Do you know that arguably probably the most well-known and revered craft beer pageant in all the nation turns forty this 12 months?
With humble beginnings in 1982, the Nice American Beer Competition (GABF) has grown up alongside the American craft beer business, enduring seismic shifts in drinkers palettes, and sure, even a worldwide pandemic.
“The Nice American Craft Beer Competition is a component cultural phenomenon, half beer pageant, and half group occasion celebrating craft beer all blended up into one superb lovely expertise,” says Ann Obenchain, advertising and communications director on the Brewers Affiliation.
In some ways GABF has develop into very like a microcosm of the beer scene on this nation. The place else will you discover “Pabst Blue Ribbon, Sierra Nevada, Holidaily, Woman Justice, and extra [all next to each other]?” says Obenchain. “The Nice American Beer Competition showcases the quilt of all of the several types of breweries and beers inside the US.”
Multi function place.
This 12 months, from October 6-8, GABF returns to the Colorado Conference Heart in Denver, CO, to rejoice the primary in-person occasion in two years together with its fortieth anniversary.
In actual fact, tickets went on sale on July thirteenth, 2022.
Which suggests you possibly can seize your GABF ticket RIGHT NOW.
To rejoice, we sat down with the pageant’s creator, Charlie Papazian (who retired from the Brewers Affiliation in 2019), the Brewers Affiliation’s Advertising and Communications Director Ann Obenchain, and Sierra Nevada Founder Ken Grossman, who attended the very first occasion (and just about each one thereafter) to find what really makes this beer occasion the Nice American Beer Competition.
We wager you’ll be taught a factor or two in regards to the nation’s most epic craft beer occasion.
The Nice American Beer Competition Began Due to the…Nice British Beer Competition
In 1982, Charlie Papazian began the Nice American Beer Competition as solely a one-night occasion, going down in the course of the fourth annual American Homebrewers Affiliation Convention in Boulder, CO.
He acquired the concept from our mates throughout the pond. The Nice British Beer Competition had invited Papazian to guage the ultimate rounds of its beer competitors.
After the occasion, he was hanging out with famend beer creator Michael Jackson in London at a neighborhood pub and had an thought. “I requested him what a couple of Nice American Beer Competition,” says Papazian. “He checked out me with a stunned smile and mentioned, ‘The place are you going to get the beer?’”
On the time, the American craft beer motion had simply begun gaining steam. There weren’t that many uncommon or completely different beers within the U.S. “However we have been capable of finding beers out of the unusual even in 1982,” says Papazian.
A few of the acquainted beers served in 1982 which can be nonetheless accessible immediately embrace Anchor Steam, Anchor Porter, Genesee Cream Ale, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Sierra Nevada Stout, and Yuengling Lord Chesterfield Ale.
Can Collector and Beer Label Books Impressed These First GABF Invitations
Again within the Eighties, the American craft beer motion was nonetheless in its early years.
Breweries like Anchor, Sierra Nevada, and Boston Beer’s Samuel Adams weren’t even family names but. In actual fact, many have been nonetheless small themselves. Much more astoundingly, breweries like New Belgium, Firestone Walker, and Russian River didn’t even exist but!
So whereas Papazian had a grand thought to create this American beer pageant, the actual query grew to become: Who to ask?
For inspiration, Papazian and his crew of 4 turned to a couple can collector and beer label books. “We went by and found there have been a number of labels and types of beer we had by no means heard of that sounded fascinating,” says Papazian. “Porters, cream ales, stouts, Oktoberfests, and naturally Anchor Steam, these have been the beers we invited to the preliminary Nice American Beer Competition.”
The Beer Virtually Didn’t Make It to the First Competition
To assist convey beer into the state, Papazian related with a neighborhood distributor who agreed to ship out two vans—one to the East Coast and one to the West Coast.
These vans would accumulate beers from breweries alongside every coast and on the drive again, making stops at breweries alongside the way in which. Appeared like an awesome plan.
However because of Mom Nature and a string of dangerous climate, the vans nearly didn’t make it. “That was a harrowing, nerve-racking expertise,” says Papazian, who famous the beer solely confirmed up two days earlier than the fest. “We have been on the sting of our seats hoping this factor would work out.”
However work out it did! After which some.
GABF Began in a Single Convention Room
For the primary 12 months of GABF, Papazian secured a convention room at Boulder’s Harvest Home Lodge.
In response to Papazian, on the time, the resort had been going by a transitional buyout. And though Papazian had signed a contract to make use of the area months earlier than, the brand new firm “got here in and noticed the contract and have been bouncing off the partitions saying you possibly can’t do that,” laughs Papazian. “However I had a bit of paper that mentioned we may!”
Though the resort wasn’t essentially blissful about internet hosting the Nice American Beer Competition, they ended up serving as homebase for its second rendition. Nevertheless, by 1984 the occasion had outgrown the area.
