2025 America's Finest City Homebrew Competition

Thanks to all who participated in the 2025 America’s Finest City Homebrew Competition.

There were 477 entries judged and 177 registered participants, judges, and stewards.

Results - 2025 America's Finest City Homebrew Competition

BOS - 2025 America's Finest City Homebrew Competition

Beer

Place Brewer Entry Name Style Club
1st Richard Bagnell Dunkle Down Munich Dunkel QUAFF
2nd Cole Christian, Paulette Palacios Pre-Purrritanical F***ery Lager Pre-Prohibition Lager DC Homebrewers
3rd Josh Word Tropic Like Its Hot Tropical Stout Bay Area Mashtronauts
HM Chris Erdos B. Doodle Stout American Stout  

Mead/Cider

Place Brewer Entry Name Style Club
1st Bill Boyer Being There - US05 - Indian Summer New World Cider North Georgia Malt Monkeys
2nd Bill Boyer Szlachta Sweet Mead North Georgia Malt Monkeys
3rd Jeffry Battles Lemon & Ginger Mead Fruit and Spice Mead QUAFF


Winners - 2025 America's Finest City Homebrew Competition

Table 1: Standard American Beer (15 entries)

Place Brewer Entry Name Style Club
1st Ross Stuart American Lager American Lager Arizona Society of Homebrewers
2nd Jamie Crawford It's Funny When They're Later Made To Celebrate The Shit They Said Was Garbage American Lager  
3rd Mario Tosta Elevation American Light Lager American Light Lager Ace Brewing Society

Table 2: International Lager (14 entries)

Place Brewer Entry Name Style Club
1st Thomas Taylor Shastid Rollin' Wheels And Shiftin Gear International Amber Lager Diablo Order of Zymiracle Enthusiasts (DOZE)
2nd Eli Palma Cello Azul International Pale Lager QUAFF
3rd Thomas Taylor Shastid International Harvester International Pale Lager Diablo Order of Zymiracle Enthusiasts (DOZE)

Table 3: Czech Lager (13 entries)

Place Brewer Entry Name Style Club
1st Steven Severn Dark Amber Czech Amber Lager Orange County Mash Ups
2nd Ross Stuart Czech Dark Lager Czech Dark Lager Arizona Society of Homebrewers
3rd Jason Dunn The Most Gluggable Czech Dark Lager Inland Empire Brewers

Table 4: Pale Malty European Lager (8 entries)

Place Brewer Entry Name Style Club
1st James Kelley One Helles Of A Ride Munich Helles  
2nd Edward Revord Hellofa Helles Munich Helles Bluffs Brewers Guild
3rd Alex Rezmerski Cliftyfest Festbier Louisville Area Grain and Extract Research Society, LTD
HM Michael Chalukian Helles Of A Day Munich Helles Inland Empire Brewers

Table 5: Pale Bitter European Beer (16 entries)

Place Brewer Entry Name Style Club
1st Jim Thompson Dock & Pearl Kölsch Oregon Brew Crew
2nd Matthew Young Fine As Frog Hair German Pils Ace Brewing Society
3rd David Gulotta Das Siegtreffer (The Winning Goal) German Pils Ace Brewing Society

Table 6: Amber Malty European Lager (12 entries)

Place Brewer Entry Name Style Club
1st Kim Hynek M.J.'s Smoken' Good Time Rauchbier Red Earth Brewers
2nd Trevor McGuire Three Fire Emojis Rauchbier Diablo Order of Zymiracle Enthusiasts (DOZE)
3rd Doug Walker Unckle Dunkles Dunkels Bock Inland Empire Brewers
HM Alex Rezmerski Mehr München! Dunkels Bock Louisville Area Grain and Extract Research Society, LTD

Table 7: Amber Bitter European Beer (10 entries)

Place Brewer Entry Name Style Club
1st Thomas Taylor Shastid Althea Told Me Altbier Diablo Order of Zymiracle Enthusiasts (DOZE)
2nd Stephen Schmitt Salzburg Lager Vienna Lager Evanston Homebrew Club
3rd Ben Sookying Altered Happiness Altbier Crown of the Valley Brewing Society

Table 8: Dark European Lager (11 entries)

Place Brewer Entry Name Style Club
1st Richard Bagnell Dunkle Down Munich Dunkel QUAFF
2nd Ben Sookying Kru Thai Schwarzbier Crown of the Valley Brewing Society
3rd James Kelley Schwartz Happens Schwarzbier  
HM Juan Pablo Salcedo Oskel Munich Dunkel Tijuana Homebrew Club

