Cedar Rapids Brewing Society

As many of you already know, early registration for GABF is now open for AHA members. I'm considering going out to check this out, as I have relatives in Denver. Is anyone else going? If you've gone in the past, what do you think of the event?

Dave and Brian are the "pros" in the group about GABF attendance. Hit them up for all the ins and outs.

I've only been once, but I was lucky and on a "Brewers" pass, which meant that I got in anytime. Got to meet Charlie Papazian and Michael Jackson, along with Jim Koch. That's where I had my first Arrogant Bastard and had to bring home the shirt to prove it.

I know I wouldn't go to every session. When I went we hit the first night on Thursday and the AHA members group on Saturday. The main attraction for me are all the brewers parties outside of the event itself. Find out about those and you will have a great time. The youth hostel is a prime location and only cost me $16 a night when I was there. There was also an awesome breakfast burrito place that had a chorizo breakfast burrito for cheap on the same block.

Matt,
How did you find out when/where the brewery parties were? Did you need special invitations?

I'm pretty sure I can't do the youth hostel thing. I'd feel like a creepy really old guy, besides I'd probably take my wife as the dd, and she really wouldn't go for that hostel scene. I see that GABF has a special ticket and a special lounge area for dd's which is cool.

Wives are usually not in to the cheap accomodations. Youth hostel is very deceptive. There really is no age limit and it looks like it at the place. That is where we learned about a lot of parties from a guy from Florida that owned a bottle shop.

There are a couple of hotels in Downtown that are decently inexpensive (under $200 a night) and within walking distance of everything. The light rail system is quite good, but I don't have a whole lot of information on that.