Big Changes for the Great American Beer Festival

The Great American Beer festival is this weekend in Denver and for the first time in a long time, it has a new location. That’s just one of many changes coming to the venerable gathering. Tristan Chan, formerly of PorchDrinking, is in the host seat this week. He's joined by Shawnee Adelson the Executive Director of the Colorado Brewers Guild and Jonathan Shikes of the Denver Post. They talk about what to expect, the changes, and what this means for festivals in general.

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This Episode is Sponsored by:

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
All About Beer podcast listeners are among the first to know: Sierra Nevada Brewing Company’s famed rare beer Celly Drippins will be released to the public on Friday November 6 at both the Chico California and Mills River North Carolina locations. Learn more about the details of the release events at ​https://sierranevada.com/event/celly-drippins-release-2026 and plan your trip to experience this extra special beer, available only on tap at the brewery for a limited number of days while supplies last.”

Berkeley Yeast
Our Tropics yeast is based on a London Ale strain, but we added a new gene to its genome that codes for a unique thiol-releasing enzyme. The enzyme converts the precursors in barley to free thiols that smell and taste like passionfruit and grapefruit. It’s super clean. No off-flavors like burnt rubber or other sulfurous notes. Just tropical aromatics. You don’t have to do anything unusual either, like mash hopping. Just pitch dry Tropics and supercharge your hazy IPA.

All About Beer
At All About Beer, we’re honored to share the stories that define the beer community, and we couldn’t do it without the generous support of our underwriting sponsors. Their commitment helps sustain independent beer journalism, allowing us to highlight the people, places, and passion behind every pint. Their partnership ensures these stories continue to inspire, connect, and celebrate the craft we all love. Join our underwriters today and help make an impact on independent journalism covering the beer industry.

Host: Tristan Chan

Guests: Shawnee Adelson, Jonathan Shikes

Sponsors: Berkeley Yeast, All About Beer

Tags: GABF, Festivals, Denver
Photo: Brewers Association