health Initiative at 14th & Stout, Denver).
When: Wednesday, October 5th – Saturday October 8th
Texas Craft Beer Showcase: 3-5 PM and 10-12 PM EVERY DAY
FREE PSA TESTS: Onsite Thursday from 12:00pm-5:00pm and Saturday 10:00am – 2:00pm.
30 SECOND FUNDRAISER | Worlds’ Largest #shotgunfriday 11:00pm Friday
Tickets: Prepaid Tickets Available Soon.
$10 Day tickets (good for afternoon and night session) $10/wristband
$30 4-Day Tickets (valid all 4 days!)
$5 #ShotgunFriday Token (must have a token to get a canned beer)
Food Available for purchase inside the event from Alamo Drafthouse Cinema
This awesome event is brought to you by 1400 Miles with some generous help from our friends at Pints for Prostates, Prostate Conditions Education Council, Alamo Drafthouse Cinema and more.
Don’t forget, #dontfearthefinger, y’all! See you in Denver!
Wed., Oct. 5, 8:30 p.m.-12 a.m.: Breast Friends w/TRVE, Ratio, Burial and Revolution at Hi-Dive (7 S Broadway, Denver).
Join TRVE Brewing, Ratio Beerworks, Burial Beer Co. and Revolution Brewing for a night of pre-GABF fun. These four Breast Friend breweries have teamed up for a tap takeover and punk rock / metal music showcase featuring Cloud Catcher, Space In Time, Major Sports, and Cheap Perfume all benefiting Keep A Breast Foundation!
Doors open at 8:30 show begins at 9pm, tickets are available for $10 via the Hi-Dive Denver.
Wed., Oct. 5, 4-10 p.m.: GABF ORDEAL: HMLS Pig Roast at Oskar Blues Homemade Liquids & Solids (1555 S Hover Road, Longmont).
The Oskar Blues ORDEAL is back, and we’re showcasing our beers, our brewery, and the brand new outdoor patio and stage at Oskar Blues Home Made Liquids and Solids. You’re going to be treated to an all you can eat family-style Pig Roast as well as the brewery experience at the Longmont Brewery and Tasty Weasel tap room! Don’t wait! There are a limited number of tickets available, so save your spot right away!
Come on out for some live music courtesy of Coop and the Chicken Pluckers, good times, and great beers on Wednesday, October 5, to indoctrinate you to the Great American Beer Festival. We’ve arranged for transportation from the Denver Hyatt Regency to the brewery and back in the ORDEAL Ride Along ticket. Don’t need a ride? We’ve got you covered with the ORDEAL Local Ticket. Festivities will kick off at HMLS at 6:30 PM.
Wed., Oct. 5, 5-10 p.m.: Pre-GABF Shindig! at Tivoli Brewing (900 Auraria Pkwy, Denver).
It’s that time of year again! And just as you’d expect, we’re going to kick this week off the only way we know how…Party!
Join our mischief and bafoonery Wednesday October 5th!
Wed., Oct. 5, 6-10 p.m.: Offensively Delicious, a Craft Beer Comedy Show at McNichols Building (144 W Colfax Ave, Denver).
Offensively Delicious is a celebration of the craft and personality behind the beer industry. Laugh the night away with 10 breweries and 4 comedians. The event begins with a sampling from 10 breweries. At 8 PM brewers take the stage to crack some jokes. After the brewers’ stand-up, local and national comedians take the stage and are certain to leave the crowd rolling in their seats. Headliners for Offensively Delicious are Beth Stelling and Matt Braunger (bios below). This event is a nonprofit fundraiser for the Colorado Coalition Against Domestic Violence. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Thur., Oct. 6-Sat., Oct. 8: Great American Beer Festival (SOLD OUT) at Colorado Convention Center (700 14th Street, 14th and Stout Streets, Denver).
The Great American Beer Festival is the premier U.S. beer festival and competition. 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. GABF was founded in 1982, and has been growing and evolving along with the American craft brewing industry ever since.
Thur., Oct. 6, 12-2:30 p.m.: GABF Pre-Party at Strange Craft (1330 Zuni St, Unit M, Denver).
