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The Brewers Association has officially announced the roster of culinary professionals for the 2025 PAIRED event, a specialized food-and-beer tasting experience held in conjunction with the Great American Beer Festival (GABF). Scheduled for October 9–10 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, this year’s PAIRED program marks a significant expansion in both geographical representation and culinary diversity. The lineup features a dense concentration of James Beard Award winners, Michelin-starred restaurateurs, and television personalities, signaling a continued effort by the Brewers Association to bridge the gap between high-end gastronomy and the craft brewing industry.
PAIRED serves as an intimate counterpoint to the expansive festival floor of the GABF, offering attendees the opportunity to sample small plates designed specifically to complement rare and award-winning beers. The 2025 iteration is being highlighted as one of the most prestigious to date, reflecting the maturation of Denver’s dining scene and the growing national trend of integrating craft beer into fine dining environments.
Colorado’s Culinary Vanguard Takes Center Stage
Central to the 2025 PAIRED experience is a deep bench of Colorado-based talent, many of whom have recently received national acclaim. Caroline Glover, the force behind Aurora’s Annette and the recently opened Traveling Mercies, makes her debut at the event. Glover’s inclusion follows a series of high-profile accolades, including her 2022 James Beard Award for Best Chef: Mountain and the 2024 recognition of Traveling Mercies as one of the best bars in America by Esquire. Her participation underscores the event’s commitment to showcasing chefs who prioritize seasonal, scratch-to-table philosophies.
The lineup also features Kelly Whitaker and Mara King, representing a portfolio of highly decorated establishments including The Wolf’s Tailor and Bruto. In 2024, Whitaker and King’s operations earned Michelin stars and a James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurateur, cementing their status as leaders in sustainable and innovative dining. Their presence at PAIRED is expected to focus on the intersection of fermentation and local sourcing, themes that resonate deeply within the craft beer community.
Further representing the Rocky Mountain region are Matt Vawter of Rootstalk and Radicato in Breckenridge, and Josh Niernberg of Bin 707 Foodbar in Grand Junction. Vawter enters the 2025 festival following his recent win as the James Beard Best Chef: Mountain, while Niernberg represents the burgeoning culinary excellence found on Colorado’s Western Slope. The inclusion of Denver staples like Jennifer Jasinski—whose restaurants Rioja, Bistro Vendome, and Ultreia have defined the city’s downtown dining for decades—and Carrie Baird of Fox & The Hen, ensures a balance of established institutional knowledge and modern, media-forward culinary styles.
National Heavyweights and Geographical Diversity
While Colorado talent forms the core of the event, PAIRED 2025 has expanded its national reach to include prominent chefs from major culinary hubs across the United States. Dan Jacobs, a Milwaukee-based chef known for his restaurant DanDan and a recent finalist on Bravo’s Top Chef, brings a Midwestern perspective to the Denver-based event. His participation highlights the festival’s role as a national summit for the hospitality industry.
From the East Coast, the festival welcomes the powerhouse duo of Danny Lee and Scott Drewno. As the founders of Anju and Mandu in Washington, D.C., Lee and Drewno were 2025 James Beard finalists for Outstanding Restaurateur. Their expertise in modern Korean cuisine offers a unique opportunity for complex beer pairings, particularly with sour and experimental ales. Joining them from the nation’s capital is Mike Friedman of The Red Hen, an establishment consistently recognized by the Michelin Guide’s Bib Gourmand category for its high-quality, value-driven Italian fare.
The Evolution of the Beverage Program: The Mocktail Bar
In a notable shift reflecting broader beverage industry trends, the 2025 PAIRED event will feature its first-ever curated Mocktail Bar. This addition is led by Steve Wildy of Mad Wild Wine, a respected sommelier and James Beard Award semi-finalist. The introduction of a dedicated zero-proof station acknowledges the "sober curious" movement and the increasing demand for sophisticated non-alcoholic options within traditional craft beverage spaces.
