Denver Beer Fest

VISIT DENVER to Sponsor Denver Beer Fest in September
An Anticipated 60 Events to Celebrate All-things Beer at Locations Across the Mile High City

DENVER – (DRAFT, 2009) – To celebrate Denver’s claim as one of the world’s great beer cities, VISIT DENVER is presenting the first Denver Beer Fest (www.DenverBeerFest.com), which will take place September 18-27, 2009.

“The Denver-Boulder-Fort Collins urban area brews more beer than any other metropolitan area in the United States, giving the Mile High City claim to another moniker – ‘the Napa Valley of Beer,’” said Richard Scharf, president & CEO, VISIT DENVER, The Convention & Visitors Bureau.
The week-long celebration of beer-centric experiences will include beer tastings at restaurants, beer-paired dinners, “meet the brewer” nights, beer tappings, brewery tours and a variety of entertaining beer events.

Denver Beer Fest will be a celebration of all things beer leading up to America’s most prestigious beer festival and competition, the Brewers Association’s Great American Beer Festival (GABF). Denver Beer Fest is also sandwiched in between the two weekends of Denver’s Oktoberfest on Larimer Street.

“Denver has so many beer attractions that it seemed natural to pull them all together under one umbrella the same week as the GABF and Oktoberfest,” Scharf said. He described how many of the breweries visiting Denver for the GABF have historically held special beer-tasting dinners and events, but there was no central place to look for information.

“The GABF had their events on their Web site, Oktoberfest had their information on their Web site, and brewers had information about their events posted on a variety of restaurant Web sites so someone would have to look at 15 resources to see everything that was going on,” said Scharf.

The Web site, www.DenverBeerFest.com, will be a one-stop shop for all things beer that week.” He explained that a similar beer extravaganza in Philadelphia, timed around their annual beer festival, created 60 beer events the first year, but swelled to 600 new beer events the second year.

Two landmark events bookend the 10-day Denver Beer Fest:

• Oktoberfest on Larimer Street: This 40-year Denver tradition will be held Sept. 18-20 and Sept. 25-27.
• The Brewers Association’s 28th Great American Beer Festival (GABF) at the Colorado Convention Center: The GABF, Sept. 24-26, has been recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as offering the largest number of beer’s tapped of any place on earth and attracts 46,000 beer lovers each year, as well as the nation’s top beer writers and critics. More than 400 breweries are expected to attend, offering more than 2,000 beers for tastings and medal competitions.

“VISIT DENVER started Denver Restaurant Week five years ago to increase awareness of Denver’s fine dining,” Scharf said. “In five years, we’ve seen Restaurant Week grow from 84 restaurants to 225 this past year, with nearly 300,000 special-priced meals being served. We are inspired by the success of restaurant week, and the business it drove for our local restaurants. We hope Denver Beer Fest will increase awareness, both locally and nationally, of Denver’s important role in the nation’s brewing industry and of how many fine beers are made and sold in Colorado.”

Some of the beer events VISIT DENVER is planning during Denver Beer Fest include:

• Former brew pub owner and current Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper will tap the first keg and read a proclamation declaring Sept. 18-27 as Denver Beer Fest at Oktoberfest on Sept. 18 at 4 p.m.
• Rioja, Vesta Dipping Grill, Stubens, TAG, Elways, Wynkoop Brewing Company, Rialto Café, Oceanaire, the Tavern, Duo and many other restaurants will be offering beer-pairing dinners, many with the brewer present.
• Pints for Prostates will be hosting a beer tasting of twenty rare beers.
• “Beer and Burlesque, Tastings and Tassels,” an Avery Brewery tasting and “meet the brewer” night at Lannie’s Clocktower Cabaret, Sept. 21.
• The Golden Hotel will be promoting events featuring the rare Coor’s Barman beer.
• The Dusty Boot will have a bartending contest to benefit charity.

Information on Denver Beer Fest and a current of list of events can be found at: www.DenverBeerFest.com. People should check back frequently as more events are being added every day.

About VISIT DENVER, The Convention & Visitors Bureau
Celebrating 100 years of promoting the Mile High City, VISIT DENVER is a nonprofit trade association that contracts with the City of Denver to market Denver as a convention and leisure destination, increasing economic development in the city, creating jobs and generating taxes. Tourism is the second largest industry in Denver, generating $2.9 billion in annual spending in 2007, while supporting 65,000 jobs. For more information on Denver call 800-2-DENVER or visit Denver’s official Web site at VISITDENVER.com.
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With press or photo inquiries, please contact:
Rich Grant: (303) 571-9450 or rgrant@visitdenver.com
Jen Elving: (303) 571-9451 jelving@visitdenver.com