Thanks to all who participated in the Blue Ridge Brew-Off (2025).
There were 226 entries judged and 114 registered participants, judges, and stewards.
Best of Show Winners
Best of Show – Beer
| Place | Brewer | Entry Name | Style | Club |
|---|
| 1st | Allen Smith | Light Weight | 5A: German Leichtbier | Winston-Salem Wort Hawgs Homebrew Club |
| 2nd | Darren Howard | Hundred Spires | 3D: Czech Dark Lager | Homebrew Association of Manatee & Sarasota (HAMS) |
| 3rd | Carl Teachey | Nova Forever | 2A: International Pale Lager | Winston-Salem Wort Hawgs Homebrew Club |
| HM | John Erste | Citra Island IPA | 12C: English IPA | Little Mountain Homebrewers Association |
Winning Entries
Table 1: Pale Lagers (12 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Entry Name | Style | Club |
|---|
| 1st | Carl Teachey | Nova Forever | 2A: International Pale Lager | Winston-Salem Wort Hawgs Homebrew Club |
| 2nd | Paul Tagert MHP | First Light | 1A: American Light Lager | Winston-Salem Wort Hawgs Homebrew Club |
| 3rd | Joel Miller | Laryngoscope Lager | 2A: International Pale Lager | James River Homebrewers |
Table 2: Euro Pale Lagers (19 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Entry Name | Style | Club |
|---|
| 1st | Allen Smith | Light Weight | 5A: German Leichtbier | Winston-Salem Wort Hawgs Homebrew Club |
| 2nd | Keith Ingersoll | Flip-Flop Festbier | 4B: Festbier | Big Shoe Brewing |
| 3rd | JW Jones | Appalachian Importbier | 5C: German Helles Exportbier | Mountain Ale and Lager Tasters (MALT) |
Table 3: Amber & Dark Lagers (17 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Entry Name | Style | Club |
|---|
| 1st | Darren Howard | Hundred Spires | 3D: Czech Dark Lager | Homebrew Association of Manatee & Sarasota (HAMS) |
| 2nd | Tony Kulas MHP | International Dark Lager | 2C: International Dark Lager | Down East Alers (DEA) |
| 3rd | Tony Kulas MHP | Munich Dunkel | 8A: Munich Dunkel | Down East Alers (DEA) |
Table 4: Porters & Stouts (16 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Entry Name | Style | Club |
|---|
| 1st | Patrick Smith MHP | TSAR | 20C: Imperial Stout | Seven City Brewers |
| 2nd | Allen Smith | 1000 Ingredient Porter | 20A: American Porter | Winston-Salem Wort Hawgs Homebrew Club |
| 3rd | Brian McCrickard MHP | 757 County Stout | 20C: Imperial Stout | Seven City Brewers |
Table 5: UK Ales (13 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Entry Name | Style | Club |
|---|
| 1st | John Erste | Citra Island IPA | 12C: English IPA | Little Mountain Homebrewers Association |
| 2nd | Shawn Stafford | Edm | 13A: Dark Mild | Carolina Brewmasters |
| 3rd | Allen Smith | Better To Be Bitter | 11A: Ordinary Bitter | Winston-Salem Wort Hawgs Homebrew Club |
Table 6: Strong Ales & Lagers (8 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Entry Name | Style | Club |
|---|
| 1st | Tyler Miller | Look What You Made Me Brew | 17C: Wee Heavy | Arizona Society of Homebrewers |
| 2nd | Tyler Miller | Nightmare Dressed Like A Day Dream | 9A: Doppelbock | Arizona Society of Homebrewers |
| 3rd | Brian McCrickard MHP | 7 City Brewers Old Ale | 17B: Old Ale | Seven City Brewers |
Table 7: German Ales (8 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Entry Name | Style | Club |
|---|
| 1st | Adrian Sutherland | Swallow Tail | 5B: Kölsch | Upper Palmetto Zymurgy Society |
| 2nd | Patrick Armour | Kolsch | 5B: Kölsch | 256 Brewers |
| 3rd | Ross Stuart | Hefe | 10A: Weissbier | Arizona Society of Homebrewers |
Table 8: Smoke & Wood (12 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Entry Name | Style | Club |
