Friday, October 12, 2007

Great American Beer Festival - The Excitement is Building

This year's Great American Beer Festival (GABF) is off and running. Another year that I'll miss. It will probably be at least two years before I can fit it into my annual travel/vacation plans. Until then, I will continue to follow from afar and enjoy the medal-winning brews when the brewers return home. The Brewing Network is providing audio coverage to those of us who cannot be there. Jeff Bearer of Craft Beer Radio is making his first trip and covering the 3-day festival and events like a man possessed. Rick Sellers of Pacific Brew News is doing likewise. And, Joe Sixpack reminded this morning in his weekly column that Michael Jackson will continue to cast a long shadow over the festival for many, many years to come. This year, a staggering 474 breweries have entered 2,832 beers in 75 categories. The IPA category alone has 120 entries. On the festival floor, 40,000+ attendees will have 408 breweries from which to choose samples. Between the festival and all of the "sideshows" that take place around the Denver area, this is one event that should be on everyone's list of must-do's at least once. Here's a link to my recap from last year's GABF festival and Here's a quick rundown of the breweries representing the PA/NJ/MD/DE region. Predictions, anyone? Pennsylvania Allentown/Bethlehem Brew Works Iron City Brewing Company Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant-Media Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant-West Chester Lancaster Brewing Co. McKenzie Brew House Nodding Head Brewing Co. Penn Brewery Rock Bottom Brewery-King of Prussia Rock Bottom Brewery-Pittsburgh Sly Fox Brewing Company Stoudts Brewing Company Tröegs Brewing Co. Triumph Brewing Co. Victory Brewing Company Yards Brewing Company New Jersey Basil T's Brewery & Italian Grill Flying Fish Brewing Co. Long Valley Pub & Brewery Triumph Brewing Co. of Princeton Uno Chicago Grill and Brewery Maryland Clipper City Brewing Co. Coastal Brewing Company Hook & Ladder Brewing Company Rock Bottom Brewery-Bethesda Wild Goose Brewery Delaware Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant-Newark Stewart's Brewing Co. Twin Lakes Brewing Company

2 comments:

Nate said...

I talked to Terry (of Bullfrog) during the Harrisburg festival - he put in an entry this year - I believe he said it was an Impy stout, secondaried with a bunch of cherries, and fermented with a strain of wild Belgian yeast.

I'd go for that one!

Adam said...

Now that sounds delicious!