August 23, 2011

If beer is the lifeblood of the Great American Beer Festival (GABF), then the volunteers are the heart that keeps it pumping during all four festival tasting sessions. In more ways than one, this proverbial heart is huge! Last year saw a small army of 3,281 volunteers on hand to pour beer, distribute glasses, greet attendees, work the merchandise booth and much more. The beauty of the GABF volunteer system is that it is primarily managed by other volunteers. These brave (and sleep-deprived) individuals are called captains.

See the captains, scroll over the image

The 2011 GABF will see 150 captains volunteering in a variety of areas at the festival. Their work begins long before the kegs are tapped, as they are tasked with recruiting volunteers for their area, attending trainings in advance of GABF and helping with set-up. Once the doors are open, the captains monitor their stations, manage their volunteers and, once in a while, get to taste a couple beers!

 

The scale of their responsibilities is only rivaled by the commitment they’ve made over the years to volunteer at GABF. Leading the pack of current captains in years served is the dynamic husband-wife duo of Aaron and Virginia Hamm, who have each served for 23 years as captains.

Virginia explains: “Our experience with GABF has given us great friendships with different people from all over the country. I have people that travel back every year to the festival, and it is fun to catch up with them to see how much their family changes as they get married, have children, grandchildren, or even great grandchildren.” Great captains like Aaron and Virginia help keep the volunteers coming back for more. Cumulatively, the current crop of GABF captains has volunteered for 1,286 years.

The 2011 GABF is no longer accepting new volunteers, but you can learn more by visiting the volunteer page. And, if you’re up to the task, consider volunteering at the 2012 festival.

This is the third in a series of profiles of the volunteers that make GABF possible, the Faces of the Festival. Stay tuned for more stories. If you have a volunteer in mind you would like to see featured, email Spencer Powlison.