It’s almost time for the 2019 Great American Beer Festival!
GABF is almost here! And when the fest is in town, so are numerous exciting beer events to go along with it. I’ve spent the last few weeks keeping my eyes pealed and have compiled a roundup of some of the best events for the week of the Great American Beer Festival.
In addition to what you see here, many local breweries are doing their own thing (special tappings and releases), so be sure to check out my Facebook Events page for lots more additional events in Denver and all along the Front Range. This list primarily focuses on some of the area’s finest beer bars and what they have in store for beer lovers in Colorado.
I’ll be updating this post as often as possible. But in the meantime, start perusing the overwhelming number of events below. Please note that I will be traveling the week before GABF and therefore unable to update this post during that time. While I’m away, another excellent resource is Westword’s Calendar of GABF Week Events, brought to you by Colorado Beer Man.
Cheers, and happy planning!
Monday, September 30th:
Mon., Sep. 30, 5 pm: 22nd Annual unOfficial Kick Off to GABF! at Falling Rock Tap House
20 Beers go on tap when the countdown clock gets to Zero, including Beers from our cellar, beers we collaborated on just for this event, & a few special treats sent in. Look for Cannonball Creek Brewing Company, Horse & Dragon Brewing Company and Upslope Brewing Company to name a few.
Tuesday, October 1st:
Tue., Oct. 1, 6-9 pm: Untappd Seven City Tour: at Cerebral Brewing
We’re excited for being picked as one of the top venues on Untappd’s Seven City Tour! Join us and co-founder of Untappd Greg Avola as we celebrate! Greg will be giving away free Untappd merchandise including t-shirts, stickers and more.
Tue., Oct. 1, 6:30-11:30 pm: Odell’s 30th birthday Beer Dinner! at Euclid Hall
Come celebrate 30 years of Odell brewing and Great American Beer Festival at Euclid Hall. We are proud to be partnering with Odell to serve a lovingly crafted 6 course dinner with special beer pairings. This will include a small batch Euclid/Odell collaborated brew!
Tue., Oct. 1, 6-11:30 pm: Return of the Dinosaurs at Tap and Handle
We are happy to announce Toppling Goliath is returning to Fort Collins for GABF! Beer list below.
Dragon Fandango
Mornin’ Delight
Pseudo Sue
Pompeii
King Sue
Intergalactic Warrior
Mornin’ Latte
Ladder Mash
Tue., Oct. 1, 6-11 pm: Punk is Dad Beers: A Premium GABF Pre-Party at Ratio Beerworks
Before the insanity of GABF sets in, come grab some easy drinking Dad beers with your fellow industry buds at the Occidental.
Ratio Beerworks has teamed up with our friends at Ska Brewing, Stone Brewing, Modern Times Beer, 3 Floyds Brewpub, and Cannonball Creek Brewing Company for a laid back night of sessionable barley pops.
Let’s crush a few together before GABF crushes our livers and souls.
Tue., Oct. 1, various times (see below): Special Tappings at Falling Rock Tap House
4pm – Deschutes Brewery is bringing a 3-year vertical of Double Black Butte Porter!
4-6pm in the Parking Lot – Roadhouse Brewing Co. with their vintage VW bus
5pm – New Image Brewing Company Expect Delays, the triple IPA Chris brewed with them. If you’ve driven through Colorado, you’ve noticed our signs on the roadsides, with all of the construction and traffic in our state, you’ve also seen a lot of the mobile signs also with the ending phrase “Expect Delays.”
Wednesday, October 2nd:
Wed., Oct. 2, various times (see below): Special Tappings at Falling Rock Tap House
4pm – Great Divide Brewing Co.
