GABF 2025 Breweries and Beers to try, S-Z

Schilling Beer Co. This New Hampshire cranks out lagers of all styles, but it's the Czech style Alexander and Jalowetz I'm after.

Soul and Spirits Brewery The surprise hot brewery of GABF 2024 returns. Expect long lines for Mango Mustard BBQ Sauce, a sour with mango puree, Dead Leaves and Dirty Coke, bourbon barrel-aged Imperial Stout with cola spices and finished with lime infused oat milk. Was the long line last year because of the unusual beers being poured, or the fact that Soul and Spirits was offering small bites to complement the beers? I think it was the beers, but remember when there used to be a free cheese sample booth at GABF and the line was dpwn the street? People, it's a piece of F-ing cheese!

Strangebird A shame that this Rochester, NY brewery isn't pouring their excellent Festbier, though with Eric Salazar at the helm, it's no surprise that a sour is featured. Rode Vogel is a Flanders Red, one of the few you'll come across at the fest. They'll also pour Unfettered Soul, a WBC medalist in the Hazy IPA category.

Sun King Brewing This medal-collecting powerhouse has amassed almost 50 wins between GABF and World Beer Cup, taking medals in many different categories. A varied lineup awaits you at their booth, from Pineapple Whip (Rum BA Tripel with pineapple puree), to Ouija Heavy (12.5% Scottish-style Wee Heavy).

Templin Family Brewing My favorite lager producer out of Utah features Granary Keller Pilsner as well as Jarda CZ Pilsner, along with a Helles, Oktoberfest, and Rauchbier.

The Austin Beer Garden Brewing Company ABGB for short, and another fantastic Austin-based lager specialist. Hell Yes Helles and Industry Pils are must haves, but I'm most excited for Velvet Revolution Czech Pilsner.

The Bruery Black Tuesday will forever be the beer most associated with The Bruery, but if 19.7% is too much, try the 13.5% BA Three's Cocompany, Imperial Stout with coconut, vanilla, milk sugar, and oat milk.

Toppling Goliath This brewery may have become overly commercialized, but as long as they're pouring the BA Imperial Stout Assassin, I'm in line.

Trap Door Brewing You aren't going to get a fresher Fresh Hop IPA than Fresher Than Fresh from Washington's Trap Door Brewing. 2024 GABF Gold in the Fresh Hop category.

Vintage BrewingNot enough pumpkin beers are made with actual pumpkin, you say? Then get on over to Vintage Brewing, where you'll find Pumpkin Disorderly, made with, yes, real pumpkin.

Well 80 Another highly touted bourbon barrel-aged Barleywine to sample. Hey, may as well get your money's worth!

WeldWerks Brewing Cheers to WeldWerks for always showing up with a huge list of fun beers. Jeers to them for doing a timed tapping. If you're there at the right time, you can try the Single Barrel Dubai Chocolate Bar Medianoche.

Woodland Republic Try Peanut Butter Batter, a pastry stout with 30 lbs. of peanut butter cups.

2025 GABF Guide: Breweries and Beers to Try, N-R

Nashville Brewing Co. This is a lager lover's dream booth, with Nashvile Light (2023 GABF Gold, Light Lager category), Nashville Lager (2020 Silver, Munich-Style Helles category), and NashZwickel, (2018 Bronze, Kellerbier or Zwickelbier category) all being poured at the fest. I'm also looking forward to Nashville Festbier. Quick note: there are only six breweries (and one distillery)starting with the letter N at GABF this year.

Odd Muse Brewing Silver Spaceship, Odd Muse's flagship hazy IPA and a medalist at both WBC and the US Open Beer Championship, will be the main draw here. But get a taste of Candy Aisle, a Snickers bar-inspired Imperial Stout with peanuts and caramel.

Old Irving Brewing Well known for Beezer, the Gold medalist at both GABF and WBC in the Hazy IPA category, Old Irving catches my eye this year for Cinnamon Prost, a Golden Stout with cinnamon, vanilla, and milk sugar.

Our Mutual Friend There's a definite dearth of Saisons at this year's fest, but this Larimer St. stalwart has you covered with Weirding Way, a Brett Saison dry-hopped with Citra.

Peculier Brewing Early reviews of the Barleywine/Imperial Stout blend Echoes of Midnight have been stellar. This 14%er was aged for 18 months in bourbon barrels. Peculier will also be pouring Peculier Royale, in case you're looking for an English-style IPA that's high in ABV (7%) for the style.

Phantom Farms Brewing This Rhode Island brewery doesn't just have a cool name; it also makes cool beers, like Sacred Tree, a black pepper Saison that took a Silver at WBC.

