Beerfest 2026
Entries
Judging
Entry Registration
Judge Registration
Steward Registration
Entry Drop-Off
Rules
Judge and Steward Registration is Open
If you have not registered and are willing to be a volunteer, please register.
If you have registered, log in and then choose Edit Account from the My Account menu indicated by the icon on the top menu.
» Brewers are limited to two entries in each category but may only enter each subcategory once.
» One bottle/can per entry (500ml minimum - 750ml preferred) -
» All entries must have labels attached.
Labels can be printed directly from this website. After registering, print the label and attach it to the bottle/can with sticky tape.
All entries must be handcrafted products made using private equipment by hobbyist brewers (i.e., no use of commercial facilities or Brew on Premises operations).
The competition organisers are not responsible for mis-categorised entries or entries that arrived damaged.
The primary goal of our event is qualified judging of all entries. Judges evaluate and score each entry, and the average of the scores ranks each entry in its category.
The competition committee reserves the right to combine categories based on number of entries. All possible efforts will be made to combine similar styles. All brews in combined categories will be judged according to the style in which they were originally entered.
Bottles will not be returned to entrants.
PRIZE CATEGORIES
1) American Ales
- American Pale Ale [BJCP 18B]
- American Amber Ale [BJCP 19A]
- American Brown Ale [BJCP 19C]
- America Strong Ale [BJCP 22B]
2) British Ales
- Ordinary Bitter [BJCP 11A]
- Best Bitter [BJCP 11B]
- Strong Bitter [BJCP 11]
- Dark Mild [BJCP 13A]
- British Brown Ale [BJCP 13B]
- Scottish Light [BJCP 14A]
- Scottish Heavy [BJCP 14B]
- Scottish Export [BJCP 14C]
- Wee Heavy [BJCP 17C]
3) Belgian Ales
- Belgian Single [BJCP 26A]
- Belgian Dubbel [BJCP 26B]
- Belgian Tripel [BJCP 26C]
- Belgian Dark Strong Ale [BJCP 26D]
4) SOUR & WILD ALE
- Lambic [BJCP 23D]
- Gueuze [BJCP 23E]
- Fruit Lambic [BJCP 23F]
- Flanders Red Ale [BJCP 23B]
- Oud Bruin [BJCP 23C]
- Brett Beer [BJCP 28A]
- Mixed-Fermentation Sour Beer [BJCP 28B]
- Wild Specialty Beer [BJCP 28C]
5) FRUIT & SPICE BEER
- Fruit Beer [BJCP 29A]
- Fruit and Spice Beer [BJCP 29B]
- Specialty Fruit Beer [BJCP 29C]
- Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer [BJCP 30A]
- Autumn Seasonal Beer [BJCP 30B]
- Winter Seasonal Beer [BJCP 30C]
- Specialty Spice Beer [BJCP 30D]
6) SMOKED & WOOD AGED BEER
- Classic Style Smoked Beer [BJCP 32A]
- Specialty Smoked Beer [BJCP 32B]
- Wood-Aged Beer [BJCP 33A]
- Specialty Wood-Aged Beer [BJCP 33B]
7) Beerfest 2026 – Aussie Knockout!
Think you’ve got the ultimate Aussie brew? This year’s Beerfest specialty category is all about celebrating Australia — from Galaxy hops to homegrown malts, or any creative twist that screams “Aussie.”
Enter your best creation and face off in a sudden-death knockout showdown. Judges will taste head-to-head, and only the strongest brew survives each round.
Bring your bottles, bring your pride, and show us what Aussie beer means to you. Who will take the crown
Entry Acceptance Rules
» One bottle/can per entry (750ml preferred) -
» All entries must have labels attached (Labels can be printed directly from this website).
- We will be using the BJCP 2021 guidelines https://www.bjcp.org/news/bjcp-releases-2021-beer-style-guidelines/
- Brewers can enter up to two entries per category, but not two entries into the same style.
- Exception for the Aussie Knockout Category where only 1 entry per brewer is allowed
- Entrants must nominate a designated Style.
A panel of at least two judges will judge the beers in each category. The completed scoresheets will be returned to the entrants.
You must be a resident of Victoria to enter.
