Great American Beer festival

This tiny brewpub on California’s Central Coast recently put the beer world on notice when, at the World Beer Cup, it pulled off what should have been impossible—then very nearly did it again at GABF. Here’s how it happened.

Registration opens in June for this year’s GABF competition. Changes to the style guidelines this year include new homes for lower-strength Belgian-style ales and Kentucky Common, while pale ales and IPAs got tweaks to reflect the growing aroma spectrum.

The Great American Beer Festival will happen this year, but in an altered and dispersed form. Besides a two-day virtual event, hundreds of breweries around the country are offering sweet deals to passport holders. The crazy thing? It just might work.