Radiant Beer Co. Radiant had one of the best Imperial Stouts of the fest last year, A Touch of Everything. This year, they're bringing Aged to Confection, Imperial Stout with granola, pecan, cacao, and salt.

Revolution Brewing You were already going to this booth, I'm sure. How could you resist when they're pouring 15 Year Beer, a blend of Ryeway to Heaven and DB Straight Jacket, with added dark cherries?

River North Brewing It's always fun to do the math on the beers River North is pouring. This year, with BA Father Time, BA Dark Sorceress, and NightmareFuel, their offerings average out to 16.9% ABV!

Russian River Brewing Who? Ok, another brewery you already knew about. And sure, you'll line up with everyone else for Pliny, DDH Pliny, and Blind...wait, what? No Blind Pig? That's going to annoy some people. But Small Batch Intinction Sauvignon Blanc with Nelson may be the real draw this year.

2025 GABF Beers and Breweries to Try, G-M

Galveston Bay Brewing You say you've been reading this whole time and haven't seen me recommend a single Wee Heavy to try? Read no further! Megalodon is a 10.5% Wee Heavy style that might convince you to try haggis (if you drink enough of it. Not enough samples in the world to get me to do it.). Captain's Coffee Stout (GABF Bronze 2021) will also be poured.

Ghost Town Brewing Their Nose Goblin DIPA has won four medals at GABF/WBC in the highly competitive Imperial IPA category. Ossuary, a two-time medalist in the Robust Porter category, will also be featured.

Green Mountain Beer Company The world needs more rye whiskey barrel-aged stouts. Green Mountain delivers. Ryefecta uses two kinds of rye in this Imperial Stout. Also try the Rosy Dawn Watermelon Sour and Dunkler Helm Schwarzbier.

hear.say The way the beers are named at this brewery remind me of an E.E. Cummings poem. I'm intrigued. over.look Fruited Sour and vanta.ray Russian Imperial Stout are on my radar.

Icicle Brewing Three different medal-winning beers will be poured at Icicle's booth this year: Alpenhaze (Juicy or Hazy Pale Ale, GABF 2022/WBC 2023), Icicle Premium Pilsner (International-Style Pilsener, WBC 2023,2025), and Dragontail (Australian-Style Pale Ale, WBC 2025).

La Cumbre Brewing Elevated IPA won GABF Gold in the IPA category in La Cumbre's first year of competition at GABF in 2011. Impressive, to say the leas.t Their Project Dank IPA wont the National IPA Challenge in 2014, so it's safe to say this brewery knows how to brew an IPA. But don't sleep on their Oktoberfest.

Ladd and Lass Brewing How many Fresh Hop Triple IPAs have you ever had? I can think of zero on my end, so I'm running straight to Seattle's Ladd and Lass to try the 10% Fresh Hop Holographic Memories. I'm also going to try one of the few Cascadian Dark Ales (remember those??) being poured at the fest: The Night is Dark and Full of Terrors.

Lake Time Brewing I'm not officially endorsing Astronaut Sauce, the Belgian-style Pale Ale with Galaxy hops. But I'm intrigued by a Galaxy-hopped Belgian, as should you be. Give it a shot.

Lakefront Brewing Pumpkin beers use to be all the rage at GABF. Craft beer used to be all the rage back in the day. Things change. But for damn sure I'll be trying the 11% Brandy Barrel-Aged Imperial Pumpkin Ale from Lakefront Brewing, which has been cranking out craft beer since before and after it was cool.

Lawson's Finest Liquids Remember how excited you were to get your hands on your first can of Sip of Sunshine? I still fondly recall at one of Falling Rock Tap House's East vs. West IPA Showdown events where Lawson's dropped a surprise keg of Double Sunshine after Sip kicked. I needed no more beer in me at the time, but I sacrificed. Anyway, both Sip and Double Sunshine will be featured.

Live Oak Brewing Co. No surprise to see Live Oak on this list, what with their industry-standard Hefeweizen and Pilz, Czech-inspired Pilsner.

Loose Ends Brewing I was going to write that Loose Ends is one of only 11 Ohio breweries at the fest. Then I realized that Pennsylvania has two attending (and one distillery). Now that's an only. Loose Ends' Kardashev Ascension is a hazy Triple IPA with Riwaka, Rakau, and Motueka, and I think you should try it.

Martin House Brewing Ok, I'm not saying you need to try it. But I have to admit, Martin House did hit label gold with their Best Maid Pickle Beer. Almost makes me want to try it. I will instead go for Imperial Texan, of of the few Imperial Red Ales at GABF. I'll also take a small sip of the 16% Roadhouse Coffee Imperial Stout, even though it's aged a peculiarly short 3.5 months in whiskey barrels.

