Brewers Cup of California Info
Account Registration
Registration is closed.
Entry Registration
Entry registration is closed.
Rules
Entry Registration & Fees
1. Entry Registration: All entry registration(s) and fee(s) must be received by January 31 , 2024.
2. Entry Fees: Entry fees are $65.00 per entry until January 15, 2024 and then increase to $75. Payment must be made via PayPal, check, or money order. NO CASH ACCEPTED FOR ENTRIES. Do not send payments with entries. Payment must be received by February per one of the following methods:
a. PayPal - Pay online after registering your entries at enter.brewerscupofca.com. Additional PayPal processing fees may apply.
b. Check or money order payable to “Brewers Cup of California.” Mail must be postmarked no later than January 31, 2024. Mail to:
Sacramento Area Brewers Guild
ATTN: Brewers Cup of California
2901 Douglas Blvd.
Suite 290
Roseville, CA 95661
3. Checks and money orders must be accompanied by a list of entry numbers for identification of the sender.
General Information
4. Additional Information: Should there be any need for additional information not found in this guild, please email info@brewerscupofca.com.
5. Revisions: Guide is sent out in advance and therefore may be subject to revision or change.
6. Mailing List & Notification: Although we try to keep mailing lists current, we cannot be held responsible for any individual or company that is not notified or contacted.
BA Judging Styles
If a style's name is hyperlinked, it has specific entry requirements. Select or tap on the name to access the Brewers Association styles as listed on their website.
| British-Style Barley Wine Ale | British-Style Imperial Stout | Brown Porter |
| Classic English-Style Pale Ale | Contemporary-Style Gose | Double Red Ale |
| English-Style Brown Ale | English-Style Dark Mild Ale | English-Style India Pale Ale |
| English-Style Pale Mild Ale | English-Style Summer Ale | Extra Special Bitter |
| Oatmeal Stout | Old Ale | Ordinary Bitter |
| Robust Porter | Scotch Ale | Scottish-Style Export Ale |
| Scottish-Style Heavy Ale | Scottish-Style Light Ale | Special Bitter or Best Bitter |
| Strong Ale | Sweet or Cream Stout | Classic Irish-Style Dry Stout |
| Foreign (Export)-Style Stout | Irish-Style Red Ale | American-Style Amber/Red Ale |
| American-Style Barley Wine Ale | American-Style Black Ale | American-Style Brown Ale |
| American-Style Imperial Porter | American-Style Imperial Stout | American-Style India Pale Ale |
| American-Style Pale Ale | American-Style Sour Ale | American-Style Stout |
| American-Style Strong Pale Ale | American-Style Wheat Wine Ale | Dark American-Belgo-Style Ale |
| Fresh "Wet" Hop Ale | Golden or Blonde Ale | Imperial or Double India Pale Ale |
| Imperial Red Ale | Juicy or Hazy Imperial or Double India Pale Ale | Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ale |
| Juicy or Hazy Pale Ale | Juicy or Hazy Strong Pale Ale | Pale American-Belgo-Style Ale |
| Session India Pale Ale | Smoke Porter | Specialty Stouts |
| West Coast-Style India Pale Ale | Adambier | Bamberg-Style Weiss (Smoke) Rauchbier (Dunkel or Helles) |
| Berliner-Style Weisse (Wheat) | German-Style Altbier | German-Style Kölsch / Köln-Style Kölsch |
| German-Style Leichtes Weizen / Weissbier | Kellerbier (Cellar beer) or Zwickelbier - Ale | Leipzig-Style Gose |
| South German-Style Bernsteinfarbenes Weizen / Weissbier | South German-Style Dunkel Weizen / Dunkel Weissbier | South German-Style Hefeweizen / Hefeweissbier |
| South German-Style Kristall Weizen / Kristall Weissbier | South German-Style Weizenbock / Weissbock | Belgian-Style Blonde Ale |
| Belgian-Style Dark Strong Ale | Belgian-Style Dubbel | Belgian-Style Flanders Oud Bruin or Oud Red Ales |
| Belgian-Style Fruit Lambic | Belgian-Style Lambic | Belgian-Style Pale Ale |
| Belgian-Style Pale Strong Ale | Belgian-Style Quadrupel | Belgian-Style Session Ale |
| Belgian-Style Table Beer | Belgian-Style Tripel | Belgian-Style White (or Wit) / Belgian-Style Wheat |
| Contemporary Belgian-Style Gueuze Lambic | French & Belgian-Style Saison | French-Style Bière de Garde |
| Other Belgian-Style Ales | Traditional Belgian-Style Gueuze | Australian-Style Pale Ale |
| Classic Australian-Style Pale Ale | Dutch-Style Kuit, Kuyt or Koyt | Grodziskie |
| International-Style Pale Ale | New Zealand-Style India Pale Ale | New Zealand-Style Pale Ale |
| Bamberg-Style Bock Rauchbier | Bamberg-Style Helles Rauchbier | Bamberg-Style Märzen Rauchbier |
| Bohemian-Style Pilsener | Dortmunder / European-Style Export | European-Style Dark / Münchner Dunkel |
