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Beer Festival Wins Tourism Star Award |
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Wednesday, 02 January 2008 |
The Great American Beer Festival (GABF), an event produced by the Brewers Association (BA), was honored with a 2007 Tourism Star Award by the Denver Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau (DMCVB) on Nov. 27, 2007. The Tourism Star Awards were presented at a dinner and silent auction held at the Hyatt Regency at the Colorado Convention Center in downtown Denver.
There to accept the Tourism Star Award for the Brewers Association was BA president Charlie Papazian and event director Nancy Johnson. The DMCVB awarded the GABF the Tourism Star Award stating, "the festival has been bringing brewers (and beer fans) from around the world to Denver for 26 years-making this one of the largest continually operated shows in Denver's history-and a good source of tourism and convention business."
Upon receiving the Tourism Star Award, Charlie Papazian said, "Wow. What an honor. On behalf of the hundreds of thousands of attendees over the years, the thousands of brewers and over 2,600 area volunteers each year we really appreciate what a great venue Denver and Colorado provide for the Great American Beer Festival. People always ask me if I ever dreamed that the festival would become so great. I always reflect, 'Not really, except that perhaps when I had that second or third beer I may have had some outrageous dreams.' I suppose now I can say that dreaming and beer are one of those matches that do mix, when done responsibly."
The GABF is the largest and most prestigious judged beer event in America. In 2007, 46,000-plus people attended the GABF, a record breaking attendance and for the first time all the sessions were sold out. This year there were 1,884 beers from 408 breweries (from across the nation) on tap over a three day period.
During the GABF, the breweries compete in the GABF Competition for the best beers in specific style categories. At the GABF Competition this year 473 breweries nationwide entered 2,793 beers that were judged in 75 style categories. Winners in each category were awarded gold, silver and bronze medals during the Saturday afternoon session of the GABF.
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