Reader: Great American Beer Festival is pissing off both breweries and attendees

Great American Beer Festival tickets went on pre-sale last Tuesday for members of the Brewers Association and the American Homebrewers Association, and the complaints to the Brewers Association started seconds later. There were so many, in fact, that the organization posted an apology on Facebook later that day: "Your staff...

By Patricia Calhoun

August 5, 2013

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Great American Beer Festival tickets went on pre-sale last Tuesday for members of the Brewers Association and the American Homebrewers Association, and the complaints to the Brewers Association started seconds later. There were so many, in fact, that the organization posted an apology on Facebook later that day: "Your staff at the GABF, American Homebrewers Association and Brewers Association sincerely regret the problem with today's member pre-sale," the notice read. "Ticketmaster had a technical problem that unfortunately had a negative impact on many of our members. We are sorry. There do not seem to be any easy answers in the world of large-scale event ticketing. At this juncture, the GABF remains under contract with Ticketmaster through 2014. Going forward, all suggestions and options for ticketing solutions will be under review."

And beer fans aren't shy with offering suggestions for the GABF. See also: Brewers Association apologizes for continuing Great American Beer Festival snafus - That was fast: 2012 GABF tickets sell out in record 45 minutes - Great American Beer Festival ticket scalpers drive us to drink

Says wewatta:

I do not really understand why the BA continues to bury its head in the sand and try to pretend that this event is still a small little gathering, like it used to be (even just 10 years ago).

Either start running it professionally, or turn it over to another organization. This middle ground is pissing off both breweries and attendees.

I also do not see why a rival festival doesn't rise up to meet the demand. Yes, there are a ton of smaller ones around CO, but nothing like this. So many people are dissatisfied, why has no other rival festival come up to give this one a run for its money?

Did you get tickets to the Great American Beer Festival? What did you think of the process? How do you think the GABF needs to change?

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Patricia Calhoun is editor-in-chief of Westword, the alt-weekly she co-founded in September 1977. She’s been inducted into the Colorado Press Association Hall of Fame, the Association of Alternative Newsmedia Hall of Fame and the Colorado Restaurant Association Hall of Fame. She’s also received dozens of local, state and national awards for writing, including first place for feature writing and first place for column writing with the Society of Professional Journalists. Patricia is a weekly commentator on Colorado Inside Out, PBS 12's public affairs roundtable, which has won two Emmys.

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