For the past five years tickets to the Great American beer Festival in Denver, Colo. have sold out. Last year, amid great controversy, the event sold out in a matter of minutes when the tickets went on sale to the general public. Next week tickets for the 2013 event go on sale and the organizers urge you to pre



On Tuesday, July 30 the ticket windows open to member of the American Homebrewers Association and the Brewers Association. As is the custom, the Saturday afternoon session of the festival (Saturday, October 12 from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.) is a members only session and open only to members of these to associations. But, be warned, there are more members of the ABA and BA than there are tickets available so plan on purchasing early. Tickets for members go on sale at 10:00 a.m. MT.pare yourself.

General public tickets go on sale the following day, Wednesday, July 31 at 10:00 a.m. MT. Last year these tickets sold out astoundingly fast in just a matter of minutes. By some reckonings all tickets were sold just 15 minutes after the online ticket windows began selling them. That means that the nearly 49,000 tickets to the events sold at a rate of nearly 3,300 a minute.

Last year’s sales were also marred by errors in the way the tickets were to be sold by Ticketmaster, which added to the frustration many beer fans experienced. But, after investigating the issues, things were set straight. The GABF remains contracted with Ticketmaster to handle their ticket sales this year. According to the official GABF website, “We are assured by Ticketmaster that significant operational take-aways from the 2012 ticket sale will be applied to the member and general public purchases in 2013.”

The Great American Beer Festival showcases the largest collection of American brewers of any beer festival in the United States. With over 600 brewers in attendance, there will be over 2,800 different beers to sample.

General public tickets to the event are $75 each, with a $4.50 convenience fee per ticket $3.50 processing fee per order (E.g., $12.50 in total fees for a two-ticket order). For members of the AHA or BA there is a flat $6 per order ticket fee.

Attendees must have a ticket for each session the plan to attend. Session times for 2013 are:

Thursday, October 10 – 5:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Friday, October 11 – 5:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Saturday, October 12 – 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. (AHA and BA members only)

Saturday, October 12 – 5:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

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