Blue Ridge Brew-Off (2026)
Thanks to all who participated in the Blue Ridge Brew-Off (2026).
There were 286 entries judged and 135 registered participants, judges, and stewards.
Best of Show Winners
Best of Show – Beer
| Place | Brewer | Entry Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Ross Stuart | 2 | 8B: Schwarzbier | Arizona Society of Homebrewers |
| 2nd | Theodore Casser | Come Fly With Me, Gatinha | LSX4: Catharina Sour | |
| 3rd | Seth Gee | Reminds Me Of An Icon | 21B2: Black IPA | Mountain Ale and Lager Tasters (MALT) |
| HM | Ken Hilton | Samba Leather & Lace | 33B: Specialty Wood-Aged Beer | Down East Alers (DEA) |
Winning Entries
Table 1: Standard American Beer (11 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | David Towles MHP | Light Lager | 1A: American Light Lager | Red Earth Brewers |
| 2nd | Mike Rousseau | Corn Dog | 1C: Cream Ale | Lowcountry Libations |
| 3rd | Jesse Flores | Uncle Sam | 1B: American Lager | Ace Brewing Society |
Table 2: International Lager (6 entries)
Table 3: Czech Lager (10 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Brandon Christian MHP Co-Brewer: Carla Christian | Copper Compass | 3C: Czech Amber Lager | Seven City Brewers |
| 2nd | Ross Stuart MHP | 1 | 3B: Czech Premium Pale Lager | Arizona Society of Homebrewers |
| 3rd | Cole Christian MHP Co-Brewer: Paulette Palacios | Polotmavá Srst 13° | 3C: Czech Amber Lager | DC Homebrewers |
| HM | Tony Kulas MHP | CDL | 3D: Czech Dark Lager | Down East Alers (DEA) |
Table 4: European Lagers (24 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Dave Siler | Taste Of Virginia | 7A: Vienna Lager | James River Homebrewers |
| 2nd | Carter Bundy Co-Brewer: Claire Bundy | Marzen | 6A: Märzen | James River Homebrewers |
| 3rd | Tony Kulas MHP | Munich Helles | 4A: Munich Helles | Down East Alers (DEA) |
Table 5: Bock, Baltic Porter, and Kellerbier (9 entries)
Table 6: European and New Zealand Beer (10 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | JW Jones MHP | Appalachian Importbier | 5C: German Helles Exportbier | Mountain Ale and Lager Tasters (MALT) |
| 2nd | Brandon Christian MHP Co-Brewer: Carla Christian | Lord Of Riwaka | LSX5: New Zealand Pilsner | Seven City Brewers |
| 3rd | Clint Blackwelder MHP | Pilsner | 5D: German Pils | Mountain Ale and Lager Tasters (MALT) |
Table 7: Amber and Dark European Lagers (9 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Ross Stuart MHP | 2 | 8B: Schwarzbier | Arizona Society of Homebrewers |
| 2nd | Chris Rousseau | Dusseldorf | 7B: Altbier | Lowcountry Libations |
| 3rd | Tony Kulas MHP | Munich Dunkel | 8A: Munich Dunkel | Down East Alers (DEA) |
Table 8: Wheat Beers (9 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Stephen Schmitt MHP | R2-Wheat2 | 22D: Wheatwine | Evanston Homebrew Club |
| 2nd | Joel Miller | Working Hard For The Hefe | 10A: Weissbier | James River Homebrewers |
| 3rd | Chris Rousseau | Wheaties | 1D: American Wheat Beer | Lowcountry Libations |
Table 9: Bitter and Golden (12 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Ryan Jiles MHP | Cake Builder | 11C: Strong Bitter | Ace Brewing Society |
| 2nd | Carter Bundy Co-Brewer: Claire Bundy | English Blond | 12A: British Golden Ale | James River Homebrewers |
| 3rd | Christopher Mazurk MHP | Short Shift | 12A: British Golden Ale | Ace Brewing Society |
Table 10: English and American IPA (10 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | William Vigil MHP | The Resin King | 21A: American IPA | Ace Brewing Society |
