2024 Great American Beer Festival Tickets on Sale Now
The Story: The festival runs October 10-12. GABF is far and away the largest beer festival in North America.
The Scoop: The biggest change for 2024 is that the festival is offering three sessions instead of four; Saturday night has been eliminated. Themed areas are also in play, including a German biergarten, a new Meet the Brewer area, music and games, a Halloween-themed experience and a sports section. Tickets start at $85 for the Thursday session — traditionally the most laid back of all the sessions — to $95 for Friday and Saturday sessions. Three-day passes are available for $220. Paired is also returning, where chefs and brewers thoughtfully pair food and beer.
Beers from local standouts such as Our Mutual Friend Brewing are the result of a local partnership between farmers, maltsters and growers.
Colorado Grain Chain Instagram
The Story: Dry Storage partnered with the Colorado Grain Chain, Troubadour Maltings, Rocky Mountain Hay Farms and multiple breweries on the project.
The Scoop: Dry Storage's regenerative wheat is best known for being used across Colorado kitchens, including all five Michelin-starred restaurants in the state. It is now available for use in select beers through the Wheat Underground Project. The Rouge de Bordeaux grain was malted by Troubadour Maltings. It's a hard red winter wheat, native to France.
Look for beers out now from Stodgy Brewing, Our Mutual Friend Brewing, Ratio Beerworks, Odell Brewing, Monolith Brewing and New Terrain Brewing. Cerebral Brewing and New Image Brewing will release beers using the wheat in 2025 and 2026.
Brewers Association President and CEO Bob Pease Announces Retirement
The Story: Pease will step down in early 2025 once a successor is found.
The Scoop: He has worked for the BA for over three decades, starting as a customer service manager. In 2010, he became COO, and then CEO in 2014. The BA noted that Pease turned the finances of the association around, from debt servicing to over 23 million in reserves.
Upcoming Events
Luki's 4th Anniversary Party
Friday, July 19 to Saturday, July 20
Luki Brewery
14715 West 64th Avenue, Arvada
Luki turns four and is tapping the same number of beers on Friday, with another five debuting on Saturday. Friday will also feature TV Game Show Night hosted by Rion Evans Presents and eats from Tula's Tapas. Saturday will start with yoga, followed by live music in the evening by Brian Connelly and Pile High Burgers on the grill. Beer releases run the gamut, including a mango guava sour, Czech-style pilsner, birthday cake IPA, blue raspberry Nerds slushy, nitro Irish stout, white stout and triple IPA.
Belgian Day
Saturday, July 20, 1 p.m.
River North Brewery
6021 Washington Street
River North is celebrating Belgium's independence with special beer releases, a Belgian waffle food truck, beer flights, specials and more. River North's roots are anchored in Belgian-style brewing, so get ready for some fun beers at the event.
Hooplagers, the Lager Hoopla
Saturday, July 20, 1:30 p.m.
Wibby Brewing
209 Emery Street, Longmont
Over thirty breweries will be represented at the 2024 Hooplagers event. Expect beach vibes, swimming pools, sand, water and land games and plenty of lagers. Food trucks will be on hand. Tickets to the festival start at $30 and include unlimited beer samples. This is one of the more lively beer festivals in Colorado — Wibby knows how to throw a party.
Westy Light is this week's beer. It's especially refreshing during the heat of the summer.
Westfax Brewing Instagram
From the Brewery: A crisp, clean and easy-drinking lager. Perfect for your outdoor adventure or your favorite Colfax dive bar!
From the Glass: A slight, grainy sweetness on the nose leads to a similar up-front quality in the taste. A hint of dried basil spice from the hops provides a balancing layer of soft bitterness to the malt. It has just a touch more malt character than the typical macro version of the style, and I really welcome that. The macro light lagers can get a little too thin and despite the low ABV, a light alcohol bite can be present. Westy Light avoids that, and the result is a beer that can be enjoyed by the can on a hike in the mountains just as easily as the prelude to a meal, or during a sporting event. Raise a glass to WestFax — congratulations are in order for expanding into Colorado Springs.
Availability: Draft and four-pack cans.
