OnTap Magazine

M ind-blowing, memorable and unique best describes the Great American Beer Festival, organised by the Brewers Association, the not-for-profit trade association for small and independent American craft brewers. A beer lover’s paradise, it’s the largest public beer tasting event in America and has been dubbed by Thrillist as ‘the one beer festival to try before you die’. It takes place every autumn at the cavernous Colorado Convention Centre in Denver and attracts approximately 40,000 attendees, 1,800 beers and 500 breweries. The Great American Beer Festival competition takes place before the Festival and last year attracted 9,300 beers from 2,033 breweries judged over three days by 250 beer experts. There were 303 medals awarded in total to 263 breweries. Winning beers are poured at the Festival and create a huge buzz as attendees seek them out after the winners’ announcement. TRENDS The Festival is a good place to pick up trends and hot new beer styles; however, the prevailing trend remains the IPA in its many iterations, as has been the case for the last several years. In 2022, the IPA category accounted for 43% of all craft beer sales in the US, up from 30% in 2017. Today, four in every 10 craft beer sales in America is an IPA. The category has grown because it has changed and taken on new dimensions, offering options that depart from its original characterisation as bitter beer. Newer substyles exhibit more juicy/hazy, and less bitter profiles that invite new customers in and help grow the category. The driving force behind IPA’s continued growth is due to two distinct segments: the Imperial (or Double) IPA and the juicy/hazy IPA. The Imperial IPA caters to a discerning demographic who seek out high alcohol by volume, audacious boldness, pronounced bitterness, and robust hop aromas and flavours. There was much evidence of Triple IPAs at the Festival indicating an even greater trend towards hop bitterness. A juicy/hazy IPA, however, appeals to a fresh audience of beer enthusiasts with its subdued bitterness and velvety mouthfeel, and represents a more approachable experience for those new either to the world of craft beer or the world of IPA. On the Festival floor, Double and Triple IPAs were plentiful with brewers innovating through a variety of creative brewing techniques and ingredients such as a DIPA aged in Oloroso Sherry barrels at 15.4% ABV. (It was incredible!) Beyond the IPA craze, other categories performing strongly included fruit beers in a variety of iterations such as fruited classic or sour beers, and a collection of lighter, lower ABV styles like lagers, blonde ales, golden and wheat ales. These trends were played out by the winners of the Great American Beer Festival competition with the most entered style categories being: - Juicy or Hazy IPA with 365 entries - West Coast Style IPA with 301 entries - Light Lager with 284 entries - German-Style Pilsner with 228 entries - American-Style IPA with 206 entries NEW FESTIVAL ADDITIONS In order to stay fresh and relevant, the Great American Beer Festival is constantly re-inventing itself with new additions, new experiences and new innovations. For the first time last year, the Festival featured an international pavilion pouring 16 beers from familiar European breweries from Germany, Belgium and Iceland. Also new was the National Black Brewers Association, comprising four black-owned breweries pouring 12 different beers, as well as the Gluten-Free Garden offering 24 different gluten-free beers in one section. There was a slew of ciders and hard seltzers for those seeking a change from beer and a Non-Alcoholic Oasis including 32 no/low alcohol offerings, in addition to hop water, adding a creative new dimension to the beverage choices. What’s more, there were plenty of things to see and do to keep attendees entertained. This included the Karaoke stage, the Silent Disco (always a popular spot!), the Backyard where visitors can hang out, play games, chill in a comfy chair and get some food, or the Brewers Studio for learning and discovering from some of the most provocative personalities and innovators in the brewing community. Fancy dress was ‘de rigeur’ with a different theme every day and pretzel necklaces ranging from the basic to the bananas (literally!). Foodies could seek out a beer and food-loving heaven at PAIRED, where independent craft breweries unite with acclaimed chefs to produce mouth- watering delicacies perfectly paired with 50 special beers not found anywhere else on the Festival floor. But the star of the showwas undoubtedly the beer range. Pours are only 1oz or 30ml to ensure ‘sampling’ rather than chugging back as much beer as possible. Despite a multitude of 1oz pours, after four sessions at the Festival I had barely scratched the surface. As such, I offer my survival suggestions, which include sampling only… 1. One style per hour. My plan was to start light with lagers, blonde ales and session ales then work my way up to the big hitters thus sampling as wide a range as possible of beer styles on offer. However, while my strategy should have worked in theory, it was easy to get distracted by something rare and amazing and I often found myself side- tracked by a beguiling, rare, unmissable beer, for example, Firestone Walker’s 2023 Collective Choice, a Barrel Aged Imperial Stout with maple, vanilla and hazelnuts at 12.5% ABV. ontapmag.co.za | Summer 2023 | 17