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.
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 |
