PR: Denver is the Munich of the West

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Great American Beer Festival® in Downtown Denver Savor America’s finest beer at this world-class event. Boulder, Colo. • 09.06.2002-Where can you sample over 1,200 of America’s finest beers in a single weekend? At the nation’s largest beer festival – Denver’s Great American Beer Festival (GABF). The excitement begins Thursday, Oct. 3 and runs till Saturday, Oct. 5, 2002 at the Colorado Convention Center, located 14th St. and Stout St. Approximately 22,000 beer enthusiasts from Denver and across the globe will peruse America’s brewing landscape and enjoy one-ounce samples from more than 300 American breweries during this three-day festival. A showcase, if you will, of America’s finest beers. “What people in Denver don’t realize is that Denver is considered the Munich of the West, the Napa Valley of beer,” remarks downtown business owner John Hickenlooper of Wynkoop Brewery. “This is the greatest opportunity in the world to sample a full array of styles and appreciate the incredible diversity of beer that America has to offer.” Want to sample a beer from Virginia or Hawaii? How about those great Alaskan beers you tasted on vacation, but can’t get at your local liquor store. Breweries are arranged by regions of the country on the festival floor. If you don’t remember your geography you can always consult the giant color-coded maps to help you navigate. When you step up for your one-ounce sample you might just be served by the brewer themselves. “The Great American Beer Festival is a terrific event,” says Chris Black, owner of Falling Rock Tap House, located at 1919 Blake St. “It’s like the Super Bowl of beer events.” Black has been celebrating the festival at the Falling Rock Tap House for years, making sure festival beers are on tap at his bar. A festival count-down clock hangs above Falling Rock’s doorway, exciting beer enthusiasts about the festival weeks before the event. Public tasting sessions are offered 5:30 -10 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights and are $35 in advance and $40 at the door. Special Connoisseur Tasting Session Saturday afternoon is also open to the public for $50. The public tasting sessions sell out quickly so advance-ticket purchases are strongly recommended. A $15 Designated Driver ticket and special group discounts are also available. Each ticket gets you a coupon for a $20 lift ticket from Winter Park Resort, a tasting glass, a festival program and a six-ounce pour in the beer garden. The festival also hosts one of the world’s largest and most prestigious tasting competitions. Ninety professional judges, called the Professional Judge Panel, from the U.S. and abroad will evaluate approximately 1,900 beers entered by more than 400 domestic breweries during the two and a half days of the GABF Beer Judging, prior to the public sessions. Gold, silver and bronze medals in 58 beer-style categories will be awarded Oct. 5 at the 1:30 p.m. awards ceremony held during the Special Connoisseur Tasting Session. A don’t miss for beer lovers! Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased in advance from the Great American Beer Festival’s official web site, www.beertown.org, the Association of Brewers 303.447.0816, finer Denver area beer retailers and restaurants or at ticket outlets, including all Ticketmaster locations (or by phone at 303.830.TIXS), Argonaut Liquor Store, Falling Rock Tap House, Wynkoop Brewing Co., Boulder Liquor Mart, Beer At Home, Union Liquor and Applejack Liquor. Sponsors of the 2002 Great American Beer Festival include: Anheuser-Busch, Inc, Westword, The Mountain 99.5 FM, Pabst Brewing Company, Colorado Lottery, AT&T Broadband, Pete’s Brewing Company and www.beertown.org. The Great American Beer Festival has been held every year since 1982 and is presented by the Association of Brewers, a not-for-profit educational and trade organization founded in 1978 that is devoted to making quality brewing and beer information available to anyone. The Association of Brewers also hosts the bi-annual World Beer Cup® and is based in Boulder, Colo., U.S.A. # # # Cindy Jones Sales and Marketing Director Association of Brewers 303.447.0816 x 144 cindy(a)aob.org The Great American Beer Festival October 3-5, 2002 Colorado Convention Center Visit www.beertown.org for details!