4:30-8:30pm in the Basement – Brewers Resource Group
5pm – Bristol Brewing Company Celebrating their 25th Anniversary
9pm – CSA Distributing Showcase with Lawson’s Finest Liquids, Toppling Goliath , 3 Floyds Brewpub, Fremont Brewing, La Cumbre Brewing Co., Half Acre Beer Company, Two Roads Brewing Company, Breakside Brewery, and more…
9:30pm in the Parking Lot – Melvin Presents the IPA Throwdown, 21 Special IPA’s from all over the country including Forbidden Root, Singlecut Beersmiths, Smog City Brewing, Maine Beer Company, Pure Project, Humble Sea Brewing Co., Toppling Goliath, Pinthouse Pizza, Three Floyds, Beachwood Brewing, and More!
10pm – Crooked Stave’s Cali Night with Societe Brewing Company, Almanac Beer Co, Moonraker and Highwater.
Wed., Oct. 2, 4-10 pm: Sun King Mini Tap Takeover during GABF! at Factotum Brewhouse
The Great American Beer Festival is in town and so are many breweries from all across the United States. As many of you know, Factotum Brewhouse has roots with the state of Indiana, and we’re excited to bring one of the state’s premier breweries to our taps for a rare tap takeover! If you’ve never had the opportunity to try Sun King Brewery’s amazing beer, now is your chance! Stay tuned to see what tasty beers SKB will be bringing with them!
Wed., Oct. 2, 11 am-9 pm: Best of Ohio GABF Party at Cedar Creek Pub
Rhinegeist, Jackie O’s, Warped Wing, Hoof Hearted and Madtree are just a few of the breweries that will be tapped for our GABF Ohio Tap takeover. Draft List to be announced soon.
Wed., Oct. 2, 9 pm-12 am: 4th Annual All-Star IPA Throwdown • 2019 GABF Kick Off Party hosted by Melvin Brewing at Falling Rock Tap House
This is the 4th Annual All-Star IPA Throwdown
This is not a competition, it’s just a good excuse for sweaty beer enthusiasts to drink some limited edition IPAs from the most sought after breweries in the country. 22 beers enter, and hopefully 0 beers leave. This all takes place on the patio at Falling Rock, the oldest and most celebrated taproom in Denver, and it’s become the official cool kids kick-off party for GABF. You coming?
TIX AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR: Each ticket gets you six 10oz pours and an All Star IPA Throwdown souvenir glass. Ticket prices TBD.
Wed., Oct. 2, 11:30 am-10 pm: GABF Week – CSA Portfolio Tapping at Hops & Pie
At 11:30am sharp we will be pouring:
Lawson’s Finest Liquids:
Double Sunshine
Triple Sunshine
Space In Between
Hopzilla
Sip Of Sunshine
Societe: Pupil
Half Acre: Wand
Perennial: Searching For Neil Fisher (collab with Weldwerks)
Narrow Gauge: Double Dry Hopped Hoppy Meal
Three Floyds: Zombie Dust
Moonraker: Electric Lettuce
Crooked Stave: Raspberry Origins aged in Tawny Port Barrels
Old Nation: M43, Boss Tweed
Fremont: Coconut B-Bomb
Pure Project: Murk of the beast
Ooozlefinch: Hot Tub Hang Time
Perennial: Searching For Niel Fisher (collab with Weldwerks)
Maine Beer Co: Woods & Water
Hubbard’s Cave: Coffee and Cakes
La Cumbre : Oktoberfest
Revision: TBD
Moksa: TBD
D9: TBD
Wed., Oct. 2, 2-11 pm: GABF 2019 | A Colorado Brewery Showcase at Jakes Brew Bar
GABF Week 2019! A week full of unique beers and unique breweries. We wanted to feature some from our favorite and best partners right here at home and take a moment to celebrate the Colorado beer scene during this crazy week filled with beer!
It’s a Colorado Brewery Showcase! Wednesday night October 2nd, at Jake’s Brew Bar, We’ll tap everything at 2pm and pour through the evening. Come on down and try beers from Wiley Roots Brewing Company, New Image Brewing Company, WeldWerks Brewing Company, Black Project Spontaneous & Wild Ales, Odd13 Brewing, Cerebral Brewing and more!
