Entering Your First Home Brew Competition

Why Compete?

Home brew competitions are one of the best ways to improve as a brewer. You receive detailed, anonymous feedback from trained judges who evaluate your beer against established style guidelines. Win or lose, the feedback is invaluable. Many of the best home brewers in the world credit competitions with accelerating their development.

Understanding the BJCP Framework

Most home brew competitions in the United States follow the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) guidelines. The BJCP defines dozens of beer styles with specific parameters for appearance, aroma, flavor, mouthfeel, and overall impression. Your beer is judged against the style you enter it as, not against other entries in the same category (in preliminary rounds).

How Scoring Works

Beers are scored on a 50-point scale across these categories:

Home brew competition guide — practical guide overview — Home brew competition guide

Aroma (12 points) - Hop, malt, yeast, and fermentation character as perceived through smell
Appearance (3 points) - Color, clarity, head formation and retention
Flavor (20 points) - The big one. Hop bitterness and flavor, malt character, fermentation profile, balance, and finish
Mouthfeel (5 points) - Body, carbonation, warmth, astringency, and other tactile sensations
Overall Impression (10 points) - How well the beer represents the style and the overall drinking experience

A score of 30-35 is good. 35-40 is very good. 40-45 is excellent. 45-50 is outstanding (and rare). Do not be discouraged by scores in the low 30s on your first entries. That is a solid starting point, and the written feedback will tell you exactly where to improve.

Choosing What to Enter

Pick the Right Category

Read the BJCP style guidelines for the style you brewed. If your IPA is hazy and juicy, enter it as a New England IPA (21C), not an American IPA (21A). Entering in the wrong category guarantees point deductions for style accuracy. If your beer does not fit neatly into a category, consider the Specialty categories.

Best Styles for Competition Beginners

American Amber Ale - Balanced and forgiving. Judges are looking for clean execution.
English Bitter - Showcases fundamental brewing skills without needing extreme ingredients.
Porter - Roasted malt character can mask minor flaws.
Cream Ale - Clean and simple. Forces you to nail the basics.

Home brew competition guide — step-by-step visual example — Home brew competition guide

Preparing Your Entries

Packaging

Most competitions require entries in unlabeled 12-oz brown glass bottles with a plain crown cap. Remove all labels and markings. Bottles should be clean, unchipped, and properly capped. Submit the number of bottles required (usually 2-3).

Condition and Carbonation

Your beer should be at peak condition. For bottle-conditioned beer, allow at least 3 weeks for carbonation to develop fully. Carbonation level should match the style (higher for hefeweizen, moderate for most ales, etc.).

Temperature and Storage

Store competition bottles at a stable, cool temperature. Do not freeze them (if being shipped in winter). Ship entries with enough lead time to arrive before the deadline. Include insulation for temperature-sensitive styles.

Brew your competition beer at least 6-8 weeks before the entry deadline. This gives you time for proper fermentation, conditioning, carbonation, and peak freshness. Rushing a competition beer is a recipe for disappointing scores.

Understanding Judge Feedback

Reading Your Scoresheet

Judges provide written comments in each scoring category plus overall notes. Look for patterns across multiple judges (competitions typically have 2 judges per entry). If both judges note the same off-flavor or process issue, that is reliable feedback to act on.

Home brew competition guide — helpful reference illustration — Home brew competition guide

Common Judge Comments and What They Mean

"Undercarbonated" - Allow more time for bottle conditioning or increase priming sugar slightly
"Thin body" - Raise mash temperature by 2-4°F next time
"Diacetyl detected" - Extend fermentation time and add a warm rest at the end
"Oxidized / papery" - Reduce oxygen exposure during transfers and packaging
"Not to style" - Review the BJCP guidelines and consider entering in a different category

Finding Competitions

The American Homebrewers Association (AHA) maintains a competition calendar at homebrewersassociation.org. Local homebrew clubs also host smaller competitions that are perfect for first-time entrants. The National Homebrew Competition (NHC) is the largest and most prestigious, but start local to build experience.

Do not take low scores personally. Competition judging is subjective, conditions during shipping can affect your beer, and even experienced brewers receive mediocre scores sometimes. Focus on the written feedback, not the number. Implement the suggestions and enter again.

Getting the Most from Competitions

Enter multiple styles to get diverse feedback. Track scores and judge comments over time to identify recurring themes. Attend competitions as a steward (server) to observe judging firsthand. And use every batch as a learning opportunity, tracking gravity readings with our ABV Calculator and hop additions with our Hop Bitterness Calculator.