It’s almost time for Great American Beer Festival 2018! As of now, Thursday tickets are still available! And in addition to the festival itself, there are numerous fantastic beer events happening in Colorado that entire week. I will be updating this post frequently as new events are released, so check back often for the latest additions to help you plan your GABF week!
Mon., Sep. 17-Sat., Sep. 22: GABF Week at Falling Rock Tap House
Monday 9/17
5pm – 21st Annual Kick Off Tapping Party: Tapping into 20 treats to celebrate the Beginning of the Fest Week. Includes vintage beers, our Collaboration with Upslope Brewing the Southern Hemisphere Imperial IPA, plus fresh new beers from our friends around the state and country.
Tuesday 9/18
4-6pm in the Parking Lot – Roadhouse Brewery VW Van
5pm – New Image
Wednesday 9/19
3pm – Stone Brewing
4pm – Epic Brewing
9pm – Crooked Stave Distributing’s Showcase
9:30pm in the Parking Lot – Melvin Presents the IPA Showdown
10pm – Cellarmaker
11pm – Jester King
Thursday 9/20
Noon – Deschutes
1pm – Boulder Beer
2pm – Renegade
3pm – Rogue
9:30pm in the Parking Lot – TRVE and J. Wakefield pour beers and take over the sound system.
10pm – Full Sail – The Debut of Atomizer IPA and Pale Ale (with some vintage treats as well!)
11pm – Upland
Friday 9/21
Noon – Sierra Nevada Kill-A-Keg
1pm – Boulevard and Ommegang
2pm – Green Flash and Alpine
3pm – Destihl
9:30pm in the Parking Lot – Dogfish Head Bitch’s Brew Beer and Music: Oak-aged Bitch’s Brew plus 8 other Dogfish Head Beers will be pouring while the Miles Davis Album plays. Special Appearance by the one and only Sam Calagione.
10pm – Ecliptic
11pm – Bells
Saturday 9/22
4pm – Avery
5pm – Casey Brewing and Blending
9pm – Telluride
9:30pm in the Parking Lot – Sour Showcase: 20 beers ranging from tart to funky to full-on mouther puckering!
10pm – Firestone Walker
11pm – New Belgium
Tue., Sep. 18, 4-10 pm: 2nd Annual Tour of Colorado at Tap XIV (Ballpark)
Thirst Colorado is proud to present the Tour of Colorado, a tap takeover of epic proportions during the week of the Great American Beer Festival. Join the Thirst crew alongside brewery and distillery friends at Tap Fourteen’s Denver Ballpark location to sample exclusive collaborations from a few of our favorite artisans around the state.
In addition to one-of-a-kind brews and spirits, there will be a silent auction featuring some amazing prizes from Colorado companies (think skis, packs and brewery gear). Commemorative glassware available for purchase, of which proceeds benefit our event charity partner.
The event is Tuesday, September 18, starting at 4 p.m. Proceeds benefit the Alzheimer’s Association, Colorado Chapter.
Wed., Sep. 19, 4-11:59 pm: Fort Collins Breweries GABF Tap Takeover at Tap XIV (Ballpark)
Tap Fourteen Ballpark will be hosting a tap takeover for 17 breweries from Fort Collins on GABF Eve! Many of these breweries don’t distribute much to Denver so this may be your only chance to drink their beer in the Mile High City. They will mostly be pouring their Great American Beer Festival competition entry beers so think of it as the best of the best! Meet some brewers, get some swag, and drink some of the best beers Fort Collins has to offer!
Brewery list:
Black Bottle Brewery
C.B. & Potts – Ft. Collins
CooperSmith’s Pub & Brewing
Equinox Brewing
Funkwerks
Gilded Goat Brewing Company
Horse & Dragon Brewing Company
Intersect Brewing
Jessup Farm Barrel House
Maxline Brewing
McClellan’s Brewing Company
New Belgium Brewing
Odell Brewing Co
Red Truck Beer Company – Fort Collins
Snowbank Brewing
Soul Squared Brewing Company
Zwei Brewing
Full beer list coming soon!!
Wed., Sep. 19, 7:30 pm-12:30 am: Melvin Brewing Presents: Raekwon, GZA w/Very Special Guests at Summit Music Hall
Melvin Brewing is about to bring the ruckus again! Come experience hip hop and independent beer in their purest forms, with the Shaolin masters of Wu Tang on the mic and ten Melvin beers to assault your senses. Don’t hate, party!
