"The gates are now open!" announced a man with the bull horn outside the Colorado Cenvention Center. The 31st annual Great American Beer Festival (GABF) has officially begun.


Held in Denver, GABF is America’s premier beer festival and competition. It is the Super Bowl for beer drinkers. GABF represents the largest ticketed beer event in the country, bringing together the brewers and beers that make the U.S. the world’s most diverse brewing nation.
                                         
(Click the pic to see the gallery)

                                                                                      
Over the course of three days, 49,000 attended to sample beer from approximately 580 U.S. breweries. Broken up into 4 sessions, doing the math that comes out to around 12 thousand people in attendance per a session. Wow!

One of the most renowned competitions in the industry and recognized worldwide as a symbol of brewing excellence, the GABF competition honors 84 beer style categories with gold, silver and bronze medals.
 
The brewerers do all the can to bring a medal back to thier home state. This year Texas breweries earned  9 medals. That deserves some major bragging rights.
 
 
 
Some helpful hints if you attend GABF

Drink plenty of water- There are a number of water stations located around the convention center. Keep yourself hydrated.

Eat- Never drink on an empty stomach. A smart idea is to make a necklace of pretzels to snack on.

Wear a costume- It is fun event so make the best of it.

Don't drop your cup- Not only will you not get another one, you will be embarrassed when the entire festival goes into a short uproar. The floor is concrete so it will echo for everyone to hear. Keep your hands tight around it.

Pace yourself-It is marathan not a sprint.

Have Fun!

Cheers!