• Beer tasting
• Keep the Pint Glass and get a free fill
• Pretzel kit to make your own necklace
• Brewery tour
$10 Signup sheet in the tasting room
Thur., Oct. 6, 7 p.m.-12 a.m.: 4th Annual Fifty Firkin Fiasco at Epic Brewing Co. (3001 Walnut St., Denver).
Join us for our 4th Annual Fifty Firkin Fiasco! Our brewers have put together 50 unique firkins for your enjoyment as you wander through the brewery to sample all of them. Be a part of history, be a part of the fun and chaos of this popular event!
Ticket price includes unlimited sampling of the 50 Firkins from 7pm – Midnight. Last call is at 11:45pm. Food and Souvenir t-shirts sold separately.
General admission tickets will be available for $30 until October 5th (price does not include shirt). A limited amount of tickets will be available the day of at the door for $45 (price does not include shirt). Must be 21+, must have valid photo ID (non-expired: passports, military ID, driver’s license or state issued ID cards).
Thur., Oct. 6, 5-11 p.m.: Three Floyds Night at LowDown Brewery + Kitchen (800 Lincoln St., Denver).
We are so excited to host Three Floyds Brewing the Thursday of GABF this year!!! We will have all of our own craft beer plus four offerings from this amazing brewery. Join us! No tickets. No reservations. Just drinking, eating and happiness.
Thur., Oct. 6, 10 p.m.-12 a.m.: 120 Minute Happy Hour with Sam Calagione! at Avanti F&B (3200 Pecos St, Denver).
Join us for a GABF after party with Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head Beer! We will be featuring flights of everyone’s favorite IPA, the 120 Minute from 2007, 2009, and 2011. Who better to taste with than the man himself? Join in celebrating the 120 minute IPA with 120 minutes of party!
Thur., Oct. 6-Sun., Oct. 9: Mexican Chocolate Stout Tap and Bomber Releases at Copper Kettle Brewing Co. (1338 S Valentia St, Ste 100, Denver).
October 6 – We will release the first of four new adaptations of our 2011 Great American Beer Festival Gold Medal Winner, Mexican Chocolate Stout! Coffee Mexican Chocolate Stout – brewed with Pablo’s coffee, cinnamon, cacao nibs, and chili peppers to create this rich, historical Central American inspired desert drink with a coffee twist. – ABV: 7%, IBU: 50
October 7 – We will release the second of four new adaptations of our 2011 Great American Beer Festival Gold Medal Winner, Mexican Chocolate Stout! Pumpkin Mexican Chocolate Stout – brewed with pumpkin, cinnamon, cacao nibs, and chili peppers to create this rich, historical Central American inspired desert drink. – ABV: 7%, IBU: 50
October 8 – We will release the third of four new adaptations of our 2011 Great American Beer Festival Gold Medal Winner, Mexican Chocolate Stout! Double Chocolate Mexican Chocolate Stout – brewed with cinnamon, a double dose of cacao nibs, and chili peppers to create this rich, historical Central American inspired desert drink. – ABV: 7%, IBU: 50
October 9 – We will release the fourth new adaptation of our 2011 Great American Beer Festival Gold Medal Winner, Mexican Chocolate Stout!Vanilla Bean Mexican Chocolate Stout – brewed with vanilla bean, cinnamon, cacao nibs, and chili peppers to create this rich, historical Central American inspired desert drink with a vanilla twist. – ABV: 7%, IBU: 50
Thur., Oct. 6-Sat., Oct. 8, 3-8 p.m.: GABF Celebration at Avery Brewing Co. (4910 Nautilus Ct N, Boulder).
Who is ready for GABF?!! We are!!! In case you weren’t able to get tickets, or if you just want to come by and grab some beer and grub we will be hanging at the brewery both inside and out. We will have food tents and the draft trailer rolling outside as well as Tap Room and restaurant open. Food tents will be running Thursday 3-8pm and Friday/Saturday 3-8pm. We look forward to seeing you soon!
Fri., Oct. 7, 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.: GABF ORDEAL: Gospel Brunch at Oskar Blues Homemade Liquids & Solids (1555 S Hover Road, Longmont).
