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The throwback energy in Denver last wk wasn't limited to Boston Beer's annual GABF media brunch. Lots of folks appear to be revisiting some of craft's past strengths as they try to move forward out of the current malaise. And those efforts to remember are less a nostalgic grasping for the past and more an attempt to rekindle some of the flames that fueled earlier bursts of craft's growth. But the difficulties of selling craft beer right now impact GABF, too. Thousands and thousands of consumers still descend on the Denver Convention Ctr, but the country's largest beer fest doesn't attract the same crowds it once did. Thursday night in the hall felt quiet, part a reflection of broader hospitality trends (fewer folks go out to party on Thursdays, turns out) and part just another indicator of less interest in craft beer, beer and alcohol in general right now. It wasn't as raucous and we spotted fewer folks decked out in elaborate group get-ups (tho those that do tend to go all out).In year two of a reimagined GABF, the fest brings a lot more than beer. Gone are the days of row after row of booths pouring 1 oz tastes of IPAs and hefeweizens. Beyond beer beverages are all over, with sponsored booths from the likes of Surfside, BeatBox and PATCO's Big Sipz and Rancho La Gloria alongside craft brewers' own experimental wares. This yr brought full-strength spirits for the first time, with small pours from small-batch spirits makers. And non-alcoholic beer and hop water is all over, easy to access at multiple NA stations plus branded areas for producers like Best Day, Go Brewing, BERO and more. Plus, attendees get live music and lip sync competitions, stein-holding contests and cornhole. It may take beer out of the spotlight, but it also reminds that beer's best asset may be as accompaniment to good conversation, good music, good games and good cheer.And yet, despite the differences, GABF's guts are the same as ever. You can still wait in line for special pours like Sam Adams Utopias or Dogfish Head's Worldwide Stout, or for a taste of anything from cult classics like 3 Floyds, up-and-comers like CO's Weldwerks (see below) and more. You still don't have to wait in line for world-class, medal-winning beers from brewers like OR's pFriem, CO's Wibby or WA's Icicle (see below). And you can still just walk up to a random booth for an ounce of something new (tho mileage varies, natch). You can still have one of the most VIP beer experiences available at food-and-beer focused side festival, Paired, where brewers work with high-end, highly-respected chefs to serve tasty nibbles alongside world-class sips.At GABF, you can still walk the hall alongside craft beer history and history-makers. You can still drink beer poured by rockstar personalities like Russian River's Vinnie and Natalie Cilurzo, Lost Abbey's Tomme Arthur or DFH's Sam Calagione. You can still run into industry icons like Ecliptic's John Harris, who created beers like Black Butte porter and Mirror Pond pale during his time at Deschutes' before opening his own brewpub. You can still find BA board members like FX Matt's Fred Matt catching up on the latest industry moves and Right Proper's Leah Cheston making final tweaks to the co's booth. You can still see old friends and meet new ones.Despite Instagram-ready moments all over the hall, you won't find too many folks glued to their phones (as Bart, Sam and Jim commented on last wk: a testament to the experience, to be sure). For folks who have never experienced GABF or craft beer before, who have no memory to lean on (especially socially shy, digitally active, alcohol-skeptical younger legal age consumers), it's possible or even likely that the atmosphere induces more anxiety than excitement. But that's only an argument for finding ways to introduce those folks to the breadth of experiences beer has to offer on a smaller scale with chiller vibes, closer to home.At GABF, you can still find lots of what made craft beer click and hum a decade and more ago. But a key piece of that growth puzzle isn't as active there these days. You can't find many distributors, who once walked the halls and crowded outside events searching for new brands to carry. And it's not clear how the event and craft beer might win that attention back, because GABF, like craft, is not the roaring blaze it once was. But the flames that remain alight are still warming, especially amid industry trends that feel so chilly.

GABF Hangs On, Hearkens Back to Craft Hey-Days, Trying to Stoke Fading Flames

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