Reflections on the 25th Edition of the Great American Beer Festival - November 2006
Long-time World of Beer readers will know that my feelings about the largest beer fest in the U.S. have been mixed over the years, to say the least. The pay-one-price, all-you-can-sample approach to a beer festival has never been one I've embraced, and as for the one-ounce tasters you get at the Great American Beer Festival as a direct result of that policy, well, I don't think it's too strong to say that they've always pissed me off.
(It's not gluttony that makes me irritated by the miserliness of the GABF pours, it's professional need. Simply, I do not believe it is possible to accurately assess a beer on the basis of a single ounce. Which explains why, here and elsewhere, when I write about beers I've tasted at the GABF, I do so in only the most general of terms.)
On the other hand, there is an undeniable appeal to the GABF, due in no small part to the fact that there is no single place in the world where a person can better assess the current state of the American brewing industry, logging tasting trends and brewing fads and generally appraising the overall health of the beer biz. Plus, with most everyone who is anyone in the brewing business attending, the GABF affords an unrivalled opportunity to catch up with old friends, spin industry gossip, meet up-and-coming brewers and raise glasses with some of the most knowledgeable beer aficionados around.
And so, trapped between attraction and irritation, my compromise is to attend every second year. Following my experience in Denver at the 25th anniversary edition held near the end of September, however, I may have to change my tune.
While it is true that the pay-one-price policy remains in place and the servings are still meager, almost everything else that the GABF needed to fix has been fixed. The cavernous, almost warehouse-like atmosphere of the Denver Convention Center was softened greatly this year, in stark contrast to the festival's first year in the huge building, and the addition of elements such as the Oskar Blues-sponsored "Silent Disco" and the Brewers Studio Pavilion for seminars and demonstrations did much to break up the monotony of row after row of almost indistinguishable brewery booths.
Speaking of the brewery booths, although it may have just been my perception of things, it appeared that they were more open this year than in the past, with greater room in the aisles, save for one or two center aisles that seemed hopelessly crowded even when others were comparatively empty, and easier approaches. And while it might again be a matter of perception and who I spoke to, the brewers and brewery reps manning those booths seemed generally happier with the overall scene than they have in the past.
A couple of things still rankle - better signage to mark the aisles would be nice and the food concessions could certainly be improved - but overall I've got to say that the quarter-century birthday of the GABF could just mark the event's true coming of age. I, for one, will definitely be back, maybe even in 2007!
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