Come on out for some live music and the brewery experience on Friday, October 7, and get saved before the Friday session of the Great American Beer Festival.
The Oskar Blues ORDEAL is back, and we’re showcasing our beers, our brewery, and the brand new outdoor patio and stage at Oskar Blues Home Made Liquids and Solids. You’re going to be treated to Gospel Brunch, live music courtesy of the Jonny Barber Gospel Review with Erica Brown, as well as the brewery experience at the Longmont Brewery and Tasty Weasel tap room! Don’t wait! There are a limited number of tickets available, so save your spot right away!
We’ve arranged for transportation from the Denver Hyatt Regency to the brewery and back in the ORDEAL Ride Along ticket. Don’t need a ride? We’ve got you covered with the ORDEAL Local Ticket. Festivities will kick off at HMLS at 10:30 AM.
Fri., Oct. 7, 3-9 p.m.: 2016 GABF Collaboration Celebration at Denver Beer Co. (1550 Platte St., Denver).
Come celebrate the Great American Beer Festival! We will be introducing 6 collaboration brews with some amazing breweries from around the country. Plus, live music, food trucks, block party, games, photobooth, and more! Entrance is FREE and open to the public!
Beer Tickets: $25 gets you:
A 2016 Collaboration Celebration Commemorative Glass
8 oz. pour of each of the 6 Collaboration Celebration Beers
PLUS – $5 from every ticket goes to our charity partner, First Descents!
Sat., Oct. 8, 10 a.m.: Special GABF Bottle Releases at Black Project Spontaneous & Wild Ales (1290 S. Broadway, Denver).
Join us on Saturday, October 8th at 10am for a special release of MULTIPLE beers, new and old! We are clearing out a bit of the back-cellar and have a couple never-before-released bottles. Note that ALL of these bottles will be extremely limited, and the list is subject to change:
NEW RELEASES
-LUNEX – Spontaneous Blended Sour with Corvus Coffee
-DREAMLAND (Batch 3) – never released in bottles
CELLAR STOCK
-кальмар Spontaneous Imperial Gose
-SUPERCRUISE Tempranillo
-DREAMLAND (Batch 1) – Waxed and capped old-school bottle
-DREAMLAND (Batch 2)
-VOODOO (Batch 1)
-ELSEWHERE (Batch 1)
-JUMPSEAT (Batch 2) (cold-stored since release)
-EJECTOR (Batch 1) (cold-stored since release)
-JUMPSEAT (Batch 3)
-EJECTOR (Batch 2)
-Probably some other stuff that I find a couple bottles of
Sat., Oct. 8, 4-10 p.m.: Bottlefest 2016 Sponsored by Tavour at First Draft Taproom & Kitchen (1309 26th St, Denver).
Sample some of the tastiest brews ever put into a bottle! A mini beerfest with the cream of the crop craft beer. Buy tokens to use for 4 oz. pours of high quality suds. Bottle list includes: Casey Brewing & Blending, Cantillon, Jester King, Avery, Tilquin, Drie Fonteinen, Hill Farmstead, Paradox Beer Co, The Bruery, Lawson’s, Westbrook, and much much more!
Limited space available. Purchase a timeslot for $10 to guarantee attendence and receive 6 tokens. Tokens will be sold first come first serve on the day of the event at $2 per token.
Purchase Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bottlefest-2016-sponsored-by-tavour-tickets-27687326539
Sat., Oct. 8., 9 p.m.-12 a.m.: 2nd Annual Ratio Karaoke GABF After-Party at Ratio Beerworks (2920 Larimer St, Denver).
You made it! You survived GABF, now lets party! After the final session of the Great American Beer Festival on Sat., Oct. 8, join the Ratio Beerworks team in belting out some of your favorite hits and sending off the final night in a blaze of glory! We will be firing up the karaoke machine around 9pm so come prepared to throw-down your go-to tune. Everyone is welcome join the party, but if you bring your brewers badge and sign up to sing a song, your first beer is on us. Additionally, we’ll be tapping some serious heat during the party, to put the kibosh on a massive weekend.
