UPDATE ON 2015 WINNERS
During this year’s festival, we kept an eye on our favorites. A couple months ago, we listed our frontrunners, and on some accounts, we were right! One of our picks, Melvin Brewing, walked away with one of the most coveted awards: Small Brewpub and Small Brewpub Brewer of the Year, as well as gold and bronze medals in the American-Style Fruit Beer, and Fresh or Wet Hop Ale categories.
Of the winners, 38 were first-time entrants, which really gives us hope for brew-future. As far as the geographical highlights, the states with the most wins were California and Colorado, with 67 and 36 medals respectively. And, as I’m sure you’re dying to know, the breweries with the most wins were:
- Firestone Walker Brewing Co., CA (three medals: two gold, one bronze)
- Sun King Brewing Co., IN (three medals: one gold, one silver, one bronze)
- Port City Brewing Co.; VA (three medals: two silver, one bronze)
- Left Hand Brewing Co.; CO (three medals: one gold, two bronze)
You can find the full list of winners here.
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Posted Aug 1, 2015
If you already have plans the weekend of September 25th, you might want to consider changing them. That weekend marks the 34th annual Great American Beer Festival held in Denver, Colorado. GABF isn’t just any old craft beer festival with local breweries. The festival will include a record 746 breweries across the country, including 150 local breweries from Colorado. It’s no wonder the festival is the largest collection of beer sold in the U.S. yearly.
For those that attended the festival last year, there are a number of favorite brewers returning. These include Cigar City Brewing, Dogfish Head, Russian River, Melvin Brewing, and Almanac Beer Co. Wicked Weed Brewing from North Carolina plans to make an appearance larger than ever with three booths this year!
While there will be plenty of beer to drink at all times, the festival also provides many other things to do in between gulps. Favorite events from past GABFs include a virtual road trip where guests can talk to brewers across the country, signings at a Beer Enthusiast Bookstore, and a Beer & Food Pavillion where professional chefs are paired with brewers. Stay tuned in the coming weeks for the official 2015 Event Schedule.
This year, tickets sold out in just 77 minutes. But don’t fret: Ticketmaster and Stubhub have already put tickets up, so there will still be plenty of chances for you to get a ticket. If you’re worried about how busy you will be that weekend, rest assured. There are four different opportunities to go to the festival including Thursday night, Friday night, Saturday afternoon, and Saturday night.
Cheers!