2026 Alamo City Brew Battle
Entries
Judging
Entry Registration
Judge Registration
Steward Registration
Entry Drop-Off
Entry Shipping
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.
Entry Registration is Open
Competition Rules & Information
This competition is open to any entrant age 21 and older.
Important Dates to Remember
Account registration will open Sunday, February 22, 2026 8:00 AM, CST. You will have the opportunity to create your account prior to registering your entries. We highly encourage you to create your account before the entry registration date to allow you to get your entries registered and paid for before it fills up!
Judge and steward registration will open Sunday, February 22, 2026 8:00 AM, CST. If you are interested and want to judge, you must have an account created as scoresheets will be completed online. Please help judge if you can!
Entry registration will open Sunday, March 1, 2026 12:00 PM, CST. There is a maximum of 8 entries per entrant. There will be a limit of 4 entries that can be entered per entrant until March 8, 2026 1:00 PM, CST, where another 4 entries can be registered.
Entry Limits and Payment Information
The competition limit is 375 PAID entries (325 beer / 50 mead). PayPal is the only accepted method of payment. See Entry Acceptance Rules section for more information.
Entry Requirements
Entries must be handcrafted and homebrewed products, containing ingredients available to the general public, and made using private equipment (i.e., no use of commercial facilities, breweries, or Brew on Premises operations, supplies, etc.). Entrants are limited to one entry in each subcategory. Duplicate entries in a subcategory will be removed, including cobrewer(s).
All entries must arrive at the designated drop-off/shipping destination by the deadline or entry fees will be forfeited. The competition staff is not responsible for miscategorized entries, entries that are not received by the entry deadline or entries that are lost or arrived damaged.
Judging
This competition is BJCP sanctioned and will utilize the structured scoresheet format for generating digital scoresheets for entrants. These will be made available for viewing and download after the awards ceremony concludes.
When registration is closed, tables will be made based on the number and types of entries. A table, for example, could be called “Standard American Beers” and include subcategories of 1A, 1B, 1C, and 1D, or another example may be called “Dark Lager” and include subcategories of 2C, 8A, 8B, etc. The number and types of entries will dictate how tables are created. See 2021 Beer Style Guidelines for more information.
The competition organizers reserve the right to combine styles and categories for judging, and to restructure awards as needed depending upon the quantity and quality of entries. Qualified judging of all entries is the primary goal of our competition. Judges will evaluate and score each entry. A consensus score will be given, but individual scorescheets may show a higher score. Judging feedback and scores from judges are final.
All possible effort will be made to combine similar styles. All entries in combined categories will be judged according to the style they were originally entered in. The Best of Show judging will be determined by a Best of Show panel based on a second judging of the top winners.
Bottles and cans will not be returned to entrants. No refunds will be given for entries not received.
Entry Acceptance Rules
Beer
- Three (3) 12oz brown glass bottles or three (3) 11.1-16.9oz cans for beer.
- Please use solid color caps. If not, please black them out.
- Please use unidentifiable bottles (no embossing, etc.)
- Any less than 3 entries sent will still be judged but will not be eligible for BOS consideration.
Mead
- Three (3) 12oz brown glass bottles or three (3) 187 mL bottles for mead.
- Please use solid color caps. If not, please black them out.
- Please use unidentifiable bottles (no embossing, etc.)
- Corked bottles are permitted.
- Any less than 3 entries sent will still be judged but will not be eligible for BOS consideration.
Other Info
- An entrant is defined as the person who registers and pays for the entry/entries.
- 8 entry limit per entrant (this includes all beers, all meads, and beers and meads combined)
- Cobrewer(s) is/are considered contributor(s) to the entry/enties and may be listed on an entry even if they have their own entries.
- Bottles/cans will not be returned to contest entrants.
- You are responsible for tracking the shipment of your entries and letting us know if entries may be delayed. We will do our best to accomodate you if entries are lost/damaged, but cannot guarantee it.
- We encourage entering your Master Homebrewer's Program (MHP) number in your account information to allow scores to be sent on your behalf to MHP.
Payment
- $12 per entry
- Only PayPal is accepted and entrants wil be required to pay the additional fees.
- No refunds will be given. If you experience issues with PayPal such as overcharges, etc. please provide us with proof of receipt, evidence of payment, etc. so we can resolve issues.