Entry Info
Entry Limits
- Entry Limit:
- 140
Entry Limits Per Participant
- Entry Limit Per Participant:
- 8
- Per Style Entry Limit:
- 1
Pay Entry Fees
After creating your account and adding your entries to the system, you must pay your entry fee(s). Accepted payment methods are:
- Credit/debit card and e-check, via PayPal
BJCP 2015 / 2021 Styles Accepted
Indicates that the style's entry limit has been reached and no more entries of that style will be accepted.
| 11A Ordinary Bitter | 11B Best Bitter | 11C Strong Bitter |
| 13A Dark Mild | 13B British Brown Ale | 14A Scottish Light |
| 14B Scottish Heavy | 14C Scottish Export | 17A British Strong Ale |
| 17C Wee Heavy | 18B American Pale Ale | 19A American Amber Ale |
| 19C American Brown Ale | 22B American Strong Ale | 23B Flanders Red Ale |
| 23C Oud Bruin | 23D Lambic | 23F Fruit Lambic |
| 23G Gose | 26A Belgian Single | 26B Belgian Dubbel |
| 26C Belgian Tripel | 26D Belgian Dark Strong Ale | 28A Brett Beer |
| 28B Mixed Fermentation Sour Beer | 28C Wild Specialty Beer | 29A Fruit Beer |
| 29B Fruit and Spice Beer | 29C Specialty Fruit Beer | 30A Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer |
| 30B Autumn Seasonal Beer | 30C Winter Seasonal Beer | 30D Specialty Spice Beer |
| 32A Classic Style Smoked Beer | 32B Specialty Smoked Beer | 33A Wood-Aged Beer |
| 33B Specialty Wood-Aged Beer | AUSAU Aussie Beer (Custom Style) |
Drop-Off Locations
Entry bottles accepted at our drop-off locations Thursday 1 January, 2026 1:00 AM, AEDT — Saturday 21 February, 2026 10:00 AM, AEDT.
Please pay attention to the notes provided for each drop-off location. There could be earlier deadlines for some drop-off locations listed, particular hours when entries are accepted, certain individuals to leave your entries with, etc. All entrants are responsible for reading the information provided by the organizers for each drop-off location.
8 Cypress Ave, Brooklyn VIC 3012
48 Smith Rd, Springvale VIC 3171
(03) 9089 0122
410 Princes Hwy, Noble Park North VIC 3174
(03) 9018 7935
*24 Hour Drop Off Location
Best of Show
🍻 Beerfest 2026 – Aussie Beer Competition
Each year, we pick a special knockout competition as part of Beerfest. This year’s theme is “Aussie” — a celebration of beers that showcase Australian ingredients, traditions, or anything that represents Australia.
Whether it’s a crisp lager brewed with Aussie malt, a hop-forward pale ale bursting with Galaxy (does anyone still use galacy?), or a creative twist inspired by Australia, this is your chance to show off your brewing imagination.
FAQ
1) Why aren’t styles specified?
Beer doesn’t always fit neatly into BJCP categories. We want to test your creativity and give you the freedom to brew anything that captures the Aussie spirit. Think outside the guidelines and surprise the judges.
2) What can I brew?
You can brew any style you like — the only requirement is that it must connect to the Aussie theme. That could mean:
Using Australian malts, hops, or yeast
Brewing a style with a uniquely Australian twist
Creating a beer that represents Australia in its story, ingredients, or inspiration
Additional malts, hops, and yeast are all fair game. Let your imagination run wild.
3) How do I enter?
Enter as you would in the other Beerfest categories.
Select Aussie as the style and provide a short description of your beer.
Submit 2 × 750ml bottles (or 3 × 500ml bottles) to ensure we have enough for the knockout rounds.
4) How will the beers be judged?
This is a best-of-show knockout competition:
Beers are judged head-to-head by a panel.
Judges vote on which beer they prefer.
Winners advance to the next round.
Lose a round, and you’re out.
It’s sudden death, Aussie style.
5) Will I get feedback?
There will be no written feedback for this category. However, you’ll be able to see which beers you were matched against and which the judges preferred. (All other Beerfest categories will still receive standard BJCP scorecards.)
Volunteers
Judges and Stewards
If you have registered, log in and then choose Edit Account from the My Account menu indicated by the icon on the top menu.
If you have not registered and are willing to be a judge or steward, please register.
Staff
If you would like to volunteer to be a competition staff member, please register or update your account to indicate that you wish to be a part of the competition staff.
Other Volunteer Info
These events do not run without volunteers, and all levels of skill and experience are encouraged to participate. We do NOT insist on any particular qualification to judge beer - if you are a novice we will pair you with experienced judges. You do not need to have BJCP accreditation to be a judge.
So here's what you need to do, in three simple steps:
1) Decide to particpate!
2) Go and beg permission from the family, and add the date to your calendar.
3) Register your participation on this site.
Sponsors
Contact
Use the form below to contact a competition official. All fields with a star are required.