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Rules
This competition is BJCP sanctioned and open to any amateur homebrewer age 18 or older.
All entries will be picked up from drop-off locations the day of the drop-off 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.).
Qualified judging of all entries is the primary goal of our event. Judges will evaluate and score each entry. The consensus of the scores will be used to rank each entry in its category. Each flight will have at least one experienced BJCP judge.
Brewers are not limited to the number of entries per category but may only enter each style once.
Brewers entering a Special Category (see below) may also enter the same style in the main comp.
The organiser reserves the right to combine overall style categories and reallocate prizes based on number of entries. All possible effort will be made to combine similar styles. All brews in combined categories will be judged according to the style in which they were originally entered. The competition organisers are not responsible for entries entered as the wrong style.
In the event of a tie for category placings the following algorithm will be used to determine the higher placed beer:
- least variance between judges total scores,
- average score for overall impression,
- average score for flavour,
- average score for aroma.
The Best of Show will be determined by a second round of judging of the five highest scoring category winners.
Special Categories
For special categories e.g. where the sponsor has provided ingredients, the entry must be paid for at the time of entering and is non-refundable. Unpaid entries will be deleted if the entry limit for that special category is reached. Ingredients may be picked up at the nominated store or shipped from the store at the entrant’s expense. Entrants will be notified by email when the ingredients are available for pick up. The store will check names and entry numbers against a list of valid entries. For shipping cost contact the store directly and please use the opportunity to order any other items you require at the same time to help support our brew stores.
Gladfield NZ Pilsner – entrants will be able to pick up one 5kg bag of Gladfield malt - 50:50 mix of Light Lager / American Ale (whole or milled) from The Hop and Grain brew store in Marrickville for their recipe. There is a limit of 10 entries for this special category. The beers will be judged in one flight against the style New Zealand Pilsner.
Voyager Craft Malt – entrants will be able to pick up one 5kg bag of Voyager Atlas malt (whole or milled) from The Brew Shop brew store in Kirrawee for their recipe. There is a limit of 20 entries for this special category. The beers will be judged in one flight based on the target AABC style chosen by the entrant, which must be specified.
Ryefield Hops - entrants will be able to pick up one 100g bag of Centennial hop pellets from the Flat Rock Brew Cafe in Naremburn. There is a limit of 10 entries for this special category. The beers will be judged in one flight against the style American Pale Ale.
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AABC 2022 Judging Styles
If a style's name is hyperlinked, it has specific entry requirements. Select or tap on the name to view the subcategory's requirements.
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Number of Bottles Required Per Entry: 2
Judging Sessions
Flat Rock Brew Cafe (morning)
Sunday 27 April, 2025 09:00, AEST
Flat Rock Brew Cafe (afternoon)
Sunday 27 April, 2025 13:00, AEST
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Best of Show
The five best scoring 1st placed category entries will advance to the Best of Show (BoS) round with a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prize awarded.
- 1st Place - Sponsored by Bintani - Grain, Hops and Yeast package worth $525
- 2nd Place - Sponsored by Bevie - Grainfather Grain Mill and plate worth $479
- 3rd Place - Sponsored by BeerCo - Gold Prize Pack + store voucher worth $275
All the Best of Show contenders will be eligible for:
Brewer's Choice – chosen by Karl Riseborough head brewer at the Flat Rock Brew Cafe – with a prize of a Pro-Am 'Day with the Brewer' and their beer served on tap at the pub.
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Awards
The awards ceremony will take place at the Flat Rock Brew Club meeting on Wednesday 14th May at 6:30pm.
Places will be awarded to Best of Show 1st, 2nd, and 3rd and top three placed beers in each category.
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Awards Ceremony
Flat Rock Brew Cafe
290 Willoughby Road, Naremburn, NSW 2065
Wednesday 14 May, 2025 18:30, AEST
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A dry, hoppy IPA with fruitiness and spiciness of Belgian yeast. Often lighter in color and more attenuated, similar to a Belgian Tripel that has been brewed with more hops.
Entry Info: Entrant MUST specify a strength (session, standard, double); if no strength is specified, standard will be assumed.
A beer with the dryness, hop-forward balance, and flavor characteristics of an American IPA, but darker in color. Darker malts add a gentle and supportive flavor, not a strongly roasted or burnt character.
Entry Info: Entrant MUST specify a strength (session, standard, double); if no strength is specified, standard will be assumed.
Hoppy, bitter, and moderately strong like an American IPA, but with dark caramel, chocolate, toffee, or dark fruit character as in an American Brown Ale. Retaining the dryish finish and lean body that makes IPAs so drinkable, a Brown IPA is a little more flavorful and malty than an American IPA without being sweet or heavy.
