Excited to Feast at PAIRED + GABF: Michelle Turner Has Tips for the GABF Newbie
Atlanta’s Michelle Turner is a social media influencer and the force behind Excited to Feast, a lifestyle brand that focuses on diverse food and drink experiences. She attended the 2019 Great American Beer Festival as one of the recipients of Craft x EDU’s GABF Professional Development Experience sponsored by New Belgium. Turner says her deep curiosity to learn and try new things and a genuine passion to inspire people to go out and try new experiences set Excited to Feast apart from other food-centric lifestyle brands. “I want to be a bridge that connects people with what they are comfortable with to new and different things by showing that it’s not out of reach and can be really fun!”
Check out Michelle’s tips for GABF Newbies and some of her delicious photography from Thursday’s PAIRED + GABF session.
The Great American Beer Festival (GABF) imagine my—insert praise dance—delight to be going to the biggest beer festival in the country! 800+ breweries and thousands of beers, OH MY! Here are some quick highlights and tips for navigating GABF and traveling for a beer festival:
1. Splurge and get PAIRED + GABF tickets. It’s a separate (less crazy) entrance and a less crazy area of the festival. The food is a treat—from mac & cheese to duck legs, to oysters and ceviche. I even took a leap and tried rabbit! The amazing food us all paired with dope beers from an apple pie Berliner weisse to barleywines and stouts and even a beer with a butterfly pea flower tea!
2. Don’t wait in line and less she must. There are so many breweries there. The fun is discovering new ones. I discovered Taxman Brewing Company out of Indiana and their lovely selection of Belgian-inspired and styles. Their Lambic was hitting!
3. Do make a plan. It helps to have an idea where to start…how do you finish is another story. I’ll be honest. I went with a plan but failed. It’s easy to read about the beers and food and make a plan. But when you start tasting fabulous things, it’s easier to lose track of your fabulous plan.
4. If you can, get tickets for more than one session. There’s a lot to see and drink and it’s worth it to have more time to explore the options.
5. If you’re traveling to the festival, support local businesses while you are in town. In Denver dozens of restaurants and breweries had special GABF-themed events. I just spent one day at the festival. My other two days in were spent exploring Denver and I had a blast!
6. Don’t be afraid to explore on your own and meet new people. I spent Saturday with complete strangers I met in Denver. They introduced me to the best pinto beans of my life from Owlbear Barbeque.
I will definitely be back for GABF for 2020 and I hope you’ll join me!