GABF Steadily Grew Every 12 months, Shifting to Denver in 1984
In complete, the primary occasion featured twenty-four breweries, forty-seven beers, and round 800 attendees.
Positive, which will appear small now, however as annually handed, the occasion grew. For instance, by the point GABF celebrated its tenth anniversary on the Denver Merchandise Mart, the fest included 150 breweries, 500 beers, and seven,000 attendees.
To accommodate the expansion, Papazian moved the pageant to Currigan Corridor in Denver in 1984.
In Denver, the pageant jumped round to a number of completely different areas, together with the since-closed Denver Merchandise Mart, Currigan Exhibition Corridor (additionally now closed), and finally the Colorado Conference Heart in 2000. “That was the one place to carry the rising pageant, particularly since, if you concentrate on it, by that point the craft beer scene had exploded,” says Obenchain.
Quick ahead to 2019, the 12 months of Papazian’s retirement and of the final in-person GABF, and we will actually see simply how far the pageant has come.
In response to the Brewers Affiliation, that 12 months, 60,000 folks attended and a couple of,300 breweries poured round 4,000 completely different beers.
Though the panorama of GABF has modified, those that attended from the very begin fondly bear in mind these humble beginnings.
Sierra Nevada and Boulder Beer Are the Solely Two Breweries to Attend Each Single GABF
When Sierra Nevada Founder Ken Grossman attended the very first GABF in 1982, he had no thought it could develop to such hovering heights.
On the time, Sierra Nevada was one in all (Grossman estimates) six craft breweries on the occasion with the remaining being smaller impartial home or regional manufacturers.
“The primary one, there was actually no craft beer scene or craft beer data but, so to us it was a approach of getting the phrase out and having an opportunity for shoppers to pattern our beers out of state,” says Grossman. “The pageant has achieved an awesome job to assist unfold the phrase and get a variety of beers in entrance of shoppers. It’s a spot for shoppers to study and luxuriate in beer and get a style of all of the choices brewers are producing immediately.”
See, within the early Eighties, Sierra Nevada solely distributed to California and a bit into Oregon and Colorado. However in response to Grossman, because of the publicity they obtained at GABF, they have been in a position to begin increasing.
“I bear in mind being in a room with shoppers within the a whole lot—not 1000’s. Definitely it was a way more intimate affair,” says Grossman. “You had an opportunity to speak to everyone in attendance.”
And people there liked Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale Received the First Client Ballot in 1983
As we speak, competitors has develop into such an enormous a part of GABF. However beer judging within the format we’re acquainted with at GABF didn’t begin till 1987.
As a substitute, in 1983, Papazian began with a three-tiered client ballot. Attendees (not judges) would price their favourite beers of the pageant.
Sierra Nevada’s Pale Ale gained first place within the very first client ballot. Whereas Yakima Russian Imperial Stout gained in 1984 and Sam Adams Boston Lager nabbed first place in 1985 and 1986.
The First Judged Competitors: One 5-Hour Session, 38 Medals, 13 Classes
To arrange that first judged competitors in 1987, Papazian and his crew tailored the format from comparable ones they’d organized for the American Homebrewers Affiliation.
Seven judges tasted ninety-nine beers over one five-hour session, finally giving out thirty-eight medals over 13 classes.
Unsurprisingly, Sierra Nevada racked up the awards, taking residence three for Pale Ale, Bigfoot Barleywine, and Stout.
Within the Starting, Pale Ales, Barleywines, and Fruited Wheat Beers Dominated
“The beer panorama has actually modified since 1982,” says Papazian, who recollects that pale ales and fruited beers have been the preferred classes again within the day. “What was common then just isn’t essentially common now.”
For instance, Papazian referred particularly to Widmer Brothers’ American-style wheat beer. “It was cloudy and tremendous common again within the day,” says Papazian. “This can be a unusual analogy, but it surely may need been a precursor to the hazy IPA. There’s one thing there with regard to hazy, cloudy beers and shoppers having fun with the thriller of one thing they will’t see although.”
There have been many modifications and additions to the judging classes over time to maintain up with client calls for.
As an example, whereas “Ales” appeared as a class in 1987, it disappeared a 12 months later. And the “Stouts” class finally broke out into seven completely different classes.
And India Pale Ale? Properly, that didn’t develop into an award class till the late Eighties.
India Pale Ale First Confirmed Up as an Award Class in 1989
It wasn’t till 1989 that the class India Pale Ale (IPA) first entered GABF’s judging lexicon.
That 12 months, Rubicon Brewing (now closed) in Sacramento, CA, took residence first place for its Rubicon India Pale Ale.
And it wouldn’t be till many years later that the American IPA class began to dominate the competitors at GABF.
From 2012-2017, the American-Model India Pale Ale recorded probably the most variety of entries rising from 203 to 408 in 2017.
In fact, by 2018 a brand new class took over the throne.
Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ale Is the Most Entered Class As we speak
In lots of respects, the traits at GABF mirror these within the American craft beer scene immediately. Sorting by the competitors knowledge paints a reasonably clear image round present client tastes.