Table 9: Strong European Beer (9 entries)

Place Brewer Entry Name Style Club
1st Andy Cox Ice Ice Baby Eisbock Underground Brewers of Connecticut
2nd Tyler Miller Nightmare Dressed Like A Daydream Doppelbock Arizona Society of Homebrewers
3rd Scott Rauvola Baltik Porter Baltic Porter QUAFF

Table 10: German Wheat Beer (8 entries)

Place Brewer Entry Name Style Club
1st Michael Rensing Fawn Knutsen Dunkels Weissbier Cider, Homebrew, And Mead Production Specialists (CHAMPS)
2nd Stephen Schmitt Leverkusen Weizenbock Evanston Homebrew Club
3rd Doug Walker Darth Maltious Weizenbock Inland Empire Brewers

Table 11: British Bitter (12 entries)

Place Brewer Entry Name Style Club
1st Tyler Miller Mastermind Ordinary Bitter Arizona Society of Homebrewers
2nd Thomas Taylor Shastid Yeah Baby! Best Bitter Diablo Order of Zymiracle Enthusiasts (DOZE)
3rd Jason Justeson ESB Strong Bitter Brewing Borrachos

Table 12: Pale Commonwealth Beer (6 entries)

Place Brewer Entry Name Style Club
1st Thomas Taylor Shastid Moneypenny English IPA Diablo Order of Zymiracle Enthusiasts (DOZE)
2nd Michael Rensing Island In The Sun English IPA Cider, Homebrew, And Mead Production Specialists (CHAMPS)
3rd Jason Dunn Brass Necked British Golden Ale Inland Empire Brewers

Table 13: Brown British Beer (13 entries)

Place Brewer Entry Name Style Club
1st Scott Estlund It's A Bit Nutty! British Brown Ale The Brü Club
2nd Tyler Miller Karma Is A Cat Dark Mild Arizona Society of Homebrewers
3rd Roxy Garcia May I Have Some Moar? English Porter SoCal Cerveceros (SCC)

Table 14: Scottish Ale (7 entries)

Place Brewer Entry Name Style Club
1st Doug Walker Giving Her All She's Got Scottish Export Inland Empire Brewers
2nd Bill Boyer It's A Kilt, Not A Skirt! Scottish Export North Georgia Malt Monkeys
3rd Jim Williamson Scottichronicon Scottish Export M.A.S.H. Marietta Association of Schoolhouse Homebrewers

Table 15: Irish Beer (8 entries)

Place Brewer Entry Name Style Club
1st Paul Domich Shmiddy Irish Red Ale Diablo Order of Zymiracle Enthusiasts (DOZE)
2nd Kevin Masaryk The Hunt For Irish Red Irish Red Ale QUAFF
3rd Dirk Montgomery Old Walking Stick Irish Extra Stout Red Earth Brewers

Table 16: Dark British Beer (9 entries)

Place Brewer Entry Name Style Club
1st Josh Word Tropic Like Its Hot Tropical Stout Bay Area Mashtronauts
2nd Jeffry Battles Southpaw Milk Stout Sweet Stout QUAFF
3rd Jeff Case Right Foot Milk Stout Sweet Stout QUAFF

Table 17: Strong British Ale (5 entries)

Place Brewer Entry Name Style Club
1st Benjamin Frymark Hello Newman Wee Heavy QUAFF
2nd Patrick Leon Peacoat Buttons British Strong Ale QUAFF
3rd Jeff Case Moving Concrete Goalposts Wee Heavy QUAFF

Table 18: Pale American Ale (26 entries)

Place Brewer Entry Name Style Club
1st Nathan Hausch Speedos And Sweaters New Zealand Pilsner QUAFF
2nd Tom Fontes Rose Park Pale '25 American Pale Ale Long Beach Homebrewers
3rd Chad Russell 951 Blonde Ale Blonde Ale Mash Masters

Table 19: Amber and Brown American Beer (12 entries)

Place Brewer Entry Name Style Club
1st Kim Hynek Come On California! California Common Red Earth Brewers
2nd Travis Johnson Moose On The Loose American Brown Ale QUAFF
3rd Brent Krohn Georgy Porgey- RDS American Amber Ale QUAFF
HM Emersen Heron Glenny Balls MVP American Brown Ale Red Earth Brewers