We love local, we love these breweries and we can’t wait to try something new. List of tapping to come, more breweries pending. Cheers!
Wed., Oct. 2, 5-10 pm: Mini American Beer Festival at Tivoli Brewing Co
Kick off GABF with Tivoli Brewing Co, Elite Brands, and Friends! Skip the ticket prices and lines of GABF and enjoy sampling some of the world’s BEST breweries and their special offerings that only come around in this celebratory time of year.
Participating Breweries/Cideries include:
Colorado Cider Company, Destihl Brewery, Holidaily Brewing Company, Colorado’s designated Gluten Free Brewery, Alpine Beer Company, Greenflash Brewing, Surly Brewing Company,Funkwerks, 4 Noses Brewing Company, Renegade Brewing Company, Delirium Brewery, Modern Times Beer, Duvel, Ommegang, Epic Brewing Company.
Pre-purchase your sampling tickets today to get eight 5oz pours from any of our participating breweries. 1 ticket = 1 taster. Higher ABV beers = 2 tickets.
Thursday, October 3rd:
Thur., Oct. 2, various times (see below): Special Tappings at Falling Rock Tap House
Noon – Boulevard Brewing Company/ Ommegang
1pm – Boulder Beer Co. featuring their 40th Anniversary Beer
2pm – Anchor Brewing Company Christmas Preview
3pm – Unibroue
9:30pm in the Parking Lot – Sour Showcase, 21 Sour Beers from all over. Some of the breweries include Alesong, Springdale, Creature Comforts, Jester King Brewery, The Rare Barrel and D9.
10pm – Brouwerji West
11pm – Culture Beverage Showcase featuring Shelton Brothers Imports and more!
Thur., Oct. 3, 11 am-11:59 pm: Three Floyds Tap Takeover! at Lowdown Brewery + Kitchen
Three Floyds is coming to Lowdown! Come join us as we tap some of the best beer in the world. We will have 6 beers on from the world-renowned Three Floyds Brewing Co. plus our house lineup of Lowdown classics. No cover charge or tickets necessary! Pay for what ya get!
Thur., Oct. 4, 11:30 am-10 pm: GABF Week : TRVE & Friends at Hops & Pie
We will be pouring at 11:30am sharp:
Alvarado: Contains no juice
Bagby: Follow Us on Twheater
Bhavana: Groove
Great Notion: Double Stack
Great Notion : Blueberry Muffin
Green Cheek: Happily Deceased
Resident Culture: Vicky Virago
Rowley Farmhouse Ales: Fields of Rye, Meier
Trophy: Cloud Surfer
Zillicoah: Blossom
TRVE: TBD x 2
Thur., Oct. 3, 7-10 pm: Deschutes Beer Dinner at Blackbird Denver
Join us for a paired beer dinner with Deschutes Brewing on Thursday, October 3rd at 7pm. Tickets are $45 per person with tax and gratuity included.
COURSE ONE
Black Butte 31
Roasted and Stuffed Jalapeno Pepper – Cotija and Goat Cheese
Quinoa Salad – Scallion, Pineapple, Red Peppers
Crema
COURSE TWO
Mirror Pond Pale Ale
Coriander and Cumin Dusted Pork Tenderloin
Heirloom Carrots
Roasted Parsnip Puree
Jus
COURSE THREE
Hand Up IPA
Chimichurri Grilled Beef
Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes
Garlicy Spinach
Natural Jus
COURSE FOUR
Marion berry/ Lavender Sour
Duck 2 Ways
Crispy Potato – Duck Confit Cake
Seared Duck Breast, Broccoli, Tart Cherry Jus
COURSE FIVE
Da Shootz Pilsner
Torched Lemon Meringue Tartlet
Poached Blueberries
Tickets must be purchased in advance.
Thur., Oct. 3, 7-10 pm: GABF Lager Party at First Draft Taproom & Kitchen – Denver
Ain’t no party like a lager party.