Meanwhile Brewing Is there anything this Austin brewery can't do? It shouldn't be a surprise that they are Gold medal winners at GABF for their Pilsner and at WBC for their Helles, considering the strong Austin lager culture. But they also won GABF Silver for Secret Beach IPA. All of those, plus their Oktoberfest, will be poured at the Meanwhile booth.

Moonlight Brewing If you haven't had Reality Czeck Pilsner, where have you been?? This may be the lesser known Santa Rosa, CA based brewery, but they've been brewing top quality beers since 1992. Also try their Death and Taxes Dark Lager.

More Brewing Yes, More makes my list every year. Sorry if I'm a sucker for their huge BA Stouts, such as the 2024 17.7% Mehndi, aged for three years in six different barrels. Also, More is the underrated king of Milkshake IPAs in my opinion. Try out the Mango Double Marbles and see for yourself. You might want to start out with the Czech Pilsner before trying those two palate wreckers (RIP Green Flash).

Morgan Territory Another perenial addition to my annual list, Morgan Territory Brewing just keeps on adding medals. Since last year's GABF Guide, they took three more GABF medals and two WBC medals, for a total of 21 GABF and 10 WBC medals over the years! HopTomic Imperial IPA has won Gold at both GABF and WBC, as has The Cushman Dortmunder.

Mythmaker Brewing Mythmaker makes the list for concocting some interesting beers in a world where it's hard to have new combinations. Pineapple Wowie, for instance, pairs beechwood-smoked malt with pineapple puree, creating a flavor that the brewery describes as a "BBQ'd pineapple slice". Anniversary Three is a wine barrel-aged sour with apricot puree and dry-hopped with Krush hops. They round out their offerings with both a pickle and a pumpkin beer, as well as a Fresh Hop IPA.

2025 GABF Guide: Breweries and Beers to Try, A-F

We proudly present to you our highly subjective guide to breweries and beers we think you should try at the 2025 Great American Beer Festival. Here you'l find some new, some familiar names. You'll see enough big stouts recommended to make you say, "I'm a lager person, this guide is BS!" Relax, you'll find plentry of lagers thrown in here as well. In any case, we hope this guide will help steer you towards a few booths you didn't already have on your list. Enjoy the fest!

3 Floyds The more cities I visit, the more 3 Floyds beer I see in stores. But they've still got that lore, and they're bringing the 15% Dark Lord Imperial Stout, as well as Permanent Funeral DIPA.

3 Sons The lines will be long for this Florida brewery, as their pastry stouts are some of the most sought after in the country. Try Silent Night, a hot chocolate stout with Tanzanilla vanilla and marshmallows; and Broward County Brand Stout, a 14.3% barrel-aged monster with cacao and vanilla.

903 Brewers Expect another long line, but with many good things waiting at the end. 903 always brings the sweet stuff, and this year they'll pour beers such as Churro and Caramel Ice Cream Cream Ale, Black Forest Cake Stout, Banana Fudgesicle Stout, and Chupacabra 2, with rum-soaked oak chips, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, and coconut.

Abita Brewing This familiar name will have two booths, with the NOLA one serving up a Patersbier, a not-oft seen style that monks brewed as their everyday drinking beer. Tastes like a lighter, more accessible versian of a Trippel.

AleSmith BrewingThe Speedway series of Imperial Stouts has been hit or miss, but the Barrel Aged: Rye Vietnamese Coffee Edition is top notch. Wash it down with some NA (0.3%) Speedway. Yes, it's a real thing.

Bankhead Brewery You want a Bock? You got it. How about a 2023 GABF Gold from (naturally) a Texas brewery? Bankhead's Hootenanny fits the bill. It also took Bronze in 2024.

Brewery Rikoli How's about a good ol' 13% IPA to get GABF kicked off right? Wheat Ridge, CO's Brewery Rikoli offers you The Statik. Reminds me of the old Founders Devi Dancer.

Barebottle Brewing Double Mango Flossi is a mango lassi-inspired fruited sour with vanilla, spices, mango (duh), and lactose.

Breakside Brewery This Oregon stalwart will be pouring 10 different beers at their two booths, plus a GABF Gold Barleywine at the Heavy Medal booth. Can't go wrong with Fresh Hop Wanderlust IPA, nor with the Imperial Stouts Don't Worry About That Fireplace and Learning From Las Vegas.

Blackstack Brewing Has this St. Paul, MN brewery ever poured at GABF? I don't recall seeing them. Specific beers for the fest are unclear, but they promise to bring a DIPA (their specialty) and a BA Stout.