Entry Info
Entry Limits
- Entry Limit – Paid:
- 375
Entry Limits Per Participant
| Limit | Enforced Until |
|---|---|
| 4 Entries | Sunday, March 8, 2026 1:00 PM, CDT |
| 8 Entries | Saturday, March 14, 2026 11:59 PM, CDT |
- 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.
| 1A American Light Lager | 1B American Lager | 1C Cream Ale |
| 1D American Wheat Beer | 2A International Pale Lager | 2B International Amber Lager |
| 2C International Dark Lager | 3A Czech Pale Lager | 3B Czech Premium Pale Lager |
| 3C Czech Amber Lager | 3D Czech Dark Lager | 4A Munich Helles |
| 4B Festbier | 4C Helles Bock | 5A German Leichtbier |
| 5B Kölsch | 5C German Helles Exportbier | 5D German Pils |
| 6A Märzen | 6B Rauchbier | 6C Dunkels Bock |
| 7A Vienna Lager | 7B Altbier | 8A Munich Dunkel |
| 8B Schwarzbier | 9A Doppelbock | 9B Eisbock |
| 9C Baltic Porter | 10A Weissbier | 10B Dunkels Weissbier |
| 10C Weizenbock | 11A Ordinary Bitter | 11B Best Bitter |
| 11C Strong Bitter | 12A British Golden Ale | 12B Australian Sparkling Ale |
| 12C English IPA | 13A Dark Mild | 13B British Brown Ale |
| 13C English Porter | 14A Scottish Light | 14B Scottish Heavy |
| 14C Scottish Export | 15A Irish Red Ale | 15B Irish Stout |
| 15C Irish Extra Stout | 16A Sweet Stout | 16B Oatmeal Stout |
| 16C Tropical Stout | 16D Foreign Extra Stout | 17A British Strong Ale |
| 17A1 Burton Ale | 17B Old Ale | 17C Wee Heavy |
| 17D English Barley Wine | 18A Blonde Ale | 18B American Pale Ale |
| 19A American Amber Ale | 19B California Common | 19C American Brown Ale |
| 20A American Porter | 20B American Stout | 20C Imperial Stout |
| 21A American IPA | 21B Specialty IPA | 21B1 Belgian IPA |
| 21B2 Black IPA | 21B3 Brown IPA | 21B4 Red IPA |
| 21B5 Rye IPA | 21B6 White IPA | 21B7 Brut IPA |
| 21C Hazy IPA | 22A Double IPA | 22B American Strong Ale |
| 22C American Barleywine | 22D Wheatwine | 23A Berliner Weisse |
| 23B Flanders Red Ale | 23C Oud Bruin | 23D Lambic |
| 23E Gueuze | 23F Fruit Lambic | 23G Gose |
| 24A Witbier | 24B Belgian Pale Ale | 24C Bière de Garde |
| 25A Belgian Blond Ale | 25B Saison | 25C Belgian Golden Strong Ale |
| 26A Belgian Single | 26B Belgian Dubbel | 26C Belgian Tripel |
| 26D Belgian Dark Strong Ale | 27A Historical Beer | 27A1 Kellerbier |
| 27A2 Kentucky Common | 27A3 Lichtenhainer | 27A4 London Brown Ale |
| 27A5 Piwo Grodziskie | 27A6 Pre-Prohibition Lager | 27A7 Pre-Prohibition Porter |
| 27A8 Roggenbier | 27A9 Sahti | 28A Brett Beer |
| 28B Mixed Fermentation Sour Beer | 28C Wild Specialty Beer | 28D Straight Sour Beer |
| 29A Fruit Beer | 29B Fruit and Spice Beer | 29C Specialty Fruit Beer |
| 29D Grape Ale | 30A Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer | 30B Autumn Seasonal Beer |
| 30C Winter Seasonal Beer | 30D Specialty Spice Beer | 31A Alternative Grain Beer |
| 31B Alternative Sugar Beer | 31B1 Alternative Sugar Beer (Custom Style) | 31B2 Alternative Sugar Beer (Custom Style) |
| 32A Classic Style Smoked Beer | 32B Specialty Smoked Beer | 33A Wood-Aged Beer |
| 33B Specialty Wood-Aged Beer | 34B Mixed-Style Beer | 34C Experimental Beer |
| LSX1 Dorada Pampeana | LSX2 IPA Argenta | LSX3 Italian Grape Ale |
| LSX4 Catharina Sour | LSX5 New Zealand Pilsner | M1A Dry Mead |
| M1B Semi-Sweet Mead | M1C Sweet Mead | M2A Cyser |
| M2B Pyment | M2C Berry Mead | M2D Stone Fruit Mead |
| M2E Melomel | M3A Fruit and Spice Mead | M3B Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Mead |
| M4A Braggot | M4B Historical Mead | M4C Experimental Mead |
Drop-Off Locations
Entry bottles accepted at our drop-off locations Sunday, March 15, 2026 8:00 AM, CDT — Sunday, March 29, 2026 5:00 PM, CDT.
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.
