Heading for the Mountains - The Great American Beer Festival in Denver That Is

Once a year beer enthusiasts make the trek to the holiest of grounds, the Great American Beer Festival. This week in Denver, CO, thousands upon thousands of beer aficionados descend upon the Festival in search of the perfect brew, enlightenment into the art of brewing, and the opportunity to mingle with brewers and brew lovers alike.

This is no fly-by-night affair. This year's sold out event will host 49,000 beer nuts counting the exhibitors, judges, journalists, brewers and attendees. To put that into perspective if you filled Everbank Field 75% full you'd have a pretty close approximation of the number of people who will be at this event.

A few more stats about the event:

• 29th annual festival.
• More than 2,200 beers will be in the festival hall—the biggest selection of American beers ever served.
• 36,000 gallons of beer.
• 455 U.S. breweries serving in the festival hall.

The event hosts one of the most prestigious beer completions in the nation. Previous breweries which have been honored include, Flying Dog and Pyramid Breweries. Beers which have won gold medals include: Pyramid Apricot Ale by Pyramid Breweries, Lone Star from the Pabst Brewing Co., and Honey Moon Summer Ale from Blue Moon Brewing Co.

For 29 years beer lovers have made the trek to the festival, which has come a long way from its humble beginnings in Boulder, CO.  Back in 1982 the Festival starte4d with just 22 breweries and 40 beers. The stats above are sure to tell you that they have come a very long way. It should also make it clear to you the popularity of beer -- particularly craft beers.

The tide is rising for good beers and events such as this slam home the exclamation point on that statement. Jacksonville is quickly moving into the wave of quality beers with a handful of impressive local brews and several watering holes featuring excellent arrays of micro and craft brews.

Here's to an increased awareness of the lesser known, high-quality beers out there! Beer is good!

Visit the Festivals website at: http://www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com/