Entry Info: Entrant MUST specify a strength (session, standard, double); if no strength is specified, standard will be assumed.
Hoppy, bitter, and moderately strong like an American IPA, but with some caramel, toffee, or fruit character as in an American Amber Ale. Retaining the dryish finish and lean body that makes IPAs so drinkable, a Red IPA is a little more flavorful and malty than an American IPA without being sweet or heavy.
Entry Info: Entrant MUST specify a strength (session, standard, double); if no strength is specified, standard will be assumed.
An American IPA with spicy, grainy rye malt. The rye gives a bready and peppery flavor, a creamier body, and a dry, grainy finish.
Entry Info: Entrant MUST specify a strength (session, standard, double); if no strength is specified, standard will be assumed.
A fruity, spicy, refreshing version of an American IPA, but with a lighter color, less body, and featuring the distinctive yeast or spice additions typical of a Witbier.
Entry Info: Entrant MUST specify a strength (session, standard, double); if no strength is specified, standard will be assumed.
A very pale, hop-forward American IPA variant with a bone-dry finish, very high carbonation, and a restrained bitterness level. Can be suggestive of a sparkling white wine or Champagne. The hop character is modern, and emphasizes flavor and aroma dimensions.
Entry Info: Entrant MUST specify a strength (session, standard, double); if no strength is specified, standard will be assumed.
A strong and malty German wheat beer combining the best wheat and yeast flavors of a Weissbier with the rich maltiness, strength, and body of a Bock. The style range includes Bock and Doppelbock strength, with variations for pale and dark color.
Entry Info: The entrant MUST specify whether the entry is a pale or a dark variant.
A family of refreshing, highly attenuated, hoppy, and fairly bitter Belgian ales with a very dry finish and high carbonation. Characterized by a fruity, spicy, sometimes phenolic fermentation profile, and the use of cereal grains and sometimes spices for complexity. Several variations in strength and color exist.
Entry Info: The entrant MUST specify the strength (table, standard, super) and the color (pale, dark). The entrant MAY identify character grains used.
A family of smooth, fairly strong, malty, lagered artisanal French beer with a range of malt flavors appropriate for the blond, amber, or brown color. All are malty yet dry, with clean flavors. Darker versions have more malt character, while paler versions can have more hops while still remaining malt-focused beers.
Entry Info: Entrant MUST specify blond, amber, or brown Bière de Garde.
A strong, rich, and very malty German lager that can have both pale and dark variants. The darker versions have more richly-developed, deeper malt flavors, while the paler versions have slightly more hops and dryness.
Entry Info: The entrant select specify whether the entry is a pale or a dark variant.
A complex, refreshing, pleasantly sour Belgian wheat beer blending a complementary fermented fruit character with a sour, funky Gueuze.
Entry Info: The type of fruit used MUST be specified. The brewer must declare a carbonation level (low, medium, high) and a sweetness level (low/none, medium, high).
Most often drier and fruitier than the base style suggests. Fruity or funky notes range from low to high, depending on the age of the beer and strains of Brett used. May possess a light non-lactic acidity. Intended for beer with or without oak aging that has been fermented with Sacch and Brett, or with Brett only.
Entry Info: The entrant MUST specify either a Base Style, or provide a description of the ingredients, specs, or desired character. The entrant MAY specify the strains of Brett used.
A sour and funky version of a base style of beer. Intended for beer fermented with any combination of Sacch, Lacto, Pedio, and Brett (or additional yeast or bacteria), with or without oak aging (except if the beer fits instead in 28A or 28D).
Entry Info: The entrant MUST specify a description of the beer, identifying yeast or bacteria used and either a Base Style, or the ingredients, specs, or target character of the beer.
An American Wild Ale with fruit, herbs, spices, or other Specialty-Type Ingredients. Intended for variations of a Base Style beer from style 28A, 28B, or 28D. These variations may include the addition of one or more Specialty-Type Ingredients; aging in non-traditional wood varieties that impart a significant and identifiable wood character (e.g., Spanish Cedar, Amburana); or aging in barrels previously containing another alcohol (e.g., spirits, wine, cider).
Entry Info: Entrant MUST specify any Specialty-Type Ingredient (e.g., fruit, spice, herb, or wood) used. Entrant MUST specify either a description of the beer, identifying yeast or bacteria used and either a Base Style, or the ingredients, specs, or target character of the beer. A general description of the special nature of the beer can cover all the required items.