Melvin Brewing is taking over all ten taps at The Summit Music Hall with their award winning beers for this event, and have kept pre-sale ticket prices on the lower side of $36.00. Tickets will be $40.00 day of show if this doesn’t sell out before 9/19/18! The event is 21+, Doors are at 8:30 PM and shows starts at 9:00 PM. Raekwon, GZA, Killah Priest, the first Denver Premier of Young Dirty and DJ Symphony will be performing a blended set for over two hours in length! DJ Chonz, creator of The Radio Bumz (now called “The Real Bumz”), affiliation of KS 107.5 FM, and The DJ Chonz Foundation affiliation with Denver DJ School.
Wed., Sep. 19, 7-9 pm: Beer Dinner with Station 26 Brewing Co. at Old Major
COUNTDOWN TO GABF BEER DINNER
4 courses
4 beers
$45
…menu coming soon…
Space is limited. Reservations recommended.
oldmajordenver.com
Wed., Sep. 19, 7 pm-1:30 am: Upslope Collaboration Tapping Party at Freshcraft
Join us at our annual GABF Week tapping party with Upslope Brewing Company! This year we brewed a Brut Rose IPA – and it’s amazing! Just for fun there will be Beer Frose as well. (Yes you read that correctly)
Of course there will be plenty of other Upslope beer flowing, including Citra Pale, Pumpkin Ale, Berliner Weisse w/Guava & Dragon Fruit & Galaxy DDH Experimental IPA.
Wednesday night is always a good night to “calibrate” for the Great American Beer Festival week with the Upslope Crew. Come out and have some fun with us.
Thur., Sep. 20 & Fri., Sep. 21, 11:30 am-5 pm: New Belgium GABF Celebration at New Belgium Brewing
Come join us for an exclusive behind-the-scenes 2018 GABF private tour of the brewery. You will be paired with one of our New Belgium coworker ambassadors from various departments who will guide you through the brewery while offering exclusive samples along the way. Tours will last about 2 hours and conclude back in our Liquid Center where you can enjoy live music, local food trucks and New Belgium’s GABF entry beers and tons of specialty libations on draft. Come kick off the fun festival weekend with your friends here at New Belgium!
Thur., Sep. 20, 7 pm-12 am: 6th Annual 50 Firkin Fiasco at Epic Brewing
Join us for our 6th 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.
$30 Early Bird Tickets that include the shirt are only available until September 10th.
General admission tickets will be available for $40 until October 2nd (price does not include shirt).
Thur. Sep. 20, 11 am-11 pm: Three Floyds Day at Lowdown Brewing + Kitchen
Three Floyds is coming to Lowdown! Come join us as we tap some of the best beers in the world, for realz. We’ll have 6 beers on from the world-renowned Three Floyds Brewing Co, plus our house lineup of Lowdown classics. No tickets, no cover, just great beer.
Thur., Sep. 20, 6-8 pm: GABF at Great Divide: Beer + Dessert Pairing at Great Divide Barrel Bar
This Great American Beer Festival, Good Sugar Baking is pairing up with Great Divide Brewing Co. to feature their best! We’ll be pairing four delectable desserts with some of the best beers Denver has to offer!
$16.00 for four tasters and four desserts.
A percentage of every sale goes to a nonprofit! Learn more at www.goodsugarbaking.com
Thur., Sep. 20, 7 pm-12 am: GABF Lager Party with Rhinegeist, Wiseacre, & Friends at First Draft Taproom & Kitchen – Denver
Settle into GABF with some great craft lagers and other specialties from Rhinegeist and Wiseacre! We’ll be tapping a lager from each brewery, along with some other goodies. Taplist to follow.
Breweries include:
– Rhinegeist
– Wiseacre
– Creature Comforts
– Green Bench
– Half Acre
– Modern TImes
– Perennial
– Second Shift
– Sun King
– Three Floyds
– Union
Thur., Sep. 20, 5 pm-12 am: Chicago Meets Denver 2018 at RiNo Beer Garden
We’re getting some of our favorite breweries together for one big party in Denver, Colorado during the Great American Beer Festival. Join us at the RiNO Beer Garden and enjoy some of the best brews Chicago has to offer in a one-of-a-kind tap takeover.