Wildy’s role is to demonstrate that the principles of pairing—balancing acidity, fat, salt, and heat—are just as applicable to non-alcoholic concoctions as they are to barrel-aged stouts or hop-forward IPAs. This move is seen by industry analysts as a strategic effort to make the festival more inclusive and to reflect the diversifying revenue streams of modern taprooms and restaurants.
Chronology and Historical Context of the GABF
The Great American Beer Festival has undergone a massive transformation since its inception in 1982. Founded by Charlie Papazian in Boulder, Colorado, the first festival featured only 24 breweries and 47 beers. Over the ensuing four decades, the event moved to Denver and grew into the largest ticketed beer festival in the United States.
The PAIRED component was introduced as a way to elevate the educational aspect of the festival. While the main floor focuses on volume and variety, PAIRED was designed to facilitate a deeper understanding of beer as a culinary tool. By the 2010s, the Brewers Association began aggressively recruiting James Beard-level talent to participate, transforming PAIRED into a "festival within a festival" that often sells out months in advance. The 2025 event represents the pinnacle of this evolution, integrating Michelin-level standards into a traditionally casual industry.
Supporting Data: The Scale of the 2025 Festival
The 2025 GABF and its PAIRED experience are expected to draw significant numbers, both in terms of participation and economic impact:
- Chef Participation: Over 25 chefs from across the country will participate in PAIRED.
- Beverage Variety: More than 50 special beers, many brewed specifically for the event, will be paired with the culinary offerings.
- Attendance: Total festival attendance is projected to reach approximately 60,000 visitors over the three-day period.
- Economic Impact: Historically, the GABF generates over $35 million in economic activity for the city of Denver, according to Visit Denver, the city’s convention and visitors bureau.
- Industry Representation: The Brewers Association represents more than 5,000 small and independent craft breweries, many of which use the festival as their primary marketing vehicle for the year.
Official Perspectives on the 2025 Lineup
The curation of PAIRED is a year-long process led by Adam Dulye, the executive chef for the Brewers Association. Dulye works to match specific flavor profiles of selected beers with the signature styles of the invited chefs. According to the organization, the goal is to create a "collaboration-first" environment where brewers and chefs work in tandem rather than in isolation.
Ann Obenchain, Vice President of Marketing and Communications for the Brewers Association, emphasized the unique nature of the event in a recent statement. "PAIRED is where culinary innovation and brewing creativity meet," Obenchain noted. She highlighted that the 2025 roster represents a deliberate selection of the "very best of Colorado and beyond," aiming to create pairings that are exclusive to the Great American Beer Festival.
Industry observers suggest that the inclusion of high-caliber chefs is a response to the "premiumization" trend in the craft beer world. As the market for standard craft beer has stabilized, enthusiasts are increasingly seeking out high-value, experiential events that offer more than just a standard tasting room environment.
Broader Impact and Industry Implications
The 2025 PAIRED lineup reflects several key shifts in the hospitality and beverage sectors. First, it underscores the "chef-driven" nature of modern craft beer culture. Breweries are no longer just production facilities; they are increasingly becoming culinary destinations. By showcasing chefs who have won the highest honors in the culinary world, the GABF is validating beer’s place at the fine-dining table alongside wine and spirits.
Second, the geographical spread of the 2025 chefs—ranging from Grand Junction to Washington, D.C.—highlights the nationalization of craft beer culture. The festival acts as a bridge, connecting disparate regional foodways through the common medium of American craft brewing.
Finally, the introduction of the mocktail bar and the focus on Michelin-starred sustainability leaders like Whitaker and King point toward a more socially conscious and health-aware future for the industry. The Brewers Association is positioning the GABF not just as a celebration of alcohol, but as a celebration of craftsmanship, flavor, and community.
Tickets for the PAIRED experience, which include access to the main GABF festival floor, are currently available through the official festival website. As the October 9 opening date approaches, the Brewers Association is expected to release the specific beer-and-food pairing menu, which remains one of the most anticipated reveals for the nation’s craft beer enthusiasts.