As an example, final 12 months, the Brewers Affiliation awarded 290 medals to 265 breweries throughout the nation in 97 completely different classes overlaying 175 completely different beer kinds.
Of these entries, 427 went into the Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ale class with DESTIHL Brewery in Regular, IL, grabbing gold for its DeadHead IPA Sequence: TourBus.
By far, the hazy IPA class racked up probably the most quantity of entries.
If you concentrate on it, that’s fairly a little bit of beer for judges to drink and rank.
Judging at GABF is No Joke
Keep in mind how that first competitors in 1987 required just one five-hour tasting session?
Issues take a bit of bit longer now.
Which is sensible contemplating final 12 months a complete of 170 judges evaluated 9,680 entries from 2,192 breweries from all fifty states plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.
Accordingly, judging occurred over thirty-four classes and seventeen days.
Pizza Port Is the Most Award-Profitable Brewery of All Time
With thirty-five years of competitions now beneath its belt, GABF has handed out a variety of awards.
A pair years in the past, our mates at PorchDrinking.com put collectively a useful graphic displaying the “Most GABF Medals Earned By way of 2019.”*
In response to their analysis, which incorporates breweries with a number of outposts, Pizza Port Brewery held the crown with a whopping ninety-eight GABF medals throughout all their areas.
And…
*Editor’s Notice: Hop Tradition used a mix of PorchDrinking.com’s analysis and the Nice American Beer Competition Winners web page to calculate and replace this complete by 2021. By way of 2021, Pizza Port nonetheless maintains a medal rely of ninety-eight.
The Particular person Beer With the Most Awards?
That recognition goes to Alaskan Brewing’s Alaskan Smoked Porter, which has racked up nineteen medals over time (seven gold, 5 silver, and 7 bronze*).
*Editor’s Notice: Hop Tradition used a mix of PorchDrinking.com’s analysis and the Nice American Beer Competition Winners web page to calculate and replace this complete by 2021.
GABF Celebrates 40 years with 500+ Breweries, 1500+ Beers
We’re so excited to print right here that, for the primary time in two years, GABF will lastly make a comeback as an in-person occasion.
After the worldwide pandemic compelled the Brewers Affiliation to postpone the pageant, GABF returns in full pressure in 2022 simply in time to rejoice its fortieth anniversary.
It’s a poetic homecoming.
As a result of that is really the nation’s biggest beer occasion. It’s a pageant that represents the very material of American craft beer tradition.
Your expectation or definition of beer shall be blown away on the Nice American Beer Competition,” says Obenchain. “Each brewery has a narrative about going from grain to glass so that you can uncover.”
We’ve seen GABF assist iconic breweries like Sierra Nevada rise to prominence on the backs of stalwarts like Pale Ale and Bigfoot Barleywine.
However at the exact same time, we’ve seen smaller breweries like Fall River Brewing Co. flourish at GABF with beers like Sherbet Drip, which gained gold final 12 months for “Fruited American Bitter Ale.”
Or In the meantime Brewing Co., with beers like In the meantime Pilsner, which gained gold final 12 months for “German-Model Pilsner.”
“What makes me most proud is the beer business can typically get too critical about itself…and the beer pageant is a little bit of an oasis for brewers to get to take part, play, and rejoice what they do on a good and equal foundation,” says Papazian. “Whether or not a small nano craft brewery or one of many largest breweries within the nation, we’re all there and we’re celebrating what we’re actually all about—beer and having fun with the expertise of the variety of the beer tradition within the U.S.”
And GABF has been doing it for forty years.
Papazian’s One Piece of Recommendation: GABF Is a Marathon, Not a Dash
In some methods, “I encourage folks once they get to the beer pageant that it’s not a dash, it’s a marathon,” says Papazian. “Take your time and attempt to go to your previous mates—the beers you’re acquainted with—but additionally importantly take time to find and discover beers that you simply’ve by no means had earlier than from breweries you’ve by no means heard of earlier than.”
Papazian says he has his personal strategy to every GABF. Positive, he drinks a couple of of his favourite conventional beers to rejoice. However then he walks the corridor randomly, letting his ft and senses information him. “I’ve beers from a number of breweries I’ve by no means heard of but and beer varieties I’ve by no means had earlier than,” says Papazian. “It’s a possibility to be taught belongings you don’t know but. Don’t simply stick with what you suppose you understand. Open your thoughts and uncover what the American beer scene and tradition has to supply.”
How Can I Purchase a Ticket to the fortieth Nice American Beer Competition?
America’s favourite beer pageant and cultural phenomenon is again, child!
So don your most interesting costume and pretzel necklace and be a part of GABF’s fortieth anniversary October 6-8 on the Colorado Conference Heart.
Don’t let FOMO kick in! Get your self to Denver this fall for one of the crucial epic beer celebrations of the 12 months.
Getting your ticket is easy: Simply head right here or click on the button under.
