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The Great American Beer Festival (GABF), recognized as the premier competitive and consumer event for the United States brewing industry, has officially announced the culinary roster for its 2025 PAIRED experience. Scheduled to take place on October 9 and 10 in Denver, Colorado, PAIRED serves as an intimate, high-end counterpoint to the expansive festival floor, focusing on the sophisticated intersection of craft beer and independent gastronomy. This year’s lineup represents a significant concentration of culinary talent, featuring a diverse array of James Beard Award winners, Michelin-starred restaurateurs, and television personalities from across the nation.
Managed by the Brewers Association, the not-for-profit trade group representing small and independent craft brewers, the Great American Beer Festival has evolved from its humble beginnings in 1982 into a massive cultural phenomenon. While the main festival floor showcases thousands of beers from hundreds of breweries, PAIRED was designed to elevate the perception of beer as a culinary beverage capable of standing alongside fine wine in a multi-course, gourmet setting. The 2025 iteration of PAIRED is set to feature over 25 chefs, marking one of the most ambitious programs in the event’s history.
Regional Excellence: Colorado’s Culinary Leaders
Central to the 2025 lineup is a contingent of Colorado-based chefs who have recently garnered significant national acclaim. Caroline Glover, the founder of Annette and Travelling Mercies in Aurora, makes her PAIRED debut this year. Glover’s trajectory has been notable within the industry; after being named one of Food & Wine’s “Best New Chefs in America” in 2019, she secured the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Mountain in 2022. Her recent ventures have continued to attract critical attention, with Travelling Mercies being named a semifinalist for the James Beard Best New Bar in 2025 and earning a spot on Esquire’s list of the Best Bars in America in 2024.
Joining Glover are Kelly Whitaker and Mara King, whose hospitality group has become a dominant force in the Mountain West dining scene. Their portfolio includes The Wolf’s Tailor and Bruto—both of which earned Michelin stars in 2024—as well as Basta, Hey Kiddo, and Dry Storage. Whitaker’s recognition as the 2024 James Beard Award winner for Outstanding Restaurateur underscores the group’s influence on sustainable sourcing and innovative technique. Their participation in PAIRED highlights the festival’s commitment to showcasing chefs who prioritize the relationship between agriculture and the final plate.
The roster further includes Matt Vawter of Rootstalk and Radicato in Breckenridge, who received the 2024 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Mountain. Vawter is known for his refined approach to seasonal alpine cuisine, a style that offers unique pairing opportunities for complex beer profiles. Similarly, Josh Niernberg of Grand Junction’s Bin 707 brings a Western Slope perspective to the event; Niernberg is a 2025 finalist for the James Beard Award for Outstanding Chef (National), representing a significant milestone for the Colorado culinary community outside of the Denver metro area.
Denver’s established dining pioneers are also well-represented. Jennifer Jasinski, a longtime fixture of the city’s gastronomic landscape and a James Beard Award winner, will represent her trio of acclaimed restaurants: Rioja, Bistro Vendôme, and Ultreia. She is joined by Carrie Baird of Fox & The Hen, a former Top Chef finalist and Beat Bobby Flay competitor, as well as Paul Reilly of Coperta and Linda Hampsten-Fox of The Bindery.
National Heavyweights and Geographical Diversity
While Colorado talent forms the core of the event, PAIRED continues to draw high-profile chefs from major culinary hubs across the United States. Dan Jacobs, co-owner of DanDan and EsterEv in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, brings his expertise to the 2025 festival. Jacobs, a recent Top Chef finalist and multiple-time James Beard Award nominee, is recognized for his advocacy within the hospitality industry and his refined take on American-Chinese cuisine.
The Mid-Atlantic region is represented by the powerhouse duo of Danny Lee and Scott Drewno. As the founders of The Fried Rice Collective, which operates Anju and Mandu in Washington, D.C., Lee and Drewno have been instrumental in elevating Korean cuisine on the national stage. Their status as 2025 James Beard finalists for Outstanding Restaurateur reflects their success in building a hospitality group that balances critical acclaim with commercial viability.
Additionally, Mike Friedman of Washington, D.C.’s The Red Hen will participate. Friedman’s work has consistently earned Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition, a category reserved for restaurants that offer high-quality food at a moderate price point. His inclusion in PAIRED suggests a focus on rustic, soul-warming flavors that pair naturally with the carbonation and malt profiles of craft ales and lagers.