Boise Brewing Did you know that Black Cliffs from Idaho's Boise Brewing is a four-time medalist in the American Style Stout category at GABF? And it'll be pouring at their booth, as will Jagged Shard, an Imperial Red that has also taken medals at both GABF and WBC.

Boneyard Brewing I always make it a point to stop and try Boneyard's Notorious, a Triple west coast IPA. It's quite intense. They'll also be pouring Neighbors With Attitude, a 13.3% Imperial Stout/Barleywine blend.

Boston Beer Company The Sam Adams is going heavy on the light, meaning N/A stuff. But they'll still be pouring the 29% Utopias at some point. Will I be there at the right time? Never have thus far!

Bow and Arrow Brewing Gotta shout out a local, and a good one. Bow and Arrow probably has the most ambitious sour program in Albuquerque.

Cannonball Creek It's too bad this brewery is only bringing one IPA, as they make some good ones. Still, Project Alpha is sure to be worth a stop.

Cohesion Brewing The best Czech-style lagers in Denver pouring at GABF? With no Lukr faucets?? This should be interesting.

Crooked Stave Brewing It's good to see Crooked Stave is still producing beer, as they have kind of faded from prominence in recent years. Stop by their booth and see if Nightmare on Brett is still as good as the old days.

Danville Brewing Seven-time medalist at GABF and WBC, Danville will be pouring winners Chux (2017 GABF Bronze in Imperial IPA category), and Hop Magee (2025 WBC Bronze in the Juicy or Hazy Pale Ale category).

Devil's Backbone 32 medals at GABF and 16 at WBC is nothing to sneeze at, though you may have turned your nose up at this brewery once they sold out to AB InBev. But maybe you'll want to try their six-time medal winner Vienna Lager.

Ex Novo Brewing Corrales, NM is home to this brewery that always has an eclectic list. Mass Ascension IPA and 2024 Nevermore Barleywine with smoked gigs and cacao nibs are highlights to hit at GABF.

False Idol BrewingThis Texas brewery will be pouring OG Buff, a 13% Imperial Stout with Madagascar vanilla.

Fast Friends Beer Co. Austin breweries crank out quality lagers, and the ones I tried at Austin's Fast Friends rank right up with the well known breweries in the area. Stop here for a palate-cleansing Helles.

Fat Head's While they've evolved into kind of a brewpub chain, I still enjoy grabbing some pours of Hop Juju DIPA. And how can you pass up Head Hunter IPA, a six-time GABF/WBC medal winner

Figueroa Mountain Brewing The only thing more impressive than their eight WBC medals is their thirty-four GABF medals! Hoppy Poppy English-style IPA, I Dunkled in My Pants, Stagecoach Stout, Davy Jones Brown Ale, and Danish Red Lager are all multiple winners and pouring at the booth.

Firestone Walker BrewingFirestone Walker sees Figueroa Mountain's medal count and says, "Hold my beer." 33 WBC and 53 GABF medals is a stunning achievement, though it's an Omnipollo/FrauGruber collaboration I want to try most. Uber Omni Gruber is a 13.6% DBA Imperial Stout with coconut, vanilla, coffee, and hazelnut. I'll save room for a couple pours of Pivo Pils.

Dripline Czechs the Boxes

I have to admit, I postponed a visit to Dripline Brewery for awhile, specifically because I had heard of its reputation for being a very "family friendly" brewery. Now, I'm not against families, as I have one myself. No kids, though. I've found they're great for other people, but I'm better off with dogs and cats. I'm also not against kids at breweries, it's just that I've noticed that when kids have fun, kids start screaming. And screaming children is not something I enjoy while I'm drinking a beer. Screaming children should be reserved for when I'm on a plane and they're seated directly behind me, which is basically every time I fly.

However, I've found myself going back to Dripline time and again for their Czech Up Pilsner. This beer is so good that I barely notice the kids running around. And to be fair, the kids running around have been very well-behaved and the noise levels low relative to the amount of fun they seem to be having in the large open area. Dripline wisely installed a Lukr faucet (also known as a side-pull tap) that is widely used throughout Czechia. The tap design along with special screens create a beer with a dense foam head that you could eat with a spoon. Those of you who prefer an "airport bar pour", the ugly pour with zero head, well, this is not the pour for you. The pour in the photo is the Mliko (all foam) pour, but expect the standard Hladinka pour to have a good two inches of foam to it. I wish more local breweries would get a Lukr installed. Aside from Dripline, I've only seen this tap at Bow and Arrow. Czech Up Pilsner alone makes Dripline worth the visit, though everything I've tried has been solid. Oh, and they have the best-priced burgers in town.

GABF 2025 Tickets Are Live!

