Massive libations celebration returns to Denver Oct. 9-11

By Jay McKinney

Every fall, beer lovers from across the country make the pilgrimage to Denver to sip delicious craft beer, one ounce at a time, at the Great American Beer Festival.

With a vibrant craft beer culture and geographic centrality, it only makes sense that a festival of this magnitude would make Colorado its home. Since it was established in 1982, it has evolved into a weekend-long party, complete with crazy costumes and elaborate pretzel necklaces that will turn heads.

This year’s festival takes place Oct. 9-11 and promises to be just as fun as previous years, while offering some new libations to sample. For the first time in the festival’s history, there will be a section for spirits and some of Colorado’s best distilleries will be pouring whiskey, vodka, gin and more.

"This is an exciting opportunity to showcase our product to a much larger audience than we are accustomed to,” says Jay Johnson, co-founder of Bear Creek Distillery. “We are excited about the expanding craft beverage landscape and we are stoked to be invited."

Colorado’s craft beer scene is undeniable, but now festival attendees will get a chance to experience the craft distilling scene. Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey, Wood’s High Mountain Distillery, The Family Jones, Branch and Barrel Distilling, Ironton Distillery, Breckenridge Distillery and others will have booths at the festival and attendees will want to sample as many of them as they can handle.

“We’re honored to be part of the inaugural year of distilled spirits at the Great American Beer Festival,” says Meagan Miller, co-founder of Talnua Distillery. “As America’s first single pot still distillery, using all Colorado ingredients, Talnua is proud to bring our fusion of Irish heritage and American boldness to a festival that celebrates the best in craft. This is a huge moment for spirits, and we’re excited to raise a glass with the pioneers of brewing and distilling alike.”

While the addition of spirits will be welcomed with open arms, the festival really is about beer. Breweries from every corner of the country are pouring a variety of styles and outside-of-the-box brews that will have people lining up for extra pours.

Colorado breweries have a dominant presence in the chaotic venue, and one that always seems to attract a long line of eager drinkers is Weldwerks Brewing Co. in Greeley. The brewery is known for its Juicy Bits IPA, but after patiently waiting in line it might be worth trying something different like the Mezcal Barrel Aged Mexican Achromatic or the single-barrel Dubai Chocolate Bar Medianoche. Is it worth waiting in the long lines to sample beers from the featured booths such as Weldwerks? Yes. However, there are delicious beers to be found throughout the festival.

Sometimes the witty and humorous names of beers may be a deciding factor when choosing a particular pour from a booth. Who can resist trying beers like Pickle Me Up from Bootstrap Brewing in Longmont, Deez Nuts from 105 West Brewing Co. in Castle Rock or Rye not Meee? brewed by Camber Brewing Company in Fraser.

The sampling frenzy may be the most exciting part of the GABF, but don’t forget about food. In 2025 there is a star-studded roster of James Beard and Michelin Star recognized chefs that are participating in Paired, the festival’s beer and food tasting experience held on Oct. 9 and 10.

Colorado’s Caroline Glover of Annette and Traveling Mercies at the Stanley Marketplace will make her debut at the festival this year. In 2019 Glover was awarded Best New Chefs in America by Food and Wine and her career has only trended upward with the success of her two Aurora establishments. Other Colorado culinary heavyweights participating include Matt Vawter, Carrie Baird, Paul Reilly, Linda Hampsten-Fox, Josh Niernberg, Jen Jasinski and Mara King and Kelly Whitaker who operate a handful of restaurants, two of which won Michelin stars in 2024.

The festival also includes live music performances. On Thursday, Oct. 9, Aiko will take the stage along with a strong supporting cast that includes Bill Nershi and Jason Hann of the String Cheese Incident. On Oct. 10, the Grammy-nominated band Southern Avenue will play Memphis Blues, modern soul and gospel-infused music.