The Great American Beer Festival

Event Description

The Great American Beer Festival, the country's preeminent beer festival and competition, will pivot its 2020 event, originally scheduled for September 24-26 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, to an immersive online experience October 16-17.

This decision was further confirmed with the announcement on May 20, when Colorado Governor Jared Polis issued an executive order temporarily suspending certain statutes to allow the operation of alternate care sites in Colorado due to the presence of coronavirus disease 2019, rendering GABF at the Colorado Convention Center infeasible.

The 39th Great American Beer Festival may look different, but beer lovers from around the country will have the opportunity to come together in new ways to celebrate the nation’s craft beer community. The spirit of the festival will live on through live and virtual experiences with beer lovers and breweries nationwide on October 16-17, 2020. The event is still in planning, but experiences will likely include beer tastings, conversations with brewers, local brewery activations, and at-home beer and food pairing deliveries.

A panel of more than 100 professional judges will assess the more than 7,000 expected entries to identify the three beers that best represent each style category. The GABF gold, silver, and bronze medals are recognized around the world as symbols of brewing excellence. Brewery registration opens on June 9. More information on the competition, style guidelines, and awards ceremony here.

Over the past few months, the Brewers Association has worked tirelessly on behalf of its members and the larger brewing community to provide critical resources, as well as lobbying Congress both independently and with other hospitality and food industry groups, for relief. Following the cancellation of the Craft Brewers Conference® & BrewExpo America® and World Beer Cup™ in April, the Brewers Association offered five weeks of complimentary virtual, online seminars to interested participants.

Furthermore, the Brewers Association’s COVID-19 Resource Center includes information on draught system shutdown, how to forecast cashflow, a checklist for safely reopening, and more. More information about the 2020 GABF logistics, schedule, and ticket options will be released in the coming months. For the latest news, follow @BrewersAssoc on Twitter.


2020 GABF BEER STYLE GUIDELINES
The Great American Beer Festival beer style guidelines have been released for the 2020 competition. Note: styles and category numbers change each year. READ MORE


BREWERY REGISTRATION OPENS JUNE 9
Brewery registration for both the 2020 competition and festival opens June 9. READ MORE