Tickets are officially on sale for the 2025 Great American Beer Festival! The event takes place at the Colorado Convention Center from Thursday, October 9 through Saturday, October 11. Session times are from 5:30-9:30 Thursday and Friday, and 12:30-4:30 on Saturday.As with last year, there is no Saturday evening session. Tickets for Thursday night cost $85, while Friday and Saturday cost $95. If you think you can handle it, go for the the three-day fest pass for $220.

Last year also brought major changes to the festival, which is in its 47th year of celebrating craft beer. 2024 saw ready to drink cocktails to the festival floor. I may have sampled one or two myself. And for the first time, the fest will host the Distilling Experience, where 20 different distilleries will pour .25 oz pours to those who probably were catching a nice buzz from the beer but certainly wouldn't say no to a nip of craft gin or whiskey, thank you. And that size pour is perfect for distilled spirits, in my opinion. I've always felt like the 1 oz beer pours could be bumped up a bit, especially to experience the good lagers at the fest, of which there a surprising amount in 2024. But distilled spirits? Yeah, .25 oz will do just fine.

Themed areas return for 2025, including the popular Meet the Brewer section. My personal favorite section has always been the heavy medal section, where previous GABF medalists show off their beers.

Finally, Paired returns for another treat-filled flavor extravaganza, with world-renowned chefs showing their chops as their bites are featured alongside craft beers and cocktails. Paired is a separately-ticketed event. Get your GABF tickets while you can at https://www.axs.com/gabf

Look Out, Creamland...

There's a new milk king in town. The 2024 GABF Awards wrapped up on Saturday, with New Mexico (specifically Albuquerque) breweries taking home three medals. That's one more than in the 2023 awards. The highest medal count for NM was eight, back in 2014. Brady McKeown and his crew over at Quarter Celtic took the first NM medal with a Gold for Vienna Fest Beer in the Vienna Lager category. Whoever complains about there not being enough lagers is living in 2017. There were 123 entries in the Vienna Lager category. Compare that with 117 in the Imperial IPA category!

The next, and final winners from NM were in the Cream or Sweet Stout category. Boxing Bear took Silver with their Chocolate Milk Stout, marking the third time that beer has medaled (Gold in 2016 and Silver in 2015). Three of the five medals Boxing Bear has taken at GABF have been for Chocolate Milk Stout, making that beer their golden cow. The Gold medal this year went to Tractor Brewing for their Mustachio Milk Stout. That's the very first GABF medal for Tractor! Congratulations to the NM winners.

Other interesting award musings: 285 judges were involved in choosing winners from 8,836 entries, for an average of 31 beers tried per judge. I beat that on Wednesday pre-GABF, but I had to pay a lot more than the judges. 1,869 breweries and cideries had entries this year. The Juicy of Hazy India Pale category had the most entries, with 349. That's 132 more than the American Style India Pale category, which used to reign for years as the largest category. Hard to believe, but the German Style Oktoberfest or Dortmunder category had the 4th most entries this year, with 210. The medal factory that is Morgan Territory took three more, including Gold in the Imperial IPA category. That's 21 GABF medals for the brewery that continues to fly under the radar. 10 Barrel racked up 6 medals at the fest. Will their recent layoff of their Innovation Team affect medal count in the future? I already knew this, but the judges agree that California reigns when it comes to Juicy of Hazy Imperial IPAs, as CA swept the category. DDH Pillow from LA's Highland Park took the Gold. That's two years in a row! And Highland Park also won the top prize, being named Brewery Group Brewery and Brewer of the Year. California breweries also took the top awards in the 1,001-2,000 Barrels and 2,001-5,000 Barrels Brewery Group and Brewer of the Year, with Orange's Everywhere and Huntingtion Beach's Riip winning, respectively. The least-entered category this year was American Sour Ale, with 19 entries. No, I'm not counting the NA category that only had 9 entries. Of the 326 medals awarded, 25 went to breweries who have never medaled.

2024 GABF Drinking Guide, L-Z

La Cumbre Brewing Co. They skipped last year's fest, so it's good to have them (and Project Dank) back this year.

Lakefront Brewery Let's hear it for Milwaukee, WI Lakefront Brewery, part of the old guard in the American beer scene- 34 years and running. Black Friday is the heavy hitter of their GABF lineup (14%), but any of the 7 beers they are pouring are worth a stop.

Live Oak Austin's iconic brewery will once again have patrons and brewers alike lining up for their fabled Hefeweizen. I'm partial to their Czech lager, Pilz.

Maplewood Brewing Chicago's Maplewood is bringing Super Son of Juice DIPA and Barrel Aged Cuppa Imperial Stout.

