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GABF

GABF 2015 | Our Favorite Beer Names

October 13, 2015 |

The word cloud above contains the most common words in the names of ~3,800 beers poured at the 2015 Great American Beer Festival. A review of these names with fellow PorchDrinker Brady Akers reminded us that the creativity of craft brewers isn’t limited to their recipes. Some stick to safe, identifiable words and phrases that clearly explain what you can expect from their beer. Others look to pop culture references, inside jokes or even their family for inspiration. After great deliberation and many pun-induced groans, we’d like to share our 15 favorite beer names from GABF 2015. Read More

PorchDrinking Playlist | Are you GABF experienced?

October 6, 2015 |

Based on actual events. This story is filled with intense excitement, heightened drama, supreme fun, and the inevitable lows as it all ends. Our GABF experience was a great … Read More

2015 GABF Fantasy Brewery Results

October 1, 2015 |

We here at PorchDrinking believe beer should be fun. So two years ago we set out to add a different take on the Great American Beer Festival by inviting a … Read More

Roundtable Discussion | What not to do at GABF

September 30, 2015 |

Photo Credit: Thrillist.com

The Great American Beer Festival may be over but the memories made and lessons learned live on, both good and bad. With a week jam-packed full with sessions and events around the city, the PD team was busy drinking it all in [pun intended]. This week’s Roundtable Discussion dives into some of those lessons learned and decisions made that won’t be repeated next year, like that last beer you shouldn’t have had in the parking lot that reserved your spot on the bathroom floor for the rest of the night… yeah, won’t be repeating that one again.

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Ultimate 6er | Reliving Utah’s Past GABF Success

September 30, 2015 |

At the time you are reading this, we are either recovering from a week long hangover or dead! GABF would be the way to die. Hundreds of breweries bringing the best beers in the world. There is nothing greater than walking shoulder to shoulder with tens of thousands of like-minded people. Everywhere you turn is a new friend and a beer. Yep, pretty sure we died. Seems like the pearly gates are drenched in golden suds.

We live in Utah and dream of Denver, Bend, San Diego and Asheville. But wait a minute… if you believe in the alcohol lockdown in the Wasatch Mountains, we surely live in beer hell. We are here to say, this is absolutely not true. We present six GABF medal winning beers from the last several years. So when the Zion curtain locks us in, we will be okay, because Utah brewers make some sweet brews. Read More

Major News and Storylines from GABF 2015

September 30, 2015 |

Earlier this year, when The Brewers Association announced that the Great American Beer Festival would be Bigger, Better and Beerier, we assumed that was merely a reference to the … Read More

Event Recap | Denver Rare Beer VII

September 29, 2015 | 2

Average Reading Time: 7 minutes

Best event of the #GABF2015 weekend?! We think so. John Maguire and Cory Pelc pontificate on their favorite pours, casual convos with the beer celebs of the craft beer world and provide a minimal amount of criticism. A Recap of all things Denver Rare Beer VII.

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Event Recap | Goose Island ‘Grit & Grain’ Premiere

September 28, 2015 |

Thursday afternoon’s premiere of Grit & Grain at the Denver Film Society was a wonderful celebration of Goose Island’s legendary Bourbon County Stout. A great crowd from the craft beer industry came … Read More

How To Burn Off The Beer from GABF

September 28, 2015 |

With all the amazing beers you are able to try at Great American Beer Fest, the last thing on your mind is probably keeping off the excess pounds from the additional beers you drink. No one wants to imitate a hamster on the treadmill in your hotel. Steve Allen, the fitness consultant and president of Fitness Please!, gives some fun and very Denver ways to sweat off the suds.

“It doesn’t matter what you do to get moving, but you’ll be more effective if you are enjoying yourself.”

Steve Allen, Fitness Consultant & President of Fitness Please!

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GABF Event Preview | NBB & Leopold Bros Whiskey Sour Barrel Hour

September 25, 2015 |

When: Saturday, September 26 at 1pm

Where: Ophelia’s Electric Soapbox – 1215 20th Street, Denver, CO

Pat yourself on the back. You’ve survived most of GABF week and you’re still … Read More

2015 GABF Theme Route | Fruit Beers

September 25, 2015 |

If life gives you lemons, throw them in an awesome shandy or sour beer. You can find almost every fruit in the pour list for this year’s Great American Beer Festival. From strawberries to blueberries and even guava, the fruit added to beer gives it another level of complexity and often refreshment too. Fruit can be added to pretty much any beer style, which means this theme route can take you to a smorgasbord of flavors on your palette. Chris Day, Tristan Chan, and I looked through the list of GABF beers to help you hone in on fruit beers at the festival. Again, this list is not the end-all, be-all list of fruit beers, but it can help you jump start your adventure. Let us guide your way to the Fruit Beers at the 2015 Great American Beer Festival.

