Get your Great American Beer (Fest)

Tickets for the 2008 Great American Beer Festival (GABF) go on sale to the general public tomorrow, July 1st; they be $50 each (and well worth it).

In case you're not in-the-know, the GABF is one of the largest (maybe *the* largest?) beer festivals in the United States; last year, 408 American brewers poured who-knows-how-much delicious beer for a welcoming crowd of almost 50,000 people. And it will sell out (again) this year..

The festival runs October 9th - 11th, and is housed at the Denver Convention Center. If you've gone to other beer festivals (in smaller settings), you might not know where to start when you walk into this HUGE convention hall filled with hundreds of tables of people pouring beer, and thousands of people walking around with, um, pretzel necklaces.. these salty accessories are more a disaster avoidance tactic than fashion. haha.

Ideally, you'll go with someone that knows a little bit about the wide variety of beer being made right now by American brewers (or be that expert yourself).. but, at the least, go with an open set of tastebuds, a camera (to capture the fun), and a small notepad (because, at best, you *might* remember the names of a handful of beers - good or bad - on your own). Know that you won't like every beer that crosses your lips, but you will find some ones that you do.. and some ones that will surprise you with grapefruit, scotch, watermelon, or tobacco flavors (within a framework of delicious malts and hops, of course).

Drink plenty of water!

I can see the vibe being a little "clinical" for folks that love more intimate venues (or outdoor ones, for that matter). Still, it's hard not to recommend the GABF simply for its size, and, well, it *is* one of the 1000 places to see in the US (and Canada) before you die. ;)

Even though my brother doesn't live in Denver anymore (I've only gone to the GABF with him), I still might make it out this year. So, if you're interested, let me know (especially if you want to combine it into a hiking/climbing AND beer drinking trip)!