Milieu Fermentation Looking forward to this Aurora, CO. brewery, specifically Milieu Pils. and Be Dope NEIPA with Citra, Nelson, and Nectaron hops.

Modern Times Beer Get it while you can. Sad to see a brewery that brought such great beers slowly going away. I'm going to wash away my sorrows with Mega Devil's Teeth: Double Dutch S'mores and the 16.2% Decahex: Double Coconut.

MORE Brewing They always bring a stout that's almost too much, and the 2023 Mendhi Imperial Stout, aged 27 months in four different bourbon barrels, certainly fits the bill.

Morgan Territory Brewing Who? This California brewery has been quietly racking up the medals since 2004, and they are pouring five of the winners at GABF: Big Bock Energy, The Cushman, Old Diablo, Metalmark Marzen, and HopTomic (2023 WBC Gold in Imperial IPA category). In all, Morgan Territory has amassed 26 medals at WBC and GABF.

Off The Rails Brewing Looking for something different? How's about a carrot cake pale ale? No? Ok.

Old 121 Brewhouse Well then, how about a Cinnamon Roll Dunkel? Hey, you didn't pay $100 to drink yet another Amber Ale named after a dog, did ya?

Pals Brewing At risk of completely ruining all beer credibility, here's another suggestion: The Big Pickle, a Cream Ale with dill, salt and garlic.

Pax Verum More Czech Dark lagers, please. Midnight Shadow from this Indiana brewery is just what you need. No carrots, no cinnamon, no pickles.

Pinthouse Brewing Austin's IPA specialists will be bringing three, including the Fresh Hop Training Bines. Tubinger Festbier is pouring as well.

Pure Project Will Pure Project make us wait until 7:30 before pouring Corylus Imperial Stout? Probably. Ugh, I hate scheduled pourings. But I'll hang around and enjoy sips of Rain, their unfiltered Pilsner while I wait.

Quarter Celtic BrewpubABQ local favorite has a couple of medal winners on tap at the fest, Prince of Dort-ness Dortmunder; 2020 GABf Silver, and Kill or be KILT; 2022 Bronze Scotch Ale.

Radiant Beer Co. Was hoping they'd bring Southern Holiday, but I'll settle for A Touch of Everything, a barrel-aged vanilla Imperial Stout with Comorous, Ugunda, and Mauritius vanilla.

Resolute Brewing Execrator Dopplebock has medaled 3 times at GABF/WBC. And it's 10%. I would call that a Triple Bock, but there can be only one. RIP.

Revolution Brewing Not only is Revolution bringing their fantastic V.S.O.J. BA Barleywine, they're making me type awkardly with D.B.V.S.O.D, a 17.6% ABV Imperial Stout, aged in 4 different bourbon barrels and finished on French oak.

River North Brewing The 7 beers pouring from the two booths from this Denver brewery come out to an average of 16.7% ABV. Enough said.

Russian River Brewing Could I leave them off a list? Heck no. Two booths at GABF and they'll still have some of the longest lines. They make a beer called Pliny the Elder. It's worth trying, I hear.

Samuel Adams Is this the year I'm finally around the Samuel Adams booth at the time they pour the 28% Utopias? Doubtful.

Skeeta Hawk Brewing I'm looking at your lagers, Skeeta Hawk. This New Orleans brewery is pouring Dorgenois Pilsner, February 7th Munich Dunkel, and Masopust Czech Dark Lager.

Sketchbook Brewing It's fitting for an Illinois brewery to have a medal winning Grodziskie. Try that and Celestial Figgy Pudding, a BA Imperial Stout with orange zest and black mission figs.

Social Project Brewing It's been years since I had an Arkansas-brewed beer. About time to try Drops of Jupiter, an all Nectaron hazy DIPA.

Strngebird Brewing Yeah, this Rochester, NY brewery is pouring Unfettered Soul, their 2024 WBC Bronze winning hazy DIPA. But they're also pouring Rode Vogel, a Flanders Red. How many of those do you count at the fest?

TapRoom Beer Company San Diego, home of the Barleywines. At least this place is, with their Moments of Silent Banter, a bourbon/port Barleywwine.

Templin Family Brewers Lagers are the focus of this Utah brewery, and their Granary Keller Bier is the highlight, in my opinion. But all the lagers are worth trying.

The Austin Beer Garden Brewing Co. Another Brewery that can't be left off a GABF list, ABGB has won many medals for their Hell Yes! Helles, Rocket 100 Pilsner, and Industry Pils. And you can try them all.

Toppling Goliath The king of Imperial Stout producers (debateably) is bringing their hard to get and mega-hyped Assasin.

Verboten Brewing Take it Easy lager with corn, salt, lime, and ancho and chipotle chiles, and Smoke Monster BA smoked Barleywine. That's reason enough to stop by Verboten

Von Ebert Pils. And more Pils. Please.

