Competition Opportunities

In addition to regular meetings, the Bloatarian Brewing League hosts brewing competitions each year. Some are limited to current members, while others are open to all. We also participate as often as we can in competitions hosted by other area clubs and organizations.

Great news — you do not necessarily have to be a brewer to participate in competitions! Judges and stewards are always in high demand. For more information on becoming a certified beer judge, click here.

Read on for a list of the competitions we host and/or attend throughout the year. For current information on exact dates and locations, check out our Events Calendar.

Bloatarian Brewing League Hosted Competitions

Bloatarian Open - RETIRED

Bloat Open pretty much died after 2020. Maybe it will be resurrected someday.

Occurring annually on the third Saturday of May, the Bloatarian Open is a BJCP/AHA sanctioned Club-Only Competition, meaning you must be a paid-in-full BBL member to enter a beer into the competition. New to BBL? First-year members can enter an unlimited number of entries in the competition FREE with your paid membership.

The competition is open to all BJCP categories. Meads and Ciders are not eligible for Best of Show. You DO NOT need to be a Bloatarian member to judge/steward, and you DO NOT need to be a certified BJCP judge to judge.

Beer & Sweat

Beer & Sweat is our annual KEG-ONLY (no bottles allowed!) homebrew competition held on the third Saturday of August. Unique in format, Beer & Sweat combines a traditional competition with judging during the day with the biggest homebrew party that you will ever experience in the evening! (What else would you do with a room filled with tons of kegs and your fellow homebrewers all in one place?)

With over 100 entries, the single judging session starts at noon and ends with the Best of Show judging in the late afternoon. The judging hall opens for the social part of the evening after judging is complete, usually between 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. The festivities continue well into the night with the awards ceremony, music, raffles, and partying!

HOW DO I ENTER?
Visit the competition website to register your kegs, and to sign up as a Judge or Steward.

Brewers, please note that as a keg-only competition, it is not feasible to mail your entries or drop them at a consolidated location – all entries are hand carried (and hooked up to CO2) by the entrants at the site on the morning of competition.

THIS SOUNDS AWESOME!  CAN ANYONE COME?

Well, it is awesome! Due to legal requirements, Beer & Sweat is a Bloatarian Brewing League club event for members only. BUT… all entrants and volunteers automatically become BBL members for the calendar year, AND we accept memberships at the door so friends, loved ones, and general public can also attend. It’s a great opportunity to sample some of the best homebrew in the region, all in one place!

Other Regional Brewing Competitions