| Franconian-Style Rotbier | German-Style Doppelbock | German-Style Eisbock |
| German-Style Heller Bock/Maibock | German-Style Leichtbier | German-Style Märzen |
| German-Style Oktoberfest / Wiesen (Meadow) | German-Style Pilsener | German-Style Schwarzbier |
| Kellerbier (Cellar beer) or Zwickelbier - Lager | Münchner (Munich)-Style Helles | Traditional German-Style Bock |
| Vienna-Style Lager | American-Style Amber Lager | American-Style Amber Light Lager |
| American-Style Dark Lager | American-Style Ice Lager | American-Style India Pale Lager |
| American-Style Lager | American-Style Light Lager | American-Style Maerzen / Oktoberfest |
| American-Style Malt Liquor | American-Style Pilsener | Contemporary American-Style Lager |
| Contemporary American-Style Light Lager | Contemporary American-Style Pilsener | Australasian, Latin American or Tropical-Style Light Lager |
| Baltic-Style Porter | Dry Lager | International-Style Pilsener |
| Aged Beer (Ale or Lager) | American-Style Cream Ale or Lager | Belgian-Style Fruit Beer |
| Brett Beer | California Common Beer | Chili Pepper Beer |
| Chocolate / Cocoa-Flavored Beer | Coffee-Flavored Beer | Dark American Wheat Ale or Lager with Yeast |
| Dark American Wheat Ale or Lager without Yeast | Dessert Stout or Pastry Stout | Experimental Beer (Lager or Ale) |
| Experimental India Pale Ale | Field Beer | Fruit Beer |
| Fruit Wheat Ale or Lager with or without Yeast | German-Style Rye Ale (Roggenbier) with or without Yeast | Ginjo Beer or Sake-Yeast Beer |
| Gluten-Free Beer | Herb and Spice Beer | Historical Beer |
| Historical Beer | Indigenous Beer (Lager or Ale) | Kentucky Common |
| Light American Wheat Ale or Lager with Yeast | Light American Wheat Ale or Lager without Yeast | Mixed Culture Brett Beer |
| Non-Alcoholic Malt Beverage | Other Strong Ale or Lager | Pumpkin Beer |
| Rye Ale or Lager with or without Yeast | Session Beer | Smoke Beer (Lager or Ale) |
| Specialty Beer | Specialty Honey Lager or Ale | Wild Beer |
| Wood- and Barrel-Aged Beer | Wood- and Barrel-Aged Dark Beer | Wood- and Barrel-Aged Pale to Amber Beer |
| Wood- and Barrel-Aged Sour Beer | Energy Enhanced Malt Beverage | Flavored Malt Beverage |
| Collab Beer (Custom Style) | Hard Kombucha (Custom Style) |
Number of Bottles Required Per Entry: 4
Judging Sessions
Touchstone Thursday Morning
Thursday, February 29, 2024 8:00 AM, PST
Touchstone Thursday Afternoon
Thursday, February 29, 2024 1:00 PM, PST
Touchstone Friday Morning
Friday, March 1, 2024 8:00 AM, PST
Touchstone Friday Afternoon
Friday, March 1, 2024 1:00 PM, PST
Touchstone Saturday Morning
Saturday, March 2, 2024 8:00 AM, PST
Touchstone Sunday Morning
Saturday, March 2, 2024 8:00 AM, PST
Touchstone Saturday Afternoon
Saturday, March 2, 2024 1:00 PM, PST
Touchstone Sunday Afternoon
Sunday, March 3, 2024 1:00 PM, PST
Awards
The Brewers Cup of California medals for excellence in more than 60 categories and does not necessarily award medals to the top three finishers in a particular category. When judges decide that a category contains three excellent examples of the style, they award gold, silver, and bronze medals for the first, second, and third place beers, respectively. If judges believe that no beer in the category meets the quality and style accuracy criteria, they may elect not to award a medal. Judges may award a silver or a bronze medal and yet not award a gold medal in a category. The award criteria are as follows:
Gold: A world-class beer that accurately exemplifies the specified style, displaying the proper balance of taste, aroma, and appearance.
Silver: An excellent beer that may vary slightly from style parameters while maintaining close adherence to the style and displaying excellent taste, aroma, and appearance.
Bronze: A fine example of the style that may vary slightly from style parameters and/or have minor deviations in taste, aroma, or appearance.
Both score sheets and awards will be posted to this website after the ceremony concludes. Results will be posted to this competition web site after the ceremony concludes.
Other awards include:
- Brewers Cup of California Best of Show: Awarded to the brewery with the highest-rated beer, overall.
- Brewery of The Year: Awarded to the brewery that received the most awards, overall.
- Guild of The Year: Awarded to the Brewers Guild whose members garnered the most awards.
- Pioneer Award: Awarded to an individual who has made significant contributions to California’s craft beer industry.
Hard seltzer and kombucha will not count toward Brewery of the Year and are not eligible for Best of Show.
Awards Ceremony
TBD
Sacramento, CA
Wednesday, March 13, 2024 7:30 AM, PDT