42nd Great American Beer Festival kicks off in Denver at new location

The 42nd Great American Beer Festival is underway, and in 42 years, a lot has changed.

Ask Jennifer Glanville Love, a brewer and director of partnerships at Samuel Adams, who has attended 23 of them. She says the biggest change over the years has been in the crowd.

"The craft drinker has evolved and changed," she said.

That's why this year's festival organizers decided to try something different; they took it out of the Convention Center and held it outside at the Levitt Pavilion in Ruby Hill Park.

"It's time we changed, too," said Bart Watson, the president and CEO of the Brewers Association. "We thought about what we wanted. A beer festival celebrating the best of American beer and being outside felt like you'd be part of it."

But there's still a lot that is the same.

"Every station is going to have amazing beer, and you don't have to come with a favorite because you're going to find a new favorite," said Watson.

So far, the new recipe seems to be a success. The weekend passes and tickets for Saturday's event sold out.

"Everybody's having a good time, and they're enjoying just really high-quality beers," said Glanville Love. "Beer is such a communal thing, and it really drives community."