| 2nd | Rob Norman MHP | Chasing Gold | 21A: American IPA | Wake County Brusaders |
| 3rd | Jennifer Vonderwell MHP | Next Thing On My List | 12C: English IPA | Brewtubers |
Table 11: Brown British and Scottish (11 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Brian Donegan | Beam Me Down, Scotty | 14B: Scottish Heavy | Seven City Brewers |
| 2nd | David Towles MHP | Scottish Heavy | 14B: Scottish Heavy | Red Earth Brewers |
| 3rd | Carter Bundy Co-Brewer: Claire Bundy | Mildly | 13A: Dark Mild | James River Homebrewers |
Table 12: Porter and Stout (10 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Gerad Miller MHP | Finger Of God | 20C: Imperial Stout | Dayton Regional Amateur Fermentation Technologists |
| 2nd | Dirk Montgomery MHP | Old Walking Stick | 15C: Irish Extra Stout | Red Earth Brewers |
| 3rd | Anthony Mercer | Gnarly Branch Imperial Stout | 20C: Imperial Stout | Down East Alers (DEA) |
Table 13: Strong British and American Ales (10 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Mike Rousseau | PTE 26 | 22A: Double IPA | Lowcountry Libations |
| 2nd | Curtis Ritter MHP | Liberty Belligerence | 22B: American Strong Ale | Ace Brewing Society |
| 3rd | Ryan Larsen | Fire Pit Potion | 17A: British Strong Ale | James River Homebrewers |
| HM | Ross Stuart MHP | DIPA | 22A: Double IPA | Arizona Society of Homebrewers |
Table 14: Pale and Amber American Ales (11 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Chris Rousseau | Late Summer Blonde | 18A: Blonde Ale | Lowcountry Libations |
| 2nd | Ian Wilhelm Co-Brewer: Gabriella Meany And Jacob Matter | Entropy | 18B: American Pale Ale | Sons of Alchemy |
| 3rd | Jesse Flores | El Classico | 18B: American Pale Ale | Ace Brewing Society |
Table 15: Specialty IPA (16 entries)
Table 16: Sour and Wild Ales (11 entries)
Table 17: Belgian Ale (9 entries)
Table 18: Blonde and Saison (10 entries)
Table 19: Strong and Monastic Belgian Ales (15 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Stephen Schmitt MHP | Tripel | 26C: Belgian Tripel | Evanston Homebrew Club |
| 2nd | Gerad Miller MHP | You Fell Victim To One Of The Classic Blunders | 26D: Belgian Dark Strong Ale | Dayton Regional Amateur Fermentation Technologists |
| 3rd | Mike Rousseau | Buzz Off | 25C: Belgian Golden Strong Ale | Lowcountry Libations |
| HM | Robert Deacon MHP | Quad Father | 26D: Belgian Dark Strong Ale | Seven City Brewers |
Table 20: Historical Beer (12 entries)
Table 21: Fruit and Specialty Beer (10 entries)
Table 22: Spiced, Smoked, Wood and Specialty (22 entries)
Table 23: Ciders (15 entries)
Table 24: Meads (14 entries)
Judging Sessions
Friday Afternoon
09/25/2026 3:30 PM, EDT.
Friday Evening
09/25/2026 6:00 PM, EDT.
Saturday Morning
09/26/2026 9:00 AM, EDT.
Saturday Evening
09/26/2026 1:00 PM, EDT.
Account Registration Closed
Account registrations accepted 07/01/2026 9:00 AM, EDT through 09/25/2026 3:30 PM, EDT.
Registrations for judges or stewards accepted 07/01/2026 9:00 AM, EDT through 09/25/2026 12:00 PM, EDT.
Entry Registration Closed
Entry registrations accepted 07/18/2026 9:00 AM, EDT through 09/25/2026 3:30 PM, EDT.
Entry Drop-Off Closed
Entry bottles accepted at drop-off locations 08/19/2026 12:00 PM, EDT — 09/11/2026 9:00 PM, EDT.
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.
Entry Shipping Closed
Entry bottles accepted at the shipping location 08/19/2026 12:00 PM, EDT — 09/11/2026 9:00 PM, EDT.