Weldwerks Brewing Who's got the longest line? They'll be in the running. And they always bring the bangers, with Coconut PVW 23 Medianoche leading the way this year.

Wren House The line last year to try whatever special Imperial Stout they were pouring (that got spilled all over me) was ridiculous. Will it be the same for Kingsnake, a rye barrel aged Stout? Probably.

ZwanZigZ BrewingLet's end the fest with a beer that could ruin your night: the Ghost Pepper Imperial Stout from ZwanzigZ. You go first.

2024 GABF Drinking Guide, D-K

Derive Brewing Call me a sucker for fun beer names, and I'll remind you of the time you bought a beer because it was named after an Iron Maiden song. Anyway, I'm looking forward to Derive's Italian Pilsner, Unlimited Breadsticks. And Mr. Tastee, a Pastry Sour. And Turtlenecks and Goldchains, a NEIPA.

Diamond Spring Brewing I'm finally getting in Marzen mode, so bring on Bavarian PretzALE, a dark-wheat spin on the traditional style with crushed sourdough pretzels in the mash.

Excel Brewing A tequila barrel-aged Pumpkin? That would be a first for me. Excel's Bruja will be pouring in the Fright Themed Bar at GABF.

False Idol Looking forward to this hyped TX brewery. They'll be pouring a Hefeweizen, Saison, Mexican Lager, NEIPA, and Imperial Stout.

Fat Head's Can't do GABF without hitting up Fat Head's, if only for Hop Juju. Oh, maybe a sip of what may be the quintessential American IPA, Head Hunter. It's a six-time medal winner at GABF/WBC.

FiftyFifty Brewing Want to get a shot of Eclipse Bourbon Barrel-Aged Stout, of one the original sought after Imperial Stouts back in the day. Let's see how it holds up to today's standards.

Firehouse Brewing Hey, a South Dakota sighting. They're pouring Infernal Glow, a Gose with Persian saffron and Mediterranean sea salt.

Firestone Walker 30 WBC medals. 56 GABF medals. And I won a trophy for baseball when I was 14. This brewery has had so many memorable beers, but I'm most excited for Rip This Joint, an Imperial Stout collab with Side Project.

Fremont Brewing They always bring the big stuff, don't they?? Rusty Nail, BA Batch 8000, 2021 Coffee Cocao Vanilla BA Dark Star...whew.

Fritz Family Brewers They're just far enough from Denver (Niwot) to be an annoying drive, but worth it for the lagers. You can skip the drive and hit up their booth and try 5 of their wonderful beers.

Ghost Town The Oakland, CA West Coast IPA specialists are back, and bringing their 2023 WBC Bronze medalist Nose Goblin DIPA.

Highland Park Los Angeles brewery Highand park is at GABF for the first time I can remember. They be pouring DDH Pillow, 2023 WBC Gold Hazy DIPA, as well as flagship hoppy Pilsner Timbo Pils.

Hold Out Brewing If you've been to Austin, TX, you know very well why they brew so many lagers. Hold Old will be pouring Hesky Czesky Czech Pils and Neu! Pils German Pilsner.

Icicle Brewing Co. This Washington state brewery does IPAs right. They've taken Gold medals in both hazy and American style IPA categories at WBC, and will have those respective winners, Alpenglow and Dragontail at their booth.

2024 GABF Drinking Guide Zero-C

You ready??? GABF 2024 is here, and so here ya go, my yearly look at picks for beers to try at the 2024 Great American Beer Festival, broken down into a number of easy reads for the short attention span crowd.

3 Daughters Am I really going to start off this year's recommendations with a vodka-based drink? Eh, why not? Remember, people are going to stand in a line to try NA beer at GABF. It's a soft world. May as well stand around and judge those people as we sample the vodka/soda Rootbeer Float, Creamsicle, and RocketPop flavors from this St. Augustine, FL brewery.

3 Floyds Of course they're going to be on the list, and of course you were going to check out their booth regardless. Dark Lord Imperial Stout will be pouring, so come get a taste of Imperial Stout history. I'm looking more forward to Crushing Mass, the 15.1% coffee Imperial Stout. Oh, and if you still want more vodka/soda drinks, try the Pineapple Mango at 3 Floyds.

903 Brewers Another regular in my GABF picks, and this year it's not because of Pineapple Magic (though that would be enough), or Barrel-Aged Peanut Butter Stout. More interesting is both Bacon Cinnamon Roll Cream Ale, and the Zesty Ranch Taco Cream Ale.

