Welcome to the Alabama Craft Beer State Championship!
REGISTRATION FOR THE 2019 ALABAMA CRAFT BEER FEST IS NOW CLOSED.
*Please note: Entry into the Alabama Craft Beer State Championship includes a “Brewer’s Pass” for each brewery and all of their representatives.
Our Mission:
To promote Alabama’s commercial breweries, their brewers and the excellent craft beer.
To provide a focal point to advertise Alabama’s craft-brewed beers.
To encourage brewing of outstanding beer in the State of Alabama.
To feature the medal winner’s craft-brewed beer at the Alabama Craft Beer Festival.
The schedule of events for the 2019 Alabama Craft Beer State Championship:
Entry Submissions Open – June 1st, 2019
Entry Submissions Close – June 30th, 2019
Judging Samples Deadline -Due by 5 pm on Thursday, August 8th, 2019
Judging – August 9th and 10th, 2019 – Florence, AL
Awards Ceremony Saturday, September 21st, 2019 @ Alabama Craft Beer Festival in Florence, AL
Eligibility
The Alabama Craft Beer State Championship is open to all commercial beers (year-round, seasonals, and small batch) brewed in the State of Alabama and offered for sale in the State of Alabama without significant changes or modifications to the beer recipe from the way is has been offered for sale to the public. Breweries must be fully licensed for the manufacture and commercial sale of beer in the state of Alabama.
Each qualifying brewery will be provided a complimentary exhibit booth at the Alabama Craft Beer Festival on Saturday, September 21st, 2019 @ Singin’ River Brewing Co. Please feel free to bring any promotional or marketing products for display in your exhibition booth. Exhibit booth participation is not a requirement. Complimentary signage will also be provided for each brewery.
Judging
Judging will take place on August 9th and 10th of 2019. Each entry will be evaluated by a minimum of two judges. Judging is conducted by Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) judges ranked “certified” or higher. A judge cannot evaluate an entry in which they are associated. Judging is blind without knowledge of the brewery or the brand being evaluated. Judging notes will be provided to the breweries following the competition.
Brewmasters will accumulate points for each medal winning beer. All medal winners, Best of Show winners, and Brewmaster of The Year will be announced on Saturday September 21st, 2019 in downtown Florence, AL.
Categories
All beers will be judged according to the style specified by the brewer on the entry form. World Beer Cup Style Guidelines will be used. Style descriptions can be seen at the WBC Style Guidelines .
If the brewer wishes to enter a new style of beer not previously categorized please write the description of this beer in sufficient detail for the judges. Some historical or specialty beers may fit into such a category.
Awards & Medals
Credit for each beer will go to both the brewery and to the brewer of the particular beer entry.
Entries will be graded on a score range of 60 to 100 points.
Entries scoring at least 85 points will be eligible to receive a medal. Entries which score the minimal score necessary are NOT automatically awarded a medal.
Only the top three scoring beers in each category, or grouped category should a category not receive enough entries to be judged on it’s own, will receive a respective gold, silver or bronze medal. The judges do not necessarily have to award a gold medal if they feel that any of the entries do not meet the standards for a gold medal. The gold medal beer from each category will be judged for Best of Show. In the event a gold medal is not awarded, the silver and bronze medal entries are not eligible for advancement to the Best of Show round.
Best of Show winner will receive a Best of Show trophy that will be presented at the Alabama Craft Beer Festival in Downtown Florence on September 21st, 2019. Trophies will also be presented to the 2nd and 3rd Best of Show.
The Brewmaster of The Year will be awarded a commemorative trophy and a $500 cash prize.
Requirements of Medal Winners
STARTING IN 2018: due to territorial agreements and distribution factors, there is no longer a sixtel donation requirement for medal winners. Our goal is to feature as many medal winning beers as can be purchased within the confines of state regulations. However, if you wish to showcase samples of any particular beers, we are happy to provide complimentary space within the beer garden.
Entry Requirements
For each entry two samples of beer will be required (each at least twelve ounces). The first sample will be evaluated against those beers in the same category. The second sample will be used to determine the Best of Show.
Beers will be served to the judges “blind” so the type of container will not be an issue. Cans, bottles, kegs, PET bottles with carbonators will all be accepted.
Beer samples should be shipped to arrive before August 16th to:
Alabama Craft Beer Championship
2801 Mall Rd Suite 5
Florence, AL 35630