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

The 2026 Maryland Microbrewery Festival Homebrew Competition is a BJCP-sanctioned competition open to all amateur homebrewers. This year, in honor of the United States 250th anniversary, we are celebrating the American categories scattered throughout the BJCP 2021 Style Guidelines. Entries are limited to those beer styles.

A. Entry limitations and exceptions

1. Registration will be done at http://mdmicrobrewfest.brewcompetition.com, through which all entries will be created.

2. The Entry Fee is $10 per entry. We prefer PayPal, but payment may also be made via cash or check payable to the Midnight Homebrewers' League.

3. The competition is open to American beer styles only.

   • For styles in categories 29-34, where a base beer style must be specified, and American style must be selected for the base.

   Any entries specifying non-American base styles will not be judged and the entry fee will not be refunded!

4. It is the entrants' responsibility to be familiar with the BJCP 2021 Style Guidelines for the categories you are entering.

5. The competition will be limited to 100 entries. This limit is susceptible to increase if there is strong interest. In this way, we are able to judge the entire competition in the morning of the festival, so that Judges and Stewards are able to enjoy the festival in the afternoon.

6. Entries will be judged by qualified BJCP beer judges against the 2021 BJCP Beer Style Guidelines

7. All entries must be brewed exclusively by homebrewers on homebrew equipment. Beers brewed on commercial equipment, or at a Brew-On-Premises facility, are not permitted.

8. The Grand Prize winning beer will be brewed for commercial sales by Brewery Fire in Taneytown, Maryland.

B. Bottle Requirements

1. Entry labels must be attached to each bottle with Rubber Bands Only. Bottles with tape, glue, or any other adhesive method will NOT be judged and entry fees will not be refunded. Thanks for your cooperation with this

2. We require two (2) 12 to 22 oz capped or corked bottles or cans for each entry. Swing-top bottles are also considered to be capped.

3. Remove all labeling. Raised lettering (such as Sam Adams bottles) is acceptable. Caps must be plain, or all printing blacked out.

4. If paying with cash or check, please put your payment inside a plastic zip-lock bag and wrap it around one of your entry bottles with the rubber band.

C. Other/General (sorry this is long; previous questions and issues cause us to include these)

1. Organizers and Judges will NOT re-categorize entries. Entrants are responsible for selecting the proper category for your entries. If you have any questions about where to enter a beer, you may contact us for assistance.

2. 2026 Prize Categories are based upon the number of entries received in given categories, and the available number of Judges and Prizes.

3. Ribbons are awarded for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Place winners in each Prize Category. Additional prizes will be distributed to all 1st place winners in each Prize Category. 2nd and 3rd may be awarded additional prizes based on prize availability.

4. Distribution of Score Sheets and Prizes: Prize winners will generally be notified by email within 48 hours after the competition. Score Sheets will be scanned and uploaded to this site. We prefer to distribute Prizes by dropping them off at various homebrew supply shop locations for pick-up by winners who shop at those locations. We do this where it makes sense, to save the costs of shipping prize packages all over the place. Other prizes are mailed out where necessary.

5. All entrants, by creating and submitting one or more entries, agree and consent to the following: All prize winners' names will be made public. Prize winners' names and email addresses may be provided to the Sponsor(s) of any prizes won by the entrant, if a particular Sponsor wishes to know who won the prizes donated by that Sponsor. Prize winners will provide their prize winning entry's recipe at the request of the Competition Organizer. The Best Of Show winner will be brewed commercially by Brewery Fire of Taneytown, Maryland. The name of the Best of Show winning beer is subject to Brewery Fire's approval for commercial brewing purposes

6. Competition organizers bear no responsibility for broken, mis-placed, or missing entries, or for software errors. Every effort will be made to contact entrants in time to replace missing or broken bottles. If we break or lose an entry due to our error, and a replacement bottle is not available from you in time, the entrant's fee will be refunded. Otherwise...

7. With the exception of paragraph 6. above, entry fees are non-refundable.

8. No financial benefit is derived from the commercial brewing of the Best Of Show winning beer. The schedule for brewing and tapping of the Best of Show winning beer is subject to the needs and schedule of the brewery.

9. One more time...PLEASE do not use any tape or glue to attach bottle labels to bottles. Use Rubber Bands Only. We're not kidding, bottles with anything other than rubber bands to attach labels will NOT be judged, and entry fees will not be refunded.

Entry Acceptance Rules

Please submit two (2) 12 to 22 oz bottles or cans for each entry.

Bottles may have raised lettering (such as Sam Adams bottles). However, all other labeling should be removed, except for a competition entry label. Bottle caps with printing must be blacked out with a permanent marker. Cans may have no markings.

Entry labels must be attached to each bottle or can with Rubber Bands Only. Entries with tape, glue, or any other adhesive method will NOT be judged and entry fees will not be refunded. Thanks for your cooperation with this.

Entry Fees

$10.00 (USD) per entry.

Entry Limits

Entry Limit:

110

Entry Limit – Paid:

100

Entry Limits Per Participant

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:

• Cash
• Check, made out to Midnight Homebrewers' League
• 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.

Drop-Off Locations

Entry bottles accepted at our drop-off locations Friday, August 14, 2026 12:00 AM, EDT — Friday, September 18, 2026 5:00 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.

Maryland Homebrew
9017 Mendenhall Ct., Suite C, Columbia, MD 21045
410-290-3768
*Entries must be dropped off or received via shipping, 6:00 PM EST on Friday Sept. 18, 2026

Tavern 741 (Residence)
741 Windsor Dr, Westminster, MD 21158
443-536-8645
*Entries must be dropped off by close of business on Friday, September 18, 2026

The Flying Barrel
1781 N. Market St., Frederick, MD 21701
301-663-4491
*Entries must be dropped off by 4:00 PM EST on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026

Shipping Info

Entry bottles accepted at our shipping location Friday, August 14, 2026 12:00 AM, EDT — Friday, September 18, 2026 5:00 PM, EDT.

Ship entries to:

Maryland Homebrew - ATTN: Union Mills
9017 Mendenhall Ct. Suite C, Columbia, MD 21045

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.

Every reasonable effort will be made to contact entrants whose bottles have broken to make arrangements for sending replacement bottles.

All shipped entries must be recieved by 6:00 PM EST on Friday, September 18, 2026 - please allow for shipping time (if shipping)

Judging Sessions

Early Round (if needed)
Friday, September 25, 2026 5:00 PM, EDT

Union Mills Homestead Session 1
Saturday, September 26, 2026 9:00 AM, EDT

Union Mills Session 2
Saturday, September 26, 2026 1:00 PM, EDT

Best of Show

The Best Of Show winning beer will be scaled up and brewed commercially by Brewery Fire in Taneytown, Maryland. The name of the winning homebrew is subject to the approval of the brewery.

No financial benefit is derived from winning the Best of Show prize.

Awards

Prize Categories will be established by the Competition organizers, depending on the number, and categories, of entries received. Prize Categories may consist of combined beer categories.

Ribbons are awarded for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Place winners in each Prize Category. Additional prizes will be distributed to all 1st place winners in each Prize Category. 2nd and 3rd may be awarded additional prizes based on prize availability.

Qualification for a prize, regardless of placement in any Prize Category, may require a minimum score at the discretion of the Competition Organizer and/or Head Judge.

Entrants do NOT need to be present at the Festival to win.

Awards Ceremony

Union Mills Homestead
3311 Littlestown Pike, Westminster, MD 21158
Saturday, September 26, 2026 5:00 PM, EDT