The Great American Beer Festival, usually held in Denver, Colorado, will be held virtually this year, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Beer festivals across the country have been canceled or postponed all the way through summer, but the largest – GABF had yet to make an announcement until today. This decision was bolstered by Colorado Governor Jared Polis issuing an Executive Order temporarily suspending certain statutes to allow the operation of alternate care sites in Colorado. This order means GABF can not be held at the Colorado Convention Center.
Instead, the festival will pivot to an online experience, taking place October 16-17. Expect live and virtual experiences, that will include tastings, brewery conversations, and at-home beer and food deliveries.
“While we are disappointed to not be gathering in Denver this fall for the craft beer community’s annual big tent event, the health and safety of our attendees, brewers, volunteers, judges, and employees is and always has been our top priority. As the world is still greatly affected by the spread of COVID-19 and will continue to be affected for the foreseeable future, we must stay true to our priorities and pursue other ways to host GABF.” – Bob Pease, president, and CEO of the Brewers Association
While the 39th annual festival will be virtual for usual attendees, the beer competition will still take place as usual. A panel of more than 100 judges will taste 7,000 entries voting for the three beers that best represent each style category. Brewers, the registration for this year’s competition opens June 9th.
The “virtual” GABF is still in planning, with more details to be released in the coming weeks.