Table 20: American Porter & Stout (19 entries)

Place Brewer Entry Name Style Club
1st Chris Erdos B. Doodle Stout American Stout  
2nd Doug Walker 48B- Eternal Foundation Imperial Stout Inland Empire Brewers
3rd Jason Justeson Borracho Porter American Porter Brewing Borrachos
HM Jamie Crawford Taking On Water American Stout  

Table 21: IPA (29 entries)

Place Brewer Entry Name Style Club
1st Mike & Stephanie Butler Habitual Bitcher American IPA Kansas City Bier Meisters
2nd Eli Palma FAYUCA Black IPA QUAFF
3rd Steven Severn Janet's Brown Brown IPA Orange County Mash Ups
HM Curtis Ritter Un·right·eous American IPA Ace Brewing Society

Table 22: Strong American Ale (9 entries)

Place Brewer Entry Name Style Club
1st Michael Rensing Samsquanch American Barleywine Cider, Homebrew, And Mead Production Specialists (CHAMPS)
2nd Curtis Ritter Jennifer American Barleywine Ace Brewing Society
3rd Guille Velasco BWII American Barleywine Tijuana Homebrew Club

Table 23: European Sour Ale (5 entries)

Place Brewer Entry Name Style Club
1st Benjamin Frymark Ich Bin Ein Berliner Berliner Weisse QUAFF
2nd Benjamin Frymark It's Not A Lie If You Believe It Lambic QUAFF
3rd Scott Rauvola Kaiser Söze's Gose Gose QUAFF

Table 24: Belgian Ale (8 entries)

Place Brewer Entry Name Style Club
1st Doug Walker Frank N' Brü Bière de Garde Inland Empire Brewers
2nd Jeff Case One Day In Bruges Belgian Pale Ale QUAFF
3rd Dan Stoneman Goldie's Wit Witbier QUAFF

Table 25: Strong Belgian Ale (14 entries)

Place Brewer Entry Name Style Club
1st Sean Gardinier Saisean Saison QUAFF
2nd Jim Williamson Belgicism Belgian Blond Ale M.A.S.H. Marietta Association of Schoolhouse Homebrewers
3rd Michael Rensing The Stranger Belgian Golden Strong Ale Cider, Homebrew, And Mead Production Specialists (CHAMPS)

Table 26: Monastic Ale (20 entries)

Place Brewer Entry Name Style Club
1st Josh Word Belgian Single Belgian Single Bay Area Mashtronauts
2nd Guille Velasco ABT 24 Belgian Dark Strong Ale Tijuana Homebrew Club
3rd Justin Holman Quad Belgian Dark Strong Ale Cider, Homebrew, And Mead Production Specialists (CHAMPS)

Table 27: Historical Beer (9 entries)

Place Brewer Entry Name Style Club
1st Cole Christian Pre-Purrritanical F***ery Lager Pre-Prohibition Lager DC Homebrewers
2nd David Towles Kentucky Common Kentucky Common High Plains Drafters [TX]
3rd Scott Rauvola Sons Of Liberty Pre-Prohibition Porter QUAFF
HM Deborah And Marc Prichard Drunken Pony Kentucky Common Kansas City Bier Meisters

Table 28: American Wild Ale (8 entries)

Place Brewer Entry Name Style Club
1st Daniel Emmerling Raspberry Chocolate Sour Mixed Fermentation Sour Beer  
2nd Scott Rauvola Tank 7 Brett Beer QUAFF
3rd Stephen Schmitt The Rare Barrel Straight Sour Beer Evanston Homebrew Club

Table 29: Fruit Beer (12 entries)

Place Brewer Entry Name Style Club
1st Bill Boyer Red Plum Straight And Sour Fruit Beer North Georgia Malt Monkeys
2nd Travis Johnson Hit Me With Your Best Tart Specialty Fruit Beer QUAFF
3rd Ryan Vigne Vigne Terroir Grape Ale Pittsburgh Mead Makers And Homebrewers

Table 30: Spiced Beer (8 entries)

Place Brewer Entry Name Style Club
1st Masahiro Kitano Go Ma Me Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer SoCal Cerveceros (SCC)
2nd Benjamin Frymark No Soup For You Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer QUAFF
3rd Ryan Vigne Just The Tips - White Mosaic Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer Pittsburgh Mead Makers And Homebrewers
HM Paul Pitre Chocolate Vanilla Hunter's Stout Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer Redstick Brewmasters

