Thursday, 18 October 2012 GABF versus GBBF Held in Denver, Colorado, every year, it's an outrageously big celebration of American brewing. In 2012 the festival numbers were record-breaking: 578breweries pouring 2,700 beers to 49,000 attendees. I was there judging the competition which was also record-breaking: 4,338 beers submitted by 666 breweries and tasted by 185 judges across 84 style categories. GABF tickets are $65 a session (there's a members only session at $55) while GBBF are 10; GABF's cost includes all the beer you'll drink whereas you pay for each beer at GBBF. Measures at GBBF are one-third-pint, half-pint and pint. GABF is a 1oz pour. This is an interesting one as I thought that a 1oz pour would suck, but it doesn't. Sure, there's no time to sit back and relax by sipping on a half, but it gives the opportunity to taste a lot of beer and 1oz isn't really that small when you're there and doing it. Plus, if you like the beer you can just order another one and another until satisfied. And if you don't like it then there's only a mouthful to drink or dump -- at GBBF I've had many beers which I've bought and then dumped because they aren't what I wanted. It's worth lingering on this point because it's important. I liked being able to taste 50, 70, 100 beers, or whatever it was, in four hours. And it is about tasting , not drinking (though it's very possible to get