Lotte Peplow, the Brewers Association’s American craft beer ambassador for Europe, dives into the latest craft beer trends from the new-look Great American Beer Festival.
Lotte (left) sampling Sam Adams Utopias, ‘a 28% ABV barrel-aged masterpiece that created huge long lines at the festival’
As the American craft beer landscape continues to evolve, so too must the festivals and events associated with it. Nowhere was this more evident than at the latest iteration of the Great American Beer Festival (GABF), the largest public tasting event in America.
Organised by the Brewers Association, the not-for-profit trade association for small and independent American craft brewers, the 42nd GABF took place last week in Denver, Colorado, drawing approximately 40,000 people. They eagerly descended on the state capital to sample the 2,500 beverages from 600+ breweries, cideries, distillers, and other beverage producers.
But this year’s festival brought a fresh and exciting new vibe. In previous years, breweries were organised by geographic region and the presence of ‘beyond beer’ beverages was rare. This year, the festival underwent a complete make-over, with themed experiential sections designed to offer immersive experiences, specialised beverages, and engaging entertainment.
Highlights included:
- Prost!, a traditional German-style biergarten featuring a popular stein-holding contest and traditional Bavarian music;
- Score! a sports-lover’s haven which combined the thrill of sports with the joy of craft brewing;
- Fright, an immersive Halloween-themed experience;
- Blast Off, an ‘out-of-this-world flavour blast’, showcasing the Beer & Beyond experience;
- Meet the Brewer, an interactive space where festival-goers could connect directly with their favourite brewers; and
- Chill, a backyard gathering space with music, lawn games, and exclusive brews.
The result? A refreshing burst of creativity and energy aimed at attracting a diverse crowd seeking more than just beer tasting. From wild costumes and pretzel necklaces to karaoke, a silent disco, and new activities like Lucha Libre wrestling, there were endless Instagram-worthy moments, and beverages to suit every taste.
And yet beer remained the star of the show. The GABF competition took place in the lead-up to the festival, with results announced on Saturday and providing a good barometer of American craft beer trends. In total, 8,836 beers and 233 cider entries were judged across 102 beer categories and five new cider categories, all evaluated by 285 beer experts.
The competition was made possible thanks to more than 250 volunteers who facilitated the multi-step judging process over seven days in three phases. In total, 326 medals were awarded to 273 breweries. The top five most-entered style categories were:
- Juicy/bazy IPA (349 entries)
- West Coast IPA (292 entries)
- American-style IPA (217 entries)
- Dortmunder or German-style Oktoberfest beers (210 entries)
- German-style Marzen (195 entries).
There are two trends within craft beer styles that are growing the fastest right now. IPA, in its many iterations, continues to lead the American craft brewing landscape, now accounting for 46% of the $29 billion craft beer industry, up from 30% in 2017. Hop-forward beers like American IPA, juicy/hazy IPA, and imperial IPA, saw the strongest market share gains in 2023.
Lighter styles, like American lager, wheat ale, and pilsner, are also gaining traction, showing growth at both ends of the ABV spectrum.
Overall, growth is coming from both high- and low-ABV styles, while mid-range ABV beers face more challenges.
There were myriad IPAs at the festival, but a good rule of thumb was to focus on award-winning breweries that produce world-class examples of the style, such as Breakside Brewery, Reuben’s Brews, or Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. While most certainly not an IPA, Allagash White, the classic Belgian witbier, won gold again and is available in many export markets.
How high can you go?
Topping the bill for extreme offerings was Sam Adams Utopias, boasting an impressive 28% ABV. This rare, bi-annual, boundary-blending, barrel-aged masterpiece drew the longest lines at the festival. Other popular examples included Revolution Brewing’s DBVSOD (Double Barrel Very Special Old Deth) at 17%, a double barrel-aged imperial oatmeal stout; Fremont Brewing Company’s Rusty Nail, a bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout infused with liquorice and cinnamon bark, coming in at 14.5%; and Firestone Walker’s Bendy Foldies, a 14% double-oaked ale with red foxy vanilla beans and toasted pistachios.
Or how low?
Lager and lighter styles are having their moment in the spotlight, and there were plenty of excellent examples at the festival. Deschutes Brewery’s Fresh Hop King Crispy is a German-style pilsner which medalled in the latest competition, while Uinta Brewing Co’s Was Angeles, a 5% ABV cream ale, proudly took home a gold medal!
Beyond beer
After indulging in a plethora of hop-forward IPAs and/or high-strength barrel-aged beers, it was refreshing to cleanse the palate and explore something new with an easy-drinking non-beer beverage, such as a hard tea from Upslope Brewing Co or a hard lemonade from Denver Beer Co. Both beverages made their debut at the festival this year, demonstrating the innovation and creativity that American craft breweries are embracing to remain competitive in an ever-evolving market.
Alcohol-free options
Another strategy for navigating GABF was to seek out unique alcohol-free options. Athletic Brewing Co, a high-profile brand available in many international markets, picked up two medals at the GABF competition, making it an excellent choice, and Fremont Brewing won gold in the amber to dark non-alcohol category. The low- and no-alcohol beer segment is still small, but is rapidly expanding within the American craft brewing market.
The weird, wacky, and wonderful
For the adventurist, the festival presented a cornucopia of experimental concoctions, notably, 903 Brewers’ Zesty Ranch Taco, a 6% ABV cream ale that delivered the savoury umami experience of eating a taco in liquid form! A festival favourite overseas, Destihl Brewery’s Dill Pickle Sour offered a distinctive flavour experience, while Denver Beer Co’s intriguing Fennel Rye ale took home a gold medal at the competition.
Save the dates
UK brewers are invited to compete on the global stage and register for the World Beer Cup 2025, the largest beer competition in the world. Registration is open from 12th November to 13th December this year, with winners announced at the annual Craft Brewers Conference, in Indianapolis, from 28th April to 1st May 2025.
The Great American Beer Festival is a beer lover’s paradise and has been dubbed by Thrillist as “the one beer festival to try before you die”. I would 100% echo these sentiments and recommend booking time off now for 9th-11th October, 2025. See you there!
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