Other themed routes:

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How to One Up that Pretzel Necklace

September 24, 2015 | 1

The age old debate on whether to wear a pretzel necklace to a beer festival dates back to Baron Marzen Dortmunder Zwickel Weizendoppelbock III’s attendance at the very first Oktoberfest in 1810, the tradition continued when Benjamin Franklin donned his own braided treat to Thomas Jefferson’s collaboration fest with fellow founding father Samuel Adams. And now we celebrate these pioneers by donning our own tasty carb-tastic accessories. However, as the times change and fashion evolves we’ve learned to upgrade our necklaces to hold much more than mere pretzels. While some have tricked out their gear with beef jerky, cookies, doughnuts and more, we thought we’d take it to the next level by asking Xzibit to… Read More

GABF Tour | Denver Breweries You Won’t Find on the Floor

September 24, 2015 |

With all the focus on GABF this week, it’s easy to overlook the fact that more than a dozen Denver breweries won’t be pouring at the festival, including some of our favorites. When you have some downtime in between sessions, consider visiting one of these local breweries, especially if you’re an out-of-towner. Many are hosting special tappings and other events to celebrate the fest. Check our event calendar for more details. Read More

2015 GABF Theme Route | Rare Beers

September 24, 2015 |

Great American Beer Festival can be a great place to summon your inner-Indiana Jones and find a real treasure in the beer world. Breweries utilize GABF to show off some of their biggest and best beers, but if you play your cards right, you can also find some once-in-a-lifetime finds. Chris Day, Tristan Chan, and I searched high and low through brewery pour lists to find you your Holy Grail.

Let our list guide you and your travel companions on a journey to find some of the festival’s rarest beers. Keep in mind that there are many other gems to find on your own too!

Other themed routes:

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2015 GABF Theme Route | Hoppy Beers

September 23, 2015 |

As you can tell from our Sours & Wilds Theme Route, we are trying to make your Great American Beer Festival as incredible and easy as possible. To help you make the most of your festival experience, Tristan Chan, Chris Day and I continue our tour guide services through Hoppy Beers. Coming soon, you’ll have a path through Rare Beers, Big Beers, and Unique Beers. You can check out our Sours and Wilds Route here. We’ll give you the breweries, beers and descriptions, then let you go from there.

Today’s theme route focuses on Hoppy Beers. There will be an incredible amount of hoppy beers at GABF, but we’ve looked at all the breweries pour lists to give you the cream of the crop. As we said with the sours, this list is by no means a complete list of all hoppy beers, but it is a great starting point. Take this list as a map to guide your way Hoppy Beers at the 2015 Great American Beer Festival.

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Beer Celebrities You May See at Great American Beer Fest 2015

September 23, 2015 |

Great American Beer Festival is a great opportunity for beer geeks, like yours truly, to rub elbows with the best in the craft beer industry. Last year, we introduced you to some of the most famous people in the beer world that you might run across at Great American Beer Festival. Out of that list of 25 celeBEERties, I was able to meet 10 of them, including Garrett Oliver, Dick Cantwell and my beer crush, Sam Calagione.

Most of last year’s class will likely attend GABF this year, but we have a new list of beer celebrities to keep your eye out for, including some of the world’s best brewers, actors/musicians that are trying their hand at brewing, and advocates for the industry. Read More

303 Magazine Presents | Where to Eat Near GABF

September 22, 2015 |

Story by Brittany Werges, Food and Booze Editor for 303 Magazine. Check out 303 for more GABF coverage throughout the week!

Every year, during early fall, Denver turns into what … Read More

2015 GABF Theme Route | Big Beers

September 22, 2015 |

‘Go Big or Go Home’ is a motto used by brewers and attendees alike at GABF. Many breweries bring some of their heaviest beers to share during the GABF sessions. Tristan Chan, Chris Day, and I looked through each brewery’s pour list to create our list of the best beers above 9.5%. This route can be incredibly rewarding but please heed our warning.

Tread lightly with our Big Beers list, as the high ABV can easily sneak up on you with these delicious drinks.  Big beers can easily lead to an early end to your night and a tough morning the next day. We didn’t just put any big beer on this list. There are a lot of other high-ABV ales for you to find on your own!

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2015 GABF | Must Try GABF Events

September 21, 2015 |

WELCOME TO GABF WEEK 2015! Lace those drinkin’ boots up, tighten up that lederhosen, and let’s get ready to drink our weights in delicious craft beer!!!!!

We have been updating our events calendar for the last few weeks and we realize that it is as heady as a freshly shaken Belgian beer . . . We are foaming at the brim with events. We have a lot going on but have highlighted some of our favorite events.

What events will you make it to this week?!

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