Great American Beer Festival 2020 Will Be America’s Largest Virtual Beer Event of the Year

Taster glasses and taps with text

Festival to feature online programming and local deals from 900 craft breweries nationwide

What

The 39th Great American Beer Festival® (GABF), the country’s preeminent beer festival and world’s largest professional beer competition, will include a 2-day online experience October 16-17, exclusively for GABF passport holders. The sessions will cover a variety of topics including tips and tricks to enhance beer knowledge and enjoyment; stories from craft beer luminaries; profiles of breweries and individuals that are transforming their communities; and flavor fusions through beer and food pairings.

The virtual festivities will kick off on Friday, October 16 with the Great American Beer Festival awards ceremony. The presentation will be hosted on The Brewing Network and is open to the public. More information on the festival’s renowned professional beer competition will be released in the coming weeks.

Between October 1-18, GABF passport holders will also have exclusive access to on-site deals at participating breweries. The complete lineup of breweries and deals will be published on September 15.

Who

900 small and independent craft breweries from all 50 states. See full list of participating breweries here.

Virtual festival speakers include Ken Grossman (Sierra Nevada Brewing), Natalie and Vinnie Cilurzo (Russian River Brewing Company), Garrett Oliver (Brooklyn Brewery), Gina Marsaglia (Pizza Port) and Tomme Arthur (The Lost Abby), Matt Meadows (New Belgium Brewing Company), Chef Danny Lee (Mandu and CHIKO), Marcus Baskerville (Weathered Souls Brewing Company), Jose D. Beteta, Tamil Maldonado Vega, and Martín D. Vargas (Raíces Brewing Co); among others.

When

Competition Awards Ceremony Presentation (Open to the public):

  • October 16, 2020, at 5:00 p.m. MT

Virtual Great American Beer Festival (Exclusive content for GABF passport holders):

  • Friday, October 16: 7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. MT
  • Saturday, October 17: 5:45 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. MT

Nationwide GABF Passport Deals: (Exclusive content for GABF passport holders):

  • October 1-18, 2020

Where    

Awards ceremony and sessions will be hosted on The Brewing Network. Full schedule here.

Ticket Info         

GABF passports are available for $20 here.

Passport holders will have exclusive access to deals at participating festival breweries nationwide in addition to online content during the virtual festival.

 

Media Access

To apply for media credentials, please visit here.  

Note to editors: Please visit here for 2019 b-roll footage and stock photos.

Contact: Jenelle Scott (on behalf of the Brewers Association), jenelle.scott@nullbackbonemedia.net

For more information, follow GABF on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and use hashtag #GABF.

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About the Brewers Association

The Brewers Association (BA) is the not-for-profit trade association dedicated to small and independent American brewers, their beers and the community of brewing enthusiasts. The BA represents 4,000-plus U.S. breweries. The BA’s independent craft brewer seal is a widely adopted symbol that differentiates beers by small and independent craft brewers. The BA organizes events including the World Beer Cup®Great American Beer Festival®Craft Brewers Conference® & BrewExpo America®SAVOR™: An American Craft Beer & Food ExperienceHomebrew Con™National Homebrew Competition and American Craft Beer Week®. The BA publishes The New Brewer® magazine, and Brewers Publications™ is the leading publisher of brewing literature in the U.S. Beer lovers are invited to learn more about the dynamic world of craft beer at CraftBeer.com® and about homebrewing via the BA’s American Homebrewers Association® and the free Brew Guru® mobile app. Follow us on FacebookTwitter and Instagram.