Join Wiseacre Brewing Company and us in Denver on Thursday, October 3rd at First Draft Taproom & Kitchen – Denver for the annual GABF Lager Party! Over a dozen outstanding breweries will be bringing their labors of lager love along with one other choice brew to this soirée shining a light on the quintessentially quaffable style: the Lager.
Participating Breweries:
2nd Shift Brewing
21st Amendment Brewery
Austin Beer Garden Brewing Company
Chuckanut Brewery & Kitchen
Creature Comforts
Green Bench Brewing Co.
Half Acre Beer Company
Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers
Modern Times Beer
Perennial Artisan Ales
Rhinegeist
Skull Mechanix Brewing
Sun King Brewery
3 Floyds Brewpub
Union Brewing Company
Wiseacre Brewing Company
Thur., Oct. 3, 10 pm-1 am: Beer Hall Brawl at Rackhouse Pub and Bierstadt Lagerhaus
The talents of Rocky Mountain Pro bring their wrestling show back to the Great American Beer Festival and Bierstadt Lagerhaus for the 3rd year.
What do you do after 4 hours at GABF swigging down sours, double IPA’a, pastry stout”s and hazy’s – one ounce pours at a time (not that there is anything wrong with that)? Come recoup with LITERS of lager and FREE wrestling. You’ll be right as rain in the morning.
Friday, October 4th:
Fri., Oct. 4, 11 am: CSA GABF Tap Takeover at First Draft Taproom & Kitchen – Denver
Join Crooked Stave Artisans in showcasing their incredible portfolio and partner breweries during the Great American Beer Festival!
Taplist includes:
Pure Project Brewing Murk of the Beast
Lawson’s Finest Liquids Double Sunshine
Maine Beer Company Lunch
Toppling Goliath Brewing Co. King Sue
La Cumbre Brewing Co. / Beachwood Brewing Endless Horizon
Two Roads Brewing Company Plum Gose
3 Floyds Brewpub TBD
Half Acre Beer Company Daisy Cutter
The Rare Barrel TBD
Jester King Brewery TBD
Old Nation Brewing Co. M-43
Copper Kettle Brewing Company Coconut Snowed In
Fremont Brewing BA TBD
Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project Raspberry Nightmare on Brett
Societe Brewing Company Harlot
MadTree Brewing TBD
Jackie O’s Brewery TBD
Narrow Gauge Brewing Company DDH Sparkle Motion
Yazoo Brewing Company TBD
Beachwood Brewing Citraholic
Jester King Brewery Montmorency vs. Balaton bottles (for onsite consumption only)
Fri., Oct. 2, various times (see below): Special Tappings at Falling Rock Tap House
11am – Station 26 Brewing Co. Same Day Hazy Ain’t Lazy IPA Tapping
Noon – Sierra Nevada’s Kill A Keg! See if Chris can beat his record of pouring a half barrel of Beer (1 Keg, 1 Faucet, 1 Person), Last Year’s Record Setting Time – 6minutes, 19 Seconds
1pm – Rogue Ales & Spirits
2pm – Surly Brewing Company
3pm – Destihl Brewery including Haze of the Dead Funkengruven IPA glassware giveaway
10pm – Ecliptic Brewing
11pm – The Rare Barrel and Alvarado Street Brewery & Tasting Room
Fri., Oct. 4, 11 am-3 pm: Adam Avery’s Cellar Sale at Avery Brewing Company
Adam Avery loves cellaring beers, but we’re running out of room here at the brewery. So we’re raiding the vault and making these barrel-aged gold foil and green foil treasures available to you for one day only!
IF YOU ARRIVE BEFORE 11:00 AM, PLEASE FORM A LINE IN FRONT OF THE DOUBLE DOORS AT OUR BREWERY ENTRANCE.
FAQS:
- Bottle List: Coming soon!**
- No Limits
- Payment: Cash or Credit Cards accepted.
- Location: Please access the sale through the front of our brewery. You will be ID’d and then can walk through the patio area to access the sale, which is located behind the brewery.