|---|
| 1st | Ryan Larsen | Shmoke Dawg | 32A: Classic Style Smoked Beer | James River Homebrewers |
| 2nd | Scott Patrick | From Timber In Winter | 33A: Wood-Aged Beer | Mountain Ale and Lager Tasters (MALT) |
| 3rd | Anthony Mercer | Gnarly Branch Bbis | 33B: Specialty Wood-Aged Beer | Down East Alers (DEA) |
Table 9: American Ales & New Zealand Pils (11 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Entry Name | Style | Club |
|---|
| 1st | Stephen Schmitt | NZ Pils | LSX5: New Zealand Pilsner | Evanston Homebrew Club |
| 2nd | Matthew Johnsen | My Sheep Have Run Amuck! | 18B: American Pale Ale | Rock Hoppers Brew Club |
| 3rd | Shawn Stafford | Cali Common | 19B: California Common | Carolina Brewmasters |
Table 10: IPA & American Strong Ale (14 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Entry Name | Style | Club |
|---|
| 1st | Adrian Sutherland | The Cold Never Bothered Me Anyway | 34B: Mixed-Style Beer | Upper Palmetto Zymurgy Society |
| 2nd | Dennis Fields | Death By Fruit | 21C: Hazy IPA | Upper Palmetto Zymurgy Society |
Table 11: Sour & Brett Beers (16 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Entry Name | Style | Club |
|---|
| 1st | Eric Boehm | Pineapple Express | 28A: Brett Beer | Mountain Ale and Lager Tasters (MALT) |
| 2nd | David Mitchell | Pineappleweisse | 23A: Berliner Weisse | Down East Alers (DEA) |
| 3rd | Stephen Golubieski | Purple Starling Berry Sour | 28C: Wild Specialty Beer | Lowcountry Libations |
Table 12: Belgian Beers (23 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Entry Name | Style | Club |
|---|
| 1st | Bill Lynch | Bill's Saison | 25B: Saison | Carolina Brewmasters |
| 2nd | Ross Stuart | Quad | 26D: Belgian Dark Strong Ale | Arizona Society of Homebrewers |
| 3rd | Eric Boehm | Tripel | 26C: Belgian Tripel | Mountain Ale and Lager Tasters (MALT) |
Table 13: Historical & Experimental Beers (13 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Entry Name | Style | Club |
|---|
| 1st | Kristen Boucher | Rhineland Ale | 27A: Historical Beer | Savannah Brewers League |
| 2nd | Matthew Johnsen | Fire In The Sky | 27A5: Piwo Grodziskie | Rock Hoppers Brew Club |
| 3rd | Anthony Mercer | Lichten My Hiney Lichtenhainer | 27A3: Lichtenhainer | Down East Alers (DEA) |
Table 14: Fruit, Spice, Herb, & Vegetable (24 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Entry Name | Style | Club |
|---|
| 1st | Brandon Christian MHP | Mexican Stout | 30A: Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer | Seven City Brewers |
| 2nd | Clay Vick | Gretchen | 30A: Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer | Down East Alers (DEA) |
| 3rd | Jeffry Battles MHP | Bloody Tears | 29A: Fruit Beer | QUAFF (Quality Ale And Fermentation Fraternity) |
Table 15: Ciders (7 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Entry Name | Style | Club |
|---|
| 3rd | Brett Beard MHP | Hey Now, Hey Now Don't Dream It's Over | C1A: New World Cider | North Georgia Malt Monkeys |
Table 16: Meads (13 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Entry Name | Style | Club |
|---|
| 1st | May-Lei Willming
Co-Brewer: BJ Willming | Flying Carpet | M3B: Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Mead | Down East Alers (DEA) |
| 2nd | Bill Boyer | Help, Help I'm Being Repressed! | M2E: Melomel | North Georgia Malt Monkeys |
| 3rd | Bill Boyer | Bring Me A Shrubbery, One That Looks Nice...And Not Too Expensive | M4C: Experimental Mead | North Georgia Malt Monkeys |
| HM | Nathan Steigman | Novos Fructus | M2E: Melomel | Minnesota Home Brewers Association |
