The year without beer festivals. Along with everything else, that’s how some of us will remember 2020. Seems trivial in the grand scheme of things, but among the countless beer festivals impacted by the pandemic, the nation’s largest and longest-running beer festival, the Great American Beer Festival, is going to look a lot different this year.
Along with all the things the Great American Beer Festival will not be this year, it will be more accessible than ever. I suppose it’s little consolation, but this year you will not need an airline ticket and a hotel room. It won’t be a humungous, crowded festival in Denver with hundreds of breweries from every corner of the nation pouring samples, but it will still offer “festivalgoers” an opportunity to enjoy a lot of great beers via the GABF Passport program. Also, and this is probably the real meat of the matter, they’re offering a nice two-day online experience.
Great American Beer Festival Passport Program
Basically, it works like this. You buy a GABF Passport for $20 and that gets you special offers from over 1,000 breweries nationwide. Of those, 44 of the breweries are in Washington. We share the list of breweries below. The GABF Passport deals are in effect October 1st through 18th.
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As far as the deals go, you can see them all here. Here are just a few examples.
- Fremont Brewing – A GABF exclusive foam trucker hat (first 500 passport holders only) An enamel Fremont logo pin (first 500 passport holders only) A Fremont sticker (first 500 passport holders only).
- Reuben’s Brews – We will have a free GABF-themed gift pack giveaway for all passport holders who stop in for a beer (in our Taproom or To-Go Store!) One time use only, please.
- Well 80 Brewing – BOGO Crowlers (Buy One, Get One), and10% off Food and Merch.
- Jellyfish Brewing – Buy one pint at full price, get a second pint for $1.
- Peddler Brewing – $1 off a pint OR $1 off a 6-pack to-go
GABF Online Programming
GABF partnered with The Brewing Network to provide two days of online programming. It kicks off with the annual GABF awards ceremony (Friday, October 16th, 4:00 – 5:30 Pacific Time), which is available to everyone. Thereafter, the GABF online programming is available exclusively to GABF passport holders. The programs span a wide range of beery topics. The breaks between sessions will include extra beery content and outtakes, surprise visits from artists and brewers, trivia, prize giveaways, and more. You can see the complete schedule of online events here.
Washington Breweries, GABF Passport Program
Wicked Teuton Brewing
Acorn Brewing
Aslan Brewing Co.
Bainbridge Brewing
Bale Breaker Brewing Company
Barhop Brewing
Bent Bine Brew Co. LLC
Boundary Bay Brewing Company
Chuckanut Brewery
District Brewing Company
Everybody’s Brewing Co
Figurehead Brewing Company
Fortside Brewing Company
Fremont Brewing
Garden Path Fermentation
Ghost Runners Brewery and Kitchen
Ghostfish Brewing Company
Headless Mumby Brewing Co
Hellbent Brewing Company
Humble Abode Brewing
In The Shadow Brewing
Jellyfish Brewing Company
Lantern Brewing
No-Li Brewhouse
Old Schoolhouse Brewery
Outer Planet Craft Brewing
Peddler Brewing Co
Populuxe Brewing
Postdoc Brewing Company
Precious Things Fermentation Project
Reuben’s Brews
Silver City Brewery
Stemma Brewing Company Inc.
Stoup Brewing
Talking Cedar Brewing
Terramar Brewstillery
The Heavy Metal Brewing Co.
Top Rung Brewing Company
TT’s Old Iron Brewery
Two Beers Brewing Co
Victor 23 Craft Brewery
Walking Man Brewing
Wander Brewing
Well 80 Brewing Company
Too bad public dining and drinking are still pretty high-risk activities in many areas. This won’t be any more accessible for many of us.
It’s different everywhere. I focused on what it looks like in Washington, where some onsite dining and drinking is allowed, but it seems most of the offers involve take-away beer/swag
The big draw for GABF was being able to try beers from all over the USA. I went nine years in a row and never had a beer from my state at the festival.