- Weather: This is an outdoor event. Please plan according to the weather forecast. We will not have tents available for shelter while waiting in line.
- Line Formation: The line starts at whatever time the first person gets here and the sale will start promptly at 11:00 am. Our warehouse team will be fulfilling your order, so please be patient as we put together your order. Feel free to go grab a beer or lunch while you wait for your order!
**Availability could change before the event and during the event. We will be keeping everyone updated on what is sold out.
Despite the best efforts of our accounting department, Adam Avery is hooking you up with this cellar sale. Thank you for 27 years of beer geek loyalty, friends.
Fri., Oct. 4, 11:30 am-11 pm: GABF Week – Casey Brewing & Blending/Weldwerks/Toppling Goliath at Hops & Pie
Pouring the following at 11:30am sharp: Funky Blender Preserves Riland Apricot, Funky Blender Raspberry, Apricot East Bank, Casey Family Preserves Peach, Casey Family Preserves Apricot, Funky Blender Grape, The Cut Grape, East Bank Peach, funky Blender Peach, East Bank Preserves Apricot, Funky Blender Bing Cherries.
Weldwerks: Double Dry Hopped Juicy Bits, Extra Extra Juicy Bits, Double Dry Hopped 3.8 miles, Imperial Starry Night, Mexican Achromatic. Toppling Golliath: Psuedo Sue, Pompeii, King Sue, Intergalactic Warrior, Morning Latte, Morning Delite, Ladder Mash
Fri., Oct. 4, 12-4 pm: Denver Rare Beer Tasting 11 at McNichols Building
The 11th annual Denver Rare Beer Tasting will feature more than 60 of America’s leading craft breweries. The Oct. 4th event raises funds for the Pints for Prostates campaign.
The prostate cancer awareness event takes place in Colorado during the same weekend as the Great American Beer Festival. The Denver Rare Beer Tasting 11 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.
“The Denver Rare Beer Tasting has become a tradition for both craft brewers and beer fans. We’re proud of this annual celebration of beer passion and what it helps to fund,” said Rick Lyke, founder of Pints for Prostates. “Many of the highest regarded American craft breweries will be serving a collection of the most unique beers on the planet. And it’s all for a great cause — reaching men through the universal language of beer to fight prostate cancer.”
Fri., Oct. 4, 11 am-9 pm: Best of CSA Distributing Tap Takeover at Cedar Creek Pub
The Tap list has not been finalized yet ,but we can tell you there will be beers from Austin, San Diego, Muncie, Indiana, and Athens, Georgia.
Fri., Oct. 4, 8-11 pm: Suds & Stogies #2 | The Official GABF After-Party at Tap Fourteen Ballpark
Mark your calendars for Oct. 4th! After an incredible sold-out event last year, Miami’s The Tank Brewing Company & Tampa’s Cigar City Brewing have partnered up once again for the 2nd Annual Official GABF After-party, Suds & Stogies! Enjoy beautiful rooftop views, live music, specialty brews and premium cigars from Altadis USA, Rocky Patel Premium Cigars, Plasencia Cigars, General Cigars, and Smoker Friendly Cigar Lounges.
Every ticket purchase also means a chance to win 2 tickets to the Saturday GABF session, and an opportunity to taste the festival’s winning beers.
Pre-sale tickets are $30 and include 2 craft beers from The Tank Brewing Co., 2 craft beers from Cigar City Brewing, and 4 premium cigars –one from each brand represented.
Tickets will be available at the door for $40.