Innovation in Beverage: The Inclusion of Sophisticated Mocktails
In a move that reflects shifting consumer behaviors and the "sober-curious" movement, the 2025 PAIRED event will, for the first time, feature a curated Mocktail Bar. This initiative is led by Steve Wildy of Mad Wild Wine. Wildy, a James Beard Award semifinalist and a highly respected sommelier, is tasked with demonstrating that zero-proof beverages can possess the same complexity and pairing potential as their alcoholic counterparts.
The decision to include a dedicated non-alcoholic program aligns with broader industry data. According to market research firm IWSR, the non-alcoholic and low-alcohol beverage sector grew by over 7% in volume across key global markets in 2023, with continued growth projected through 2027. By integrating high-end mocktails into PAIRED, the Brewers Association is acknowledging the diversification of the modern palate and the increasing demand for inclusive, flavor-focused beverage options.
Strategic Curation and Economic Impact
The PAIRED experience is curated by Adam Dulye, the Brewers Association’s executive chef. Dulye’s role involves coordinating the complex logistics of matching specific beers from across the country with the unique dishes designed by the participating chefs. Unlike standard food festivals where pairings are often incidental, PAIRED requires a collaborative process where brewers and chefs work in tandem to ensure that the flavor bridges—such as acidity, bitterness, or caramelization—are precisely aligned.
Ann Obenchain, Vice President of Marketing and Communications for the Brewers Association, emphasized the unique nature of the event. “PAIRED is where culinary innovation and brewing creativity meet,” Obenchain stated. “This year’s chefs represent the very best of Colorado and beyond, and together they’ll create one-of-a-kind pairings you can only find at the Great American Beer Festival.”
The economic and cultural impact of the GABF on the city of Denver is substantial. Historically, the festival attracts tens of thousands of attendees over its multi-day run, generating millions of dollars in local economic activity through hotel stays, dining, and transportation. PAIRED, specifically, attracts a demographic of "culinary tourists"—individuals who travel specifically for high-end gastronomic experiences. This helps solidify Denver’s reputation as a top-tier food and beverage destination, a status further bolstered by the recent arrival of the Michelin Guide in the state.
Industry Context and Broader Implications
The 2025 PAIRED lineup arrives at a pivotal time for the craft beer industry. Following years of explosive growth, the sector has entered a period of maturation and stabilization. According to the Brewers Association’s 2023 annual report, small and independent craft brewers collectively produced 23.4 million barrels of beer, though the market share for craft beer by volume saw a slight decline of 1%. In this environment, events like PAIRED are vital for maintaining consumer engagement and demonstrating the premium value of craft products.
By showcasing beer alongside Michelin-starred and James Beard-winning cuisine, the Brewers Association is making a strategic argument for the "premiumization" of the category. The collaboration with high-profile chefs serves to bridge the gap between the casual taproom experience and the world of fine dining. It reinforces the idea that craft beer is a versatile, sophisticated product worthy of the same respect traditionally afforded to estate-bottled wines or rare spirits.
Furthermore, the diversity of the chef lineup—spanning various cuisines including Italian, Korean, American-Chinese, and modern Alpine—highlights the versatility of beer as a pairing agent. The wide range of flavor profiles available in modern brewing, from the tart acidity of a Berliner Weisse to the deep, roasted notes of an Imperial Stout, allows for a level of pairing precision that is difficult to replicate with other beverages.
Logistics and Accessibility
The 2025 PAIRED experience is a ticketed event separate from, or as an add-on to, general admission to the Great American Beer Festival. Tickets provide attendees with unlimited tastings of the small plates and the specifically matched craft beverages. The event’s location within the larger festival framework allows guests to transition from the intimate, chef-led environment of PAIRED to the broader exploration of the festival floor, which features over 100 different beer styles.
As the brewing and culinary industries continue to overlap, PAIRED remains a bellwether for future trends. The 2025 roster, with its blend of established legends and rising stars, suggests that the focus of the industry is shifting toward quality, collaboration, and a more holistic view of the dining experience. For the city of Denver and the thousands of attendees expected this October, the event stands as a testament to the enduring appeal of craft culture and the ongoing evolution of American gastronomy.