A pleasant integration of fruit with beer, but still recognizable as beer. The fruit character should be evident but in balance with the beer, not so forward as to suggest an artificial product.
Entry Info: The entrant MUST specify the type(s) of fruit used. Entrant MUST specify a description of the beer, identifying either a Base Style or the ingredients, specs, or target character of the beer. A general description of the special nature of the beer can cover all the required items. Fruit Beers based on a Classic Style should be entered in this style, except Lambic
A tasteful union of fruit, spice, and beer, but still recognizable as beer. The fruit and spice character should each be evident but in balance with the beer, not so forward as to suggest an artificial product. Use the definitions of Fruit in the preamble to Category 29 and Spice in the preamble to Category 30; any combination of ingredients valid in Styles 29A and 30A are allowable in this category. For this style, the word
Entry Info: The entrant MUST specify the type of fruit, and the type of SHV used; individual SHV ingredients do not need to be specified if a well-known blend of spices is used (e.g., apple pie spice). Entrant MUST specify a description of the beer, either a Base Style or the ingredients, specs, or target character of the beer. A general description of the special nature of the beer can cover all the required items.
A appealing combination of fruit, sugar, and beer, but still recognizable as a beer. The fruit and sugar character should both be evident but in balance with the beer, not so forward as to suggest an artificial product. A Specialty Fruit Beer is a Fruit Beer with some additional ingredients, such as fermentable sugars (e.g., honey, brown sugar, invert sugar), sweeteners (e.g., lactose), adjuncts, alternative grains, or other special ingredients added, or some additional process applied. A Specialty Fruit Beer can use any style within the Fruit Beer category as a base style (currently, 29A, 29B, or 29D).
Entry Info: The entrant MUST specify the type of fruit used. The entrant MUST specify the type of additional ingredient (per the introduction) or special process employed. Entrant MUST specify a description of the beer, identifying either a Base Style or the ingredients, specs, or target character of the beer. A general description of the special nature of the beer can cover all the required items.
A pleasant enhancement of the base beer style with the characteristics from aging in contact with wood. The best examples will be smooth, flavorful, well-balanced, and well-aged. This style is intended for beer aged in wood without added alcohol character from previous use of the barrel. Bourbon-barrel or other beers with an added alcohol character should be entered as 33B Specialty Wood-Aged Beer. This category should not be used for base styles where wood-aging is a fundamental requirement for the style (e.g., Flanders Red, Lambic). Beers made using either limited wood aging or products that only provide a subtle background character may be entered in the base beer style categories as long as the wood character isn
Entry Info: The entrant MUST specify the type of wood used and the toast or char level (if used). If an unusual varietal wood is used, the entrant MUST supply a brief description of the sensory aspects the wood adds to beer. Entrant MUST specify a description of the beer, identifying either a Base Style or the ingredients, specs, or target character of the beer. A general description of the special nature of the beer can cover all the required items.
An elevation of the base beer style with characteristics from aging in contact with wood, including alcoholic products previously in contact with the wood. The best examples will be smooth, flavorful, well-balanced, and well-aged. This style is intended for beer aged in wood with added alcohol character from previous use of the barrel. Bourbon-barrel or other similar beers should be entered here.
Entry Info: The entrant MUST specify the additional alcohol character, with information about the barrel if relevant to the finished flavor profile. If an unusual wood or ingredient has been used, the entrant MUST supply a brief description of the sensory aspects the ingredients add to the beer. Entrant MUST specify a description of the beer, identifying either a Base Style or the ingredients, specs, or target character of the beer. A general description of the special nature of the beer can cover all the required items.
Perceivable fruity esters should be present, and are a defining character of this beer style, balanced by low to medium hop aroma. Overall flavour impression is mild. Clean yeasty, bready character may be present. Yeast in suspension if present may impact overall perception of bitterness. Diacetyl is usually absent in these beers but may be present at very low levels. DMS should not be present. https://www.brewersassociation.org/edu/brewers-association-beer-style-guidelines/#138
Entry Info: For information only enter "N/A"
Overall impression is a well-integrated easy drinking, refreshing pale ale style with distinctive fruity, tropical, herbal and many other hop aromas and flavours. Diacetyl is usually absent in these beers but may be present at very low levels. DMS should not be present. https://www.brewersassociation.org/edu/brewers-association-beer-style-guidelines/#168
Entry Info: For information only enter "N/A"
Voyager Craft Malt have kindly supplied the malt for this category. Entrants can choose the style of beer brewed but must specify the target style.
Entry Info: Entrants must specify the target style from the AABC 2022 Style Guidelines - https://www.aabc.org.au/docs/AABC2022_compendium_v1.pdf