Saturday, October 5th:
Sat., Oct. 5, 12 pm-11 pm: GABF Week – Trillium Brewing Company at Hops & Pie
We will be pouring eight drafts of Trillium starting at noon sharp:
1. Congress Street
2. Stumpy Duck
3. Double Dry Hopped Melcher Street
4. Nauset Lighthouse
5. TBD
6. TBD
7. TBD
8. TBD
Thur., Oct. 2, various times (see below): Special Tappings at Falling Rock Tap House
4pm – Avery Brewing Company, we’ll dust off a Vintage “Demons” series Keg
5pm – Casey Brewing and Blending
9pm – Vista Brewing
10pm – Firestone Walker Brewing Co. Vintage Parabola plus the debut of a Barrelworks Collaboration Blend with the PNC Bar Owners Group – Rolling Bones
11pm – New Belgium Brewing Join us for the traditional End of the GABF Week, we will pull out a keg of our 20th Anniversary Blend that was done with Philly’s Monk’s Café – Falling Monk, Plus a special keg of Love, Oscar Blackberry Whiskey Barrel
Sat., Oct. 5, 9 pm-1 am: 5th 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, October 5, 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 jams. This year we’ll be upping the ante by awarding a trophy and other prizes to the best brewery performance.
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.
Sunday, October 6th:
Sun., Oct. 6, 11 am-5 pm: GABF Hangover Brunch & Drink For Pink Cornhole Tournament at Lone Tree Brewing Company
This is Drink For Pink’s Annual Cornhole Tournament at Lone Tree Brewing! Form a team with your friends, compete to win some fun prizes and drink some tasty beer.
We will have PinkTank food on site serving up their fantastic breakfast food and their amazing Chicken & Waffles to cure your GABF hangover.
Grab your best cornhole partner and set up a team for our 5th Annual Drink for Pink Cornhole Tournament. 2 people per team $40 per team.
1st Place – Takes home a custom cornhole set made by Colorado Joes. Plus, each member on the team will get a DFP/LTB t-shirt, growler + fill.
2nd Place – Each member on the team will get a DFP/LTB t-shirt, growler + fill.
3rd Place – Each member on the team will get a growler + fill, and a set of 2 LTB pint glasses.
Tournament style is single elimination. Official Cornhole rules apply: first team to exactly 21 wins. Going over results in score to be moved back down to 15.
Entry fee includes:
Entry into tournament
1 free pint for each team member
Free Pint Glass for each team member from Lone Tree
Extra tickets for prize drawing
100% of your team entry fee goes directly to Drink for Pink, a 501(c)3 organization who is partnering with local researchers from Anschutz and the Cancer League of Colorado to to fund the latest and most advanced research on the planet to put an end to breast cancer once and for all.
*Must be 21 to play- Please add both team member names in the notes of the order, along with a team name if you have one!*
Purchase your teams’ ticket online.
Sun., Oct. 6, 4-6 pm: GIBF: German Italian Beer Feast at Rackhouse Pub and Bierstadt Lagerhaus
A Post GABF Feast for the history books. Three Course-Three Beer Dinner Pairing to wind down your GABF weekend. $55 (Tax and Tip included) !
Check it out:
- 1st: The Slow Pour Pils (you know)
- Paired with Scagliozzi- Lightly fried polenta bites, topped with sautéed organic button shrooms and a homemade taleggio (look it up) cheese sauce, finished with a sprinkle of fresh parsley.
- 2nd: Red Giant (dubbel oenobeer) 10%abv Type B: Extra Tannic Special: brewed with 40% Syrah grapes from Columbia Gorge in Washington and old world, noble hops. The raspberry notes typical of Syrah grapes dominate the organoleptic bouquet, while the strong tannic character make it a perfect beverage to pair with tasty meat dishes
- Paired with Ribeye Steak Dinner made by Bierstadt’s kitchen The Rackhouse: Coffee Crusted Ribeye w/ Armenian Cherry Reduction, Balsamic Roasted Rainbow Carrots, and Smoked Cheddar Potato Gratin.
- 3rd: Dunkel- “Dark” in German. Flavors of bread crusts and chocolate. Franconian classic- basrkically liquid bread. Our Taproom is the only place you can enjoy this glorious dark lager
- Paired with Birramisu AKA Tiramistout- Liberati’s signature special tiramisu, with a twist. Infused with Bierstadt’s Dunkel, espresso, and a soft and fluffy homemade marscarpone cream. A plate that made them famous in Italy and continues to live on here in Denver.
