GABF Tickets On Sale 7/17

Get your bots ready, as Great American Beer Festival tickets go on sale Wednesday, July 17 at 10 am Mountain time. The event takes place, as always, at the Colorado Convention in downtown Denver, Colorado. This year's dates are Thursday, Oct. 10 through Thursday, October 12. Tickets for the Thursday session are $85, while the Friday evening and Saturday afternoon sessions are $95. There is also an option to buy a pass to all three sessions for $220. This year, the GABF no longer hosts a Saturday night session. I can't say I'll miss that, as I never attended one. I've only heard nothing but bad things about Saturday night- rowdy people just looking to get wasted (and this differs from the other sessions how? Maybe on Thursday and Friday there were small factions like that, but on Saturday it's EVERYONE), breweries being out of everything...now this bugs the hell out of me. I ran into that issue last year as early as Thursday night! Come on people, if you're going to say you're bringing a certain beer, calculate it so that you're not running out two hours into a festival that does 1 oz. pours! Anyway, don't let that sour you, as that is an extremely rare occurrence. GABF is a well-run operation year after year, giving attendees the opportunity to try thousands of beers all under one roof. And don't forget, festival goers can also sample ciders, cocktails and hard seltzers as well. No, I can't say I'm a fan of that, but we all see how breweries are selling these items just to stay relevant. Lime with your beer, sir? But don't worry, there will be plenty of sours, hazies, and barrel-aged stouts to satisfy even the pickiest beer connoisseurs. If you're a foodie, you'll be please to know that Paired is returning this year as well. Paired matches up well-known chefs (like James Beard award winners and Michelin starred chefs!) from across the country with brewers to create the perfect pairing. Two sessions, Thursday and Friday night. $119 for Paired or $189 for Paired and festival access. Or if you just want to go to the fest and munch on your pretzel necklace, that's ok too.

Rest In Pease

After a 32-year career that began in customer service and ended as CEO, Bob Pease is leaving his spot at the Brewers Association in 2025. From the official statement: "After careful consideration, I believe it is time to help this great association transition to new leadership and for me to move on to new endeavors,” said Biden, errr, Pease."

Pease had a number of highlights since his appointment to CEO in 2014, notably being a key player in getting the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act to come to fruition in 2020. Craft breweries producing fewer than 2,000,000 barrels annually pay $3.50 per barrel in federal excise tax on the first 60,000 barrels produced in a year. For perspective, breweries producing over 2,000,000 barrels annually pay $16 per barrel for the first six million barrels, $18 per barrel for every one after. Score one for the little guys!

Pease leaves the BA at a time when craft beer production dropped 5% in 2023, though market share climbed to 13.3%. There's no denying that ready to drink cocktails, seltzers, and NA beers, not to mention the saturation of breweries in individual markets, have eaten into brewery sales. Also, beer consumption per capita continues to decline, though I continue to personally reach new highs.

The BA has hired Kittleman and Associates, a Chicago-based CEO headhunter firm, to search for a replacement for Pease.