Great American Beer Festival on the Road

Thousands of beer aficionados and home brewers converged on the Baltimore Convention Center during the weekend of May 15th and 16th for the first ever Great American Beer Festival on the East Coast. The most prestigious and largest beer event in the United States, the GABF, which has been traditionally based in Denver, has taken the show on the road, building on the growing popularity of craft brewed domestic beers. Staff from BarAmerica were on hand at the festival's opening on Friday evening working hard to sample everything in sight.

While not nearly as large as the previous year's festival held in Denver, and despite the fact that this sister festival didn't award any medals, there were a plethora of beers on hand: over 400 from 125 breweries. "The Festival just keeps getting bigger and better every year," said Association of Brewers founder Charlie Papazian. "We wanted to offer people from across the country the opportunity to attend this amazing event and since many people can't come to see us, we decided to bring the festival to them."

Both large and small breweries were represented at the festival, from Anheuser-Busch and Miller to the Brooklyn Brewery and Rogue Ales. As one might imagine, it was Heaven on Earth for lovers of craft brewed beer, and the sudsy stuff flowed freely, doled out in one ounce servings.

The night measured up well against the GABF's stated mission, "to celebrate the quality and diversity in American brewing," and both brewers and drinkers alike clearly enjoyed themselves, lending the event a festive, relaxed, and friendly atmosphere. GABF on the Road plans to visit different cities in upcoming years, spreading around a lot of good beer.

Many of last year's Gold-Medal winning beers were present, including Rogue Smoke, Tuppers' Hop Pocket Ale, Jaxon's Chihuahua Brown Ale, and New Glarus Belgian Red.

The Boston Beer Company made a strong showing, occupying two booths, offering samples of a dozen--the most of any exhibitor present--of their award-winning brews, including the unusual and sumptuous Triple Bock, and the newly introduced White Ale.

Attendees eagerly lined up to meet one of the industry's luminaries, Pete Slosberg, of Pete's Wicked Ale, signing copies of his new book Beer for Pete's Sake, published by Brewer's Publications.

The only dark spot for the Festival was the no-bag policy. While attendees were not allowed to bring their bags in, they were also not given a suitable alternative for storing them securely, but eventually bags were allowed inside the festival.

Look for the Great American Beer Festival XVII in Denver on October 1st, 2nd, and 3rd at the Currigan Exhibition Hall. For more information call 1-888-UCAN BREW, to volunteer call 303-393-0361, or check out Great American Beer Festival on the Road.