GABF deal

UPDATE WEDNESDAY 8/3: Tickets to this year’s festival sold out in 67 minutes.

It’s time again for the great American ticket scramble for the Great American Beer Festival .

Tickets for this year’s 35th annual event, Oct. 6-8 at Denver’s Colorado Convention Center, go on sale Wednesday at 9 a.m. PDT through Ticketmaster – and likely will be gone around 10.

Even with 11,000 additional tickets available, last year’s festival sold out in 77 minutes, though that was a significant improvement over 32 minutes in 2014.

Tickets cost $80 for each of the daily sessions, from 5:30 to 10 p.m., which includes a commemorative tasting cup and unlimited 1-ounce samples. There’s a limit of four tickets per buyer per session.

This year’s event will feature close to 4,000 beers from more than 800 breweries. Like last year, there will be a special Meet the Brewer section staffed entirely by employees from 120 participating breweries (as opposed to random volunteers).

And in a new wrinkle, at each session, two “rock star” brewers – including the likes of Russian River’s Vinnie Cilurzo, Dogfish Head’s Sam Calagione and Brooklyn Brewery’s Garrett Oliver – will pick one person out of line with their friends for a private “golden ticket” tour of the festival a half-hour before doors open to the public.

We’ll know later which local breweries will be pouring at the festival (Orlison and Laughing Dog last year), and/or entering the awards competition.