Countdown to GABF!

So, just under a month to go until we are in mile-high city for the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) and I couldn’t be more excited! This is my first trip to GABF and my first time back to Colorado as a big beer nerd. This is also the 30th anniversary of the festival, so I’m sure many of the 460 (!!) breweries participating will be pulling out all the stops.

So, of course, John and I created a google map with all the breweries we want to visit, the convention center (duh), locales for events, bottle shops, places to eat, you get the idea. I thought I’d do a pre-GABF post to share the map, ask for suggestions and share what outside GABF events we are going to! Expect follow-ups after I return to Houston! You can follow the Houston GABFers by following the twitter hashtag #GABFHou.

Events:
Avery Midnight Breakfast | Thursday 9/29 | 11:30 PM | Euclid Hall
Check out this menu + beer list!

Beer For Boobs Brunch | Friday 9/30 | 9:30 – 11:30 AM | Freshcraft
A charity event with beer, the best kind: “buffet style brunch and discounted draft beer and bottles. 100% of the proceeds from the discounted beer will also go towards breast cancer charities”

Denver Rare Beer Tasting III | Friday 9/30 | 1-4PM | Wynkoop Brewery
From what everyone tells me, this will be beyond EPIC. Bring it on. Check out the list:

• Alaskan 2009 Cherry-Vanilla Baltic Porter
• Avery Dihos Dactylion Cabernet Sauvignon Barrel-Aged Sour Ale
• Big Sky 2006 Buckin’ Monk Chardonnay Tripel
• Boulevard Love Child #1
• Brooklyn Cuvee de la Crochet Rouge
• The Bruery The Wanderer Dark Sour Ale
• Cascade Borbonic Plague
• Cigar City Neilsbohrium Rum Barrel-Aged Imperial Raisin Sweet Stout
• Dogfish Head 2004 Olde School
• The Duck-Rabbit The End of Reason
• Firestone Walker Agrestic Ale
• Foothills 2009 Sexual Chocolate
• Full Sail 1998 Old Boardhead Barleywine
• Great Divide 2008 Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout
• Highland PSA Pilsner
• Jolly Pumpkin Lúpulo de Hielo
• Laughing Dog St. Benny’s Labby Bourbon Barrel-Aged Ale
• Left Hand 2009 Fade to Black Vol. 1
• Lost Abbey/Port Brewery Deliverance
• Nebraska Inception Series #1
• New Belgium Eric’s Ale
• New Holland Rum Barrel-Aged Pilgrim’s Dole Wheatwine
• Odell Rare Blend
• Rogue Charlie 1981
• Samuel Adams 2011 Utopias
• Sierra Nevada Brewing 30^th Anniversary Rum Barrel-Aged Fritz and Ken’s Stout
• Stone 2010 Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey Barrel-Aged Imperial Russian Stout
• Thirsty Dog Bourbon Barrel-Aged 12 Dogs of Christmas
• Weyerbacher Idiot’s Drool
• Wynkoop Metacool Maltuwanna Imperial Amber Ale

GABF Sessions:
We will be attending the Thursday Session from 5:30-10:30 and the Saturday Member’s only Session from 12-4PM!

and finally, the map…