IBU Open - 28th Annual
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.
This competition is AHA sanctioned and open to any amateur homebrewer age 21 or older.
ENTRIES MUST BE PAID IN ORDER TO BE CONSIDERED IN THE PAID ENTRY LIMIT (400) FOR THIS COMPETITION. If you do not pay for an entry before the limit is reached, that entry will not be eligible for the competition. We do not offer refunds.
All mailed entries must received at the mailing location by the entry deadline - please allow for shipping time. Any Entry(ies) not received by the deadline will not be considered for comepetition.
All entries will be picked up from drop-off locations the day of the entry deadline.
All entries must be handcrafted products, containing ingredients available to the general public, and made using private equipment by hobbyist brewers (i.e., no use of commercial facilities or Brew on Premises operations, supplies, etc.).
The competition organizers are not responsible for mis-categorized entries, mailed entries that are not received by the entry deadline, or entries that arrived damaged.
The competition organizers reserve the right to combine styles for judging and to restructure awards as needed depending upon the quantity and quality of entries. All brews in combined categories will be judged according to the style they were originally entered in.
Qualified judging of all entries is the primary goal of our event. Judges will evaluate and score each entry. Table places will be determined by mini Best of Table judging. Each flight will have at least one BJCP judge.
Brewers are limited to 6 total entries per brewer. Brewers are not limited to one entry in each category, but are limited to only enter each subcategory once. This includes teams, if the same brewers are listed on multiple beers with separate primary brewers in the same subcategory only one entry will be eligible to place.
The Best of Show judging will be determined by a Best of Show panel based on a second judging of the first place beers sent to Best of Show.
Meads and Ciders will be combined to have their own Best of Show Judging in the same format as beer Best of Show.
Bottles will not be returned to entrants.
Entry Acceptance Rules
Each entry will consist of cans, or capped/corked bottles that are void of all identifying information, including labels and embossing. Caps with any markings (emblems/images/notations) must be blacked out completely. Silver or Bronze colored caps are preferred. If you have cans they will be accepted as well if they meet the above criteria for bottles.
12oz brown glass bottles are preferred; however, green and clear glass will be accepted. Swing top bottles will likewise be accepted as well as corked bottles.
Bottles/cans will not be returned to contest entrants, but dirty empty bottles will be available to be taken after judging concludes.
Completed bottle labels must be submitted with all entries, and can be printed directly from this website. Bottle labels should be attached to bottle by the method specified on the bottle label.
Please fill out the entry forms completely. Be meticulous about noting any special ingredients that must be specified. Failure to note such ingredients may impact the judges' scoring of your entry.
Brewers are not limited to one entry in each category but may only enter each subcategory once.
Entry Info
Entry Limits
- Entry Limit – Paid:
- 400
Entry Limits Per Participant
- Entry Limit Per Participant:
- 6
- 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 2021 / 2025 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 | 32A Classic Style Smoked Beer | 32B Specialty Smoked Beer |
| 33A Wood-Aged Beer | 33B Specialty Wood-Aged Beer | 34A Commercial Specialty 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 | C1A Common Cider | C1B Heirloom Cider |
| C1C English Cider | C1D French Cider | C1E Spanish Cider |
| C2A New England Cider | C2B Applewine | C2C Ice Cider |
| C2D Fire Cider | C3A Fruit Cider | C3B Spiced Cider |
| C3C Experimental Cider | C4A Common Perry | C4B Heirloom Perry |
| C4C Ice Perry | C4D Experimental Perry | 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 |
Entry Delivery
Entry bottles accepted at our drop-off locations Friday, February 5, 2027 12:00 PM, CST — Friday, February 19, 2027 11:00 PM, CST.
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.
1235 Thomas Beck Rd, Des Moines, IA 50315
(515) 285-9005
Shipping Info
Entry bottles accepted at our shipping location Friday, February 5, 2027 12:00 PM, CST — Friday, February 19, 2027 11:00 PM, CST.
Ship entries to:
Confluence Brewing Company
1235 Thomas Beck Rd, Des Moines, IA 50315
Packing and Shipping
Carefully pack your entries in a sturdy box. Line the inside of your carton with a plastic trash bag. Partition and pack each bottle with adequate packaging material. Please do not over pack!
Write clearly: Fragile. This Side Up. on the package. Please only use bubble wrap as your packing material.
Enclose each of your bottle labels in a small zip-top bag before attaching to their respective bottles. This way it makes it possible for the organizer to identify specifically which entry has broken if there is damage during shipment. Please use only rubber bands to attach labels to bottles/cans.
Every reasonable effort will be made to contact entrants whose bottles have broken to make arrangements for sending replacement bottles.
Judging Sessions
Session 1
Monday, March 1, 2027 6:15 PM, CST
Session 2
Tuesday, March 2, 2027 6:15 PM, CST
Session 3
Wednesday, March 3, 2027 6:15 PM, CST
Session 4
Thursday, March 4, 2027 6:15 PM, CST
Session 5 - Friday Afternoon 1
Friday, March 5, 2027 12:30 PM, CST
Session 6 - Friday Afternoon 2
Friday, March 5, 2027 3:30 PM, CST
Session 7 - Friday Evening
Friday, March 5, 2027 7:00 PM, CST
Session 8 - Saturday Morning
Saturday, March 6, 2027 9:00 AM, CST
Session 9 - Saturday Afternoon
Saturday, March 6, 2027 1:00 PM, CST
Best of Show
The 1st place entries at each table will advance to the Best of Show (BOS) round.
The best of Show winner wil be awarded a Best of Show Trophy designed and created by Jeff Moyer.
Awards
The awards ceremony will take place the evening of the final day of judging.
Medals will be awarded by table.
Additional prizes may be awarded to those winners present at the awards ceremony at the discretion of the competition organizers. Awards will be available for pick up following the ceremony***. Awards not picked up, will be mailed to participants. Scoresheets will be uploaded to profiles on the website for all participants, no hard copies will be retunred unless there are extinuating circumstances. Results will be posted to the competition web site after the ceremony concludes. Any awards not picked up will be shipped out within 2 months of the awards ceremony.
Awards Ceremony
Confluence Brewing Company
1235 Thomas Beck Rd, Des Moines, IA 50315
Saturday, March 6, 2027 6:00 PM, CST
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:
- Entry Sorting – Saturday, February 20, 2027 1:00 PM, CST
Other Volunteer Info
Please register prior to 3/1/2027 so that we can properly assign Judges and stewards to tables.
Sponsors
Contact
Use the form below to contact a competition official. All fields with a star are required.