The American Homebrewers Association (AHA) awarded more than 120 medals in 40 categories to amateur brewers and homebrew clubs worldwide at the 2021 National Homebrew Competition awards ceremony. Winners of the world’s largest homebrew competition were recognized for the most outstanding homemade beer, mead, and cider during a ceremony livestream.
Over its 43-year history, 156,830 brews have been evaluated since the inaugural AHA National Homebrew Competition in 1979 in Boulder, Colo. This year’s competition saw more than 5,045 entries from 2,037 homebrewers located in 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and 13 countries.
Most-Entered Style Categories
The winners of the top five most-entered categories were:
Cat 26: Strong Belgian Ale (246 entries)
GOLD: Daniel Kukuk, Grosse Point, Mich., Motor City Mashers
SILVER: John Thompson, Encinitas, Calif.
BRONZE: John Horton, Aurora, Colo., Aurora City Brew Club
Cat 3: Pilsner (199 entries)
GOLD: Jeff Klatt, San Bruno, Calif., Worts of Wisdom Homebrewers
SILVER: Rob Hardisty, Fort Collins, Colo., Liquid Poets
BRONZE: Patrick Mousaw, Granger, Ind., Michiana Extract & Grain Association (MEGA)
Cat 5: Amber European Beer (185 entries)
GOLD: Jon Serluco, Brooklyn, N.Y., Brewminaries
SILVER: Matt Lennon, Redwood City, Calif., Bitches & Studs Brew Club
BRONZE: Joe St. John, Los Angeles, Calif., Yeastside Brewers
Cat 19: New England IPA (191 entries)
GOLD: Keith Linn, Rogers, Ark., Fayetteville Lovers of Pure Suds (F.L.O.P.S.)
SILVER: Jason Lowery, Amherst, Ohio, Brewly Homebrew Club
BRONZE: Paul Arends, Rockford, Mich., Brewsquitos Homebrewing Club
Cat 23: Imperial Porter & Stout (191 entries)
GOLD: Mandy Naglich & Wesley Carmichael, New York, N.Y.
SILVER: Zach Rice, West Des Moines, Iowa, Iowa Brewers Union (IBU)
BRONZE: Ryan Stack, Saint Cloud, Minn., Cloudy Town Brewers
Major Awards
In addition to category style awards, six major awards recognizing overall brewing excellence were presented.
Samuel Adams Ninkasi Award – Sponsored by Samuel Adams
Recognizes the entrant who accumulates the most points in the final round of competition.
Jason Lowery, Amherst, Ohio, Brewly Homebrew Club
Homebrewer of the Year Award – Sponsored by Muntons Malted Ingredients
Ben Amidon, Arlington, Mass.
Cidermaker of the Year Award – Sponsored by Vermont Hard Cider Company
Jeff Carlson, Grand Rapids, Mich., Primetime Brewers
Meadmaker of the Year Award – Sponsored by Redstone Meadery
Stephen Kilburn, Bonita, Calif.
Homebrew Club Award – Sponsored by Country Malt Group
Awarded to the club accumulating the most total points in all categories of beer, mead, and cider in the final round of competition.
Diablo Order of Zymiracle Enthusiasts (DOZE), Walnut Creek, Calif.
Gambrinus Club Award – Sponsored by LD Carlson
Recognizes the club garnering the most final round points per total club entries.
Foam Rangers Homebrew Club, Houston, Texas
Homebrew Con
This year’s 43rd annual Homebrew Con concluded with the National Homebrew Competition (NHC), the world’s largest international amateur beer competition recognizing outstanding homebrewed beer, mead, and cider. Homebrew Con is a three-day conference where homebrewers and fermentation hobbyists celebrate the art of brewing beer, making cider, mead, and kombucha, and learning fermentation techniques. This year, Homebrew Con was held online and featured a keynote speaker, a virtual expo hall, meetups, and more than 30 live seminars with access to post-event recordings.
“Once again homebrewers around the world continue to amaze judges with their quality and creativity across all categories,” said John Moorhead, AHA competition manager. “Congratulations to this year’s winners of the National Homebrew Competition for their mastery of fermentation.”
A complete list of winners of the 2021 National Homebrew Competition can be found here.
