Great American Beer Festival cancels in-person 2021 event, commits to 2022 in Denver

DENVER — The Brewers Association said it will hold the Great American Beer Festival online this year due to the pandemic remaining a threat to public gatherings but said it will host an in-person convention in 2022.

In a statement, the trade association said hosting more than 60,000 attendees remains a health threat. The delay comes amid a mass vaccination effort to quell the pandemic and return the U.S. to something resembling normal by late summer or early fall.

“While we will miss celebrating with beer lovers and our craft brewing community, we are excited to continue with the GABF competition and national passport program this year,” CEO Bob Pease said.

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The festival went fully online last May, along with almost every other convention in the world as COVID-19 spread aggressively and countries instituted stay-at-home orders. Six local breweries won medals in the event’s competition, where judges tried samples shipped to their homes.

The association said it intends to host an in-person event at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver from Oct. 6 to Oct. 8.

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