4834 Whirlwind Dr. Ste 102, San Antonio, TX 78217
210-339-2282
*Sunday: Closed. Mon-Thur: 12–6 PM. Fri-Sat: 12–9 PM
Thomas Musquiez
5603 Deertail Creek, San Antonio, TX 78251
210-317-7631
Shipping Info
Entry bottles accepted at our shipping location Sunday, March 15, 2026 8:00 AM, CDT — Sunday, March 29, 2026 5:00 PM, CDT.
Ship entries to:
Thomas Musquiez
5603 Deertail Creek, San Antonio TX 78251
Packing and Shipping
Shipping
- Carefully pack your entries in a sturdy box. If possible, line the inside of your carton with a plastic trash bag and thoroughly seal it to avoid any leaks if hey occur.
- Partition and pack each bottle with adequate packaging material. Please do not over pack!
- We recommend enclosing bottle labels in a sandwich bag and attaching to bottle with a rubber band so that sweating, condensation, leaks, etc. don't affect the label.
- Every reasonable effort will be made to contact entrants whose bottles have broken to make arrangements for sending replacement bottles.
Judging Sessions
01 - April 4th - Morning
Saturday, April 4, 2026 8:00 AM, CDT through Saturday, April 4, 2026 5:00 PM, CDT
TBD
02 - April 4th - Afternoon
Saturday, April 4, 2026 10:00 AM, CDT through Saturday, April 4, 2026 5:00 PM, CDT
TBD
03 - April 5th - Morning
Sunday, April 5, 2026 8:00 AM, CDT through Sunday, April 5, 2026 5:00 PM, CDT
TBD
04 - April 5th - Afternoon
Sunday, April 5, 2026 10:00 AM, CDT through Sunday, April 5, 2026 5:00 PM, CDT
TBD
05 - April 11th - Morning
Saturday, April 11, 2026 8:00 AM, CDT through Saturday, April 11, 2026 5:00 PM, CDT
TBD
06 - April 11th - Afternoon
Saturday, April 11, 2026 10:00 AM, CDT through Saturday, April 11, 2026 5:00 PM, CDT
TBD
07 - April 12th - Morning
Sunday, April 12, 2026 8:00 AM, CDT through Sunday, April 12, 2026 5:00 PM, CDT
TBD
08 - April 12th - Afternoon
Sunday, April 12, 2026 10:00 AM, CDT through Sunday, April 12, 2026 5:00 PM, CDT
TBD
09 - April 18th - Morning
Saturday, April 18, 2026 8:00 AM, CDT through Saturday, April 18, 2026 5:00 PM, CDT
TBD
10 - April 18th - Afternoon
Saturday, April 18, 2026 10:00 AM, CDT through Saturday, April 18, 2026 5:00 PM, CDT
TBD
11 - April 19th - Morning
Sunday, April 19, 2026 8:00 AM, CDT through Sunday, April 19, 2026 5:00 PM, CDT
TBD
12 - April 19th - Afternoon
Sunday, April 19, 2026 10:00 AM, CDT through Sunday, April 19, 2026 5:00 PM, CDT
TBD
13 - April 25th - Morning
Saturday, April 25, 2026 8:00 AM, CDT through Saturday, April 25, 2026 5:00 PM, CDT
TBD
14 - April 25th - Afternoon
Saturday, April 25, 2026 10:00 AM, CDT through Saturday, April 25, 2026 5:00 PM, CDT
TBD
15 - April 26th - Morning
Sunday, April 26, 2026 8:00 AM, CDT through Sunday, April 26, 2026 5:00 PM, CDT
TBD
16 - April 26th - Afternoon
Sunday, April 26, 2026 10:00 AM, CDT through Sunday, April 26, 2026 5:00 PM, CDT
TBD
Best of Show
1st place BOS will take home the BOS trophy. 2nd and 3rd place BOS for beer & 1st place for BOS Mead will also receive an award for their accomplishments.
Awards
The awards ceremony will take place at the TBD on May 16th, 2026 at 12:00 pm. There will be a $20 temporary membership due to this being a club event. All are welcome, but spots are limited!
Medals will be awarded to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in each table. Competitiors need to have a minimum score of at least 30 points to be eligible for a medal. The 1st place entry in each table will advance to the Best of Show (BOS) round.
BOS winners may receive custom awards.
All winners will post to the competition site and all awards will be available for pick up at the ceremony once it concludes. Awards not picked up will be mailed to participants. Score sheets will be posted to the competition website within 30 days after the ceremony concludes.
Awards Ceremony
TBD
TBD
Saturday, May 16, 2026 12:00 PM, CDT
Circuit Qualification
This is the 2nd competition in the Lone Star Circuit! https://www.lonestarcircuit.com/qualcomps.html
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.
Staff can indicate their availability for the following non-judging sessions:
- Bottle Sorting – Wednesday, April 1, 2026 7:00 PM, CDT
Sponsors
Contact
Use the form below to contact a competition official. All fields with a star are required.