The most famous craft beer festival in the United States has had its in-person tasting event postponed for a second consecutive year until 2022 due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Brewers Association (BA).
That being said, the competition that runs alongside the festival will be going ahead as planned this year, with the in-person event returning next year for its 40th anniversary.
The Brewers Association stated: “Despite vaccination efforts and the gradual reopening of the country, the health and safety concerns for large indoor gatherings, like GABF’s 60,000-attendee event, remain. While we are disappointed to cancel the festival portion of GABF for the second year in a row, and we will miss celebrating with beer lovers and our craft brewing community, we are excited to continue with the GABF competition and national passport program this year.”
The winners for the 2021 Great American Beer Festival (GABF) competition will be announced during the BA’s annual Craft Brewers Conference and BrewExpo America event in Denver, at the Colorado Convention Centre. The awards ceremony will be streamed live from the Bellco Theatre on The Brewing Network.
The GABF competition’s registration will run from June 8-22, and the judging will take place from August 16 to September 4, 2021. The dates scheduled for the 2022 and 40th-anniversary instalment of the in-person festival are from October 6-8, 2022 at the Colorado Convention Centre in Denver.
As a partial replacement of the in-person GABF for 2021, the BA’s national passport programme is returning from September 17 to October 17, 2021. Last year in 2020, more than 1,100 breweries from across the United States took part in the programme’s first instalment. The cost of the passport is $20, and they will go on sale in July. Registration for breweries at the event will commence from June 29, 2021.
Bob Pease, president and CEO for the Brewers Association, said in a press release: “We are disappointed to cancel the festival portion of GABF for the second year in a row. While we will miss celebrating with beer lovers and our craft brewing community, we are excited to continue with the GABF competition and national passport program this year. We look forward to convening in person for the festival’s 40th anniversary in 2022.”
The BA’s Craft Brewers Conference will take place from September 9-12, 2021 and will be the first major BA event since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. Registration for this event will commence on May 4. The BA anticipates approximately 6,000 to 7,000 attendees, about half of the event’s usual attendance, and pending state guidelines.
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