Heads up. Tickets are selling out fast to next month's Great American Beer Festival in Denver, so get yours if you haven't already.

Nowhere else in the world will you find a greater variety of beers under one roof -- let alone in one city.

Once again, this year's GABF -- Sept. 24-26 at the Colorado Convention Center -- is going to be even greater than last year's. More than 450 breweries from 47 different states will be pouring a total of about 2,000 different beers, providing you with the opportunity to experience beer-sampling nirvana.

Upon entering the festival, you might find yourself overwhelmed with choices. To make it less daunting, sometimes I stick to a beer strategy.

One year I went from "light" to "dark" -- not necessarily referring to color, but as a figurative term referring to intensity. I started off with light lagers and the like, so as not to blow out my palate in the beginning. As the afternoon wore on, I worked my way through some pale ales and light Belgian ales. Then I started getting serious, as I moved on to double India pale ales, barley wines, Imperial stouts and sour Belgians.

Another year I kept my focus on hoppy pale ales, IPAs and double IPAs. It was fun to experience the huge variety of hop flavors and aromas, and it was bitterly sweet.

This year I plan to seek out new beers to try that are not available in Colorado. And I'm always interested to see what some of those breweries have been up to.

The GABF is one of the greatest beer festivals in the world, and it happens to be in our back yard. If you're a beer lover, it's not to be missed.

So get your ticket now before all the sessions sell out, and they will.

For inforamtion and tickets, visit greatamericanbeerfestival.com.

MORE FESTS:

Foam Fest

Antler Park, Colorado Springs

The third annual 2009 Old Chicago Springs Foam Fest is Colorado Springs' only downtown beer festival. Featuring more than 25 regional craft breweries, homebrew competition, games, and featured food from local restaurants. Pack a blanket, sturdy drinking shoes and chairs and kick back with local musicians and some hand-crafted goodness.

Foam Fest's live entertainment lineup includes Andy Clifton & Company and Chute Nine. More "festival style" fun will include Bungee Jumping, Beer Pong, Ring Tossing, a Rock Climbing Wall, Dunk Tank and the crowd-pleasing Corn Holing.

New this year will be a Home Brewer Competition that looks to bring several contestants and even more avid beer drinkers. Proceeds from the festival will benefit the The Old Chicago's Foundation's Miracle on Tejon Street, and The Friends of Cheyenne Cañon.

For more information, visit oldchicagofoamfest.com or call 719-593-7678.

When: 7-10:30 p.m. Sept. 11

Brew at the Zoo

Denver Zoo

Enjoy beer and hors d'oeuvres from more than 50 Colorado breweries and restaurants (wine, too), music and dancing at the zoo after dusk.

This event is a fundraiser for the Zoo's Red Apple Fund for Life-Long Learning, which makes it possible for all individuals to discover the wonders of animals through participation in Denver Zoo education programs. 21 and over only.

For more information, visit denverzoo.org/visitors/events.asp.

When: 2-6 p.m. Sept. 12

Boulder Beer Heat Rave

See why Colorado's Front Range is called "The Napa Valley of Beer," featuring unlimited hard-to-find samples of small-batch and brewery-only releases from several of Colorado's great microbreweries.

The Boulder Heat Rave is a fundraiser for the Miracle on Walnut Street, providing Christmas Day meals for Boulder's homeless.

For tickets, visit boulderbeer.com/catalog.

When: 1-4 p.m. Sept. 25