Alternative Medicine Brewing A hibiscus (and 32 other ingredient) Pale Ale dry-hopped with Nelson might be enough to get on the list on it's own, but when it's named Bill Allen's Effing RAD!, that bumps it up. Bill Allen played Cru Jones in the 80's BMX movie RAD!, worth watching for the dance floor scene alone.

Alvarado Street Brewery Don't remember these guys being here the past couple of years. Love the tropicality that they bring to their hoppy beers. Looking forward to Double Mai Tai (the single version took a Bronze at the 2023 WBC), Keitora, and Double Howzit Punch.

Avery Brewing Co. You can always count on Avery for bringing BIG beers (Tweak 15.3% coffee Stout and Old Fashioned Friends, a 13.2% Quad aged in Bulleit barrels), and having brewing legend Adam Avery pour them for you. Always a treat.

Bearded Brewer Artisan Ales This Longmont, CO brewery is bringing some intriguing offerings, including Peacharine Memories Triple IPA with Nelson and Peacharine hops. Also Looking forward to PB Dream Imperial Milk Stout. Oh, and Carnival Dayz Caramel Apple smoothie hard seltzer.

Boneyard Beer No stranger to high ABV beers, Boneyard is pouring the 11% Notorious TIPA and Rum Barrel-Aged Suge w/ Coconut Imperial Stout.

Bootstrap Brewing Not many Imperial Red beers out in the wild anymore. Get a taste of Bootstrap's, the 2023 GABF Gold medal-winning Wreak Havoc.

Breakside Brewing Breakside does solid beers across many styles. Jaromir Lagr is, naturally, a Czech-style Lager that will be at the fest. Also looking to try the Fresh Hop Double Wanderlust, but the star is La Maison Du Bang!, a Barleywine aged in three types of barrels.

Brieux Carre Brewing A hearty welcome back to this NOLA brewery that skipped the fest last year. Known for their excellent lagers with clever names, Brieux Carre will be pouring standouts Malcolm in the Mittlefruh, Crispy Boiz to Men (GABF Silver 2022, Other Hoppy Lager) and Flek Me?? No Flek U!! GABF Bronze, 2023 International Dark Lager).

Burns Family Artisan Ales One of the more exciting breweries to hit the Denver scene, Burns will be bringing a Kvass, Old Ale, Quad, and the one I'm most looking forward to, N.P. Pilsner.

Cloudburst Brewing Our first Pumpkin Beer sighting, Your Worst Nightmare, a Pumpkin Double Milk Stout from Seattle's Cloudburst Brewing. Not sure if I remember seeing Cloudburst at GABF before.

Confluence Brewing Iowa is an underrated state, I decided on a road trip through last year. Get a taste of Des Moines' Confluence WBC medal winners Old Chungus, 2023 Gold in Wood and Barrel-Aged Strong Beer, and Over the Ivy, 2022 Gold in Bohemian-Style Pilsener.

SD IPA Meets ABQ Market

I could be way late to the party on this one, but I just noticed Coronado Brewing Company beers in local stores. Coronado has been a San Diego area staple since opening in 1996. Back in the day, I remember seeking out their Islander IPA when visiting the area. Coincidentally, I also receltly unearthed a 22 oz. bottle of their Blue Bridge Coffee Stout circa 2011, which is probably drinking pretty bad right now. Both that and Islander are long gone as Coronado brands, but you can still get the San Diego IPA flavor from Weekend Vibes, a WCIPA that took a bronze at the 2019 Great American Beer Festival. Also available locally is Big Weekend, an 8.8% DIPA. For whatever reason, both are priced the same, at $14.99, at Jubilation. Coronado beers are also available at Sprouts, Quarters, and El Rey Liquors.

Marblefest 2024

Marblefest, which I consider Marble's best annual event, returns to their 111 location this Saturday, August 24. The event takes place from 12-10, with a $10 admission being charged after 2 pm.

The highlight of the event is under the Oktoberest-style tent, where they'll be pouring flights of your choice of 5 Oktoberfest-style lagers from 9 local breweries. Enjoy beers from Boxing Bear, Sidetrack, Nexus, La Cumbre, Tractor, Bosque, Canteen, Ex Novo, and Second Street. That's three more breweries than what you'll find at the actual Oktoberfest celebration in Germany. $12 for a flight.

Six bands on the bill Saturday:

Nathan Fox & Friends

Trinity Soul

Sweet Roll

JD Nash and the Rash of Cash

Reviva

Slums of Harvard

There will be two stein holding contests, a best-dressed Dirndl + Lederhosen competition, and a yodeling contest. Food will be available from Urban Hot Dog from 12-8, NewMex-A-Que from 4-11, and the Albuquerque German staple Dagmar's Specilties from 12-6.