Table 31: Alternative Fermentables Beer (4 entries)

Place Brewer Entry Name Style Club
1st Benjamin Frymark The Marble Rye Alternative Grain Beer QUAFF
2nd Mike & Stephanie Butler That's A Dead Horse....Don't Ride It Anymore Alternative Grain Beer Kansas City Bier Meisters
3rd Benjamin Frymark Kramerica Alternative Sugar Beer QUAFF

Table 32: Smoked Beer (4 entries)

Place Brewer Entry Name Style Club
1st Richard Bagnell A Fireplace In Vienna Specialty Smoked Beer QUAFF
2nd Benjamin Frymark Smokey The Beer Classic Style Smoked Beer QUAFF
3rd Michael Rensing Mark It 8, Dude Classic Style Smoked Beer Cider, Homebrew, And Mead Production Specialists (CHAMPS)

Table 33: Wood Beer (9 entries)

Place Brewer Entry Name Style Club
1st Scott Rauvola BA Sons Of Liberty Specialty Wood-Aged Beer QUAFF
2nd Michael Chalukian Night In The Woods Wood-Aged Beer Inland Empire Brewers
3rd Mike Neice Bean Turd Curdle Specialty Wood-Aged Beer Ace Brewing Society

Table 34: Specialty Beer (6 entries)

Place Brewer Entry Name Style Club
1st Scott Rauvola Irascible Elf Experimental Beer QUAFF
2nd Steven Severn Six Wheat Under: Rum Experimental Beer Orange County Mash Ups
3rd Jeff Case Passionfruit Mousse Imperial Golden Desert Stout Experimental Beer QUAFF

Table 35: Standard Cider & Perry (12 entries)

Place Brewer Entry Name Style Club
1st Bill Boyer Being There - US05 - Indian Summer New World Cider North Georgia Malt Monkeys
2nd Josh Word Cider New World Cider Bay Area Mashtronauts
3rd Scott Estlund Blame It On Bill! New World Cider The Brü Club

Table 36: Specialty Cider & Perry (13 entries)

Place Brewer Entry Name Style Club
1st Alan Turken Good-N-Sweet Ice Cider QUAFF
2nd Bill Boyer Slowpoke Rodriguez Cider with Herbs/Spices North Georgia Malt Monkeys
3rd Ross Stuart Strawberry Cider Cider with Other Fruit Arizona Society of Homebrewers

Table 37: Traditional Mead (9 entries)

Place Brewer Entry Name Style Club
1st Bill Boyer Szlachta Sweet Mead North Georgia Malt Monkeys
2nd Scott Estlund Tropical Hot Dog Night V2 Sweet Mead The Brü Club
3rd Ryan Fowler Ap-Pear-Ently Traditional Semi-Sweet Mead  
HM Jeffry Battles Semi-Sweet Mead Semi-Sweet Mead QUAFF

Table 38: Fruit Mead (32 entries)

Place Brewer Entry Name Style Club
1st Ryan Fowler Peach Melomel V2 Stone Fruit Mead  
2nd Bill Boyer If She Weighed The Same As A Duck... She's Made Of Wood Melomel North Georgia Malt Monkeys
3rd Ryan Fowler Mango Vanilli V2 Stone Fruit Mead  
HM Karl Kahleck Pomegranate Mulberry Mead Melomel QUAFF

Table 39: Spiced Mead (21 entries)

Place Brewer Entry Name Style Club
1st Jeffry Battles Lemon & Ginger Mead Fruit and Spice Mead QUAFF
2nd Bill Boyer Chocolate Trojiniak Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Mead North Georgia Malt Monkeys
3rd Bill Boyer Dark Chocolate Merlot Valkyries Horn Fruit and Spice Mead North Georgia Malt Monkeys
HM Bill Boyer Ram's Bladder Cup Fruit and Spice Mead North Georgia Malt Monkeys

Table 40: Specialty Mead (12 entries)

Place Brewer Entry Name Style Club
1st Melissa Greenfield German Chocolate Cake Bochet Experimental Mead QUAFF
2nd Bill Boyer Wilford Brimley Historical Mead North Georgia Malt Monkeys
3rd Garrett Freeman Blueberry Muffin Mead Experimental Mead Red Earth Brewers