Here’s who you can expect at the party 
Mikerphone
Maplewood
3 Floyds
Smylie Brothers
Revolution
On Tour
Marz
Pollyanna
Temperance
Corridor
Hopewell
Begyle
Illuminated
Half Acre
and of course, Forbidden Root
In addition to some award-winning and rare brews, catch the limited return of Fernetic, Brewbound’s 2017 Collaboration of the Year made by Forbidden Root and the good people of Fernet Branca.
Fri., Sep. 21, 12-4 pm: Denver Rare Beer Tasting 10 at McNichols Building
***SOLD OUT***
The 10th annual Denver Rare Beer Tasting will feature more than 60 of America’s leading craft brewers pouring rare, exotic and vintage brews. The event takes place on the Friday afternoon of the Great American Beer Festival weekend in the Mile High City.
The prostate cancer awareness event will be held on Sept. 21 in Colorado during the same weekend as the Great American Beer Festival. The Denver Rare Beer Tasting 10 features the chance to sample rare, exotic and vintage beers from dozens of leading craft breweries and the opportunity to meet the men and women who made them. For a list of breweries and beers at this year’s Tasting, click here.
In addition to the beer and silent auction donations made by participating breweries, Craft Beer and Brewing is the media sponsor for the Denver Rare Beer Tasting 10 and logistical support is being provided by MicroStar. Additional sponsorship packages are available for companies that wish to take part in this boutique tasting.
Each attendee receives a commemorative tasting glass, t-shirt, program and pen. A special beer-centric lunch created by Jensen Cummings of Brewed Food is included in the ticket price and guests will have the chance to bid in an exciting silent auction that includes a variety of unique beer experiences and collectibles. During the event, attendees can also participate in the Brewers Health Initiative, a free men’s health screening. Last year, 165 men took advantage of the free blood test during GABF weekend in Denver.
“Each year the Denver Rare Beer Tasting is one of the most talked about events during the Great American Beer Festival weekend,” said Lyke. “The beer list coming together is one that is impossible to duplicate. The combination of unique beers, talented brewers and devoted beer fans in the room creates a special atmosphere at the event.”
Pints for Prostates is a 501(c)3 non-profit charity and all net proceeds from Denver Rare Beer Tasting go towards the group’s awareness mission and help to fund the education and support programs of the Us TOO International Prostate Cancer Education and Support Network, and free prostates cancer screening programs provided by the Prostate Conditions Education Council.
Sat., Sep. 22, 12-4 pm: SOWN Together Beer Tasting at Museum of Contemporary Art Denver
SOWN Together is a beer tasting event that hosts breweries sharing the common goal of showcasing native ingredients in direct support of local suppliers and producers. We invite guests to spend Saturday afternoon on the rooftop patio of MCA Denver taking in the views of the city while tasting beer from Colorado and around the country.
The tasting event coincides with a well known and expansive beer festival in Denver and has been organized in cooperation with our friends at TRVE Brewing and Troubadour Malting.
Participating Breweries:
Goldspot Brewing Company
Horse & Dragon Brewing Company
Jester King Brewery
Kent Falls Brewing
Our Mutual Friend Brewery
Oskar Blues Brewery
Primitive Beer
Scratch Brewing Company
TRVE Brewing
Upland Brewing Company
Tickets $30 MCA Members | $35 Nonmembers
Ticketed guests will receive a branded tasting glass to sample beer from participating breweries, and will receive access to rooftop tasting with valid ID and wristband. 21+ ONLY / RAIN OR SHINE
FAQs
What are my transportation/parking options for getting to and from the event?
Since this is a drinking forward event, please be responsible and take public transport. And if you have a designated DD let them know street parking is limited, so to check out the garage directly across 15th Street which is $5 on the weekends.
Are there ID or minimum age requirements to enter the event?
Yes, this is a 21+ event. A valid government ID is required to drink.
Can I still check out the art?
Yes! The museum will be open to the public and all SOWN attendees. Please, NO BEER IN THE GALLERIES! (thank you in advance)
Sat. Sep. 22, 9 pm-1 am: 4th Annual Ratio Karaoke GABF After-Party at Ratio Beerworks
You made it! You survived GABF, now lets party!
After the final session of the Great American Beer Festival on Saturday, September 22, join the Ratio Beerworks team in belting out some of your favorite hits and help us send GABF’s final night off in a blaze of glory! We will be firing up the karaoke machine around 9pm, so come prepared to throwdown your go-to tune.
Everyone is welcome join the party, but if you 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.
