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A special thanks to our 2026 homebrew competition sponsors: TBD
Our local club hosts an annual homebrew competition. Everyone is welcome to participate. This competition is an American Homebrewer's Association sanctioned event. We are using the 2021 BJCP beer style guidelines for this competition.
Styles for 2026 Competition
Category - Belgian Light Ales (mixed style)
24B - Belgian Pale Ale
25A - Belgian Blond Ale
26A - Belgian Single
26B - Belgian Dubbel
BJCP Category 4 - Pale Malty European Lager
4A - Munich Helles
4B - Festbier
4C - Helles Bock
BJCP Category 21 - IPA
21A - American IPA
21B - Specialty IPA
Belgian IPA
Black IPA
Brown IPA
Red IPA
Rye IPA
White IPA
Brut IPA
21C - Hazy IPA
Open Category
May be any style posted in the BJCP 2021 Style Guidelines (not eligible for best of show winner)
Refer to BJCP 2021 Beer Style Guidelines for more information on categories and subcategories.
2026 Competition Winners
Category - Belgian Light Ales (mixed style)
1st Place: TBD
2nd Place: TBD
3rd Place: TBD
Category 4 - Pale Malty European Lager
1st Place: TBD
2nd Place: TBD
3rd Place: TBD
Category 21 - IPA
1st Place: TBD
2nd Place: TBD
3rd Place: TBD
Open Category (entries not eligible for best of show winner)
1st Place: TBD
2nd Place: TBD
3rd Place: TBD
Best of Show (open category entries not eligible)
TBD
Competition Officials:
Director: Bryan George
Steward: David Towles
Competition Details and Rules
Entry Deadline is Wednesday March 18th, 2026. Entries are being accepted from March 4th through March 18th 2026. Entries can be dropped off with Pondaseta Brewing Co. at 7500 SW 45th Ave, Amarillo, TX 79119. Judging will occur March 28th, TBD (if needed), and TBD (if needed). Winners will be announced at Awards Ceremony on Saturday May 16th at the latest.
Entry Specifics
A total of 75 entries will be judged.
The first 45 entries will be judged regardless of entrant residence.
The other 30 entries are set aside for entries within the Texas Panhandle. See the 26 counties highlighted in yellow on this map for clarification.
Entries are only confirmed once payment has been received. Please submit payment at the time of entry to secure your spot and avoid missing out if the competition reaches capacity.
Each entrant may submit a TOTAL of 5 entries with only 2 per major category (Belgian Light Ales (mixed category), Pale Malty European Lager, IPA) and 1 per subcategory (except for the Specialty IPA subcategory if if the Specialty IPA are different specialty style, example: cannot enter two Belgian IPA but can enter a Belgian IPA and Black IPA.) The open category is not limited to only 2, so you can use all 5 total entries in the open category if you wish.
Entries must be received by Pondaseta's closing time on March 18th, 2025.
Entries will be accepted at Pondaseta Brewing (the Amarillo Taproom location) starting on March 3rd at 12 PM and ending on March 18th by the end of business closing time.
All mailed entries must be received at Pondaseta by the entry deadline. Please allow for shipping time.
You can modify your entries up until the entry deadline.
If there are any prizes (excluding medals) included for winners, prizes will need to be picked up locally or winners will need to pay for shipping costs.
Entry Fee
The early entry fee of $12 is available if your entry is paid before end of day on February 28th.
After February 28th, the entry fee is $15 per entry.
Payment Methods:
Pay via PayPal at (Payment Link Will be Available Jan 9th at 6 PM)
Entry requirements
Bottle ID Form (Hard Copy attached to each bottle)
Electronic Entry Submission Form (button located down below)
Shipping Details (if necessary)
Pondaseta Brewing
ATTN: High Plains Drafters
7500 SW 45th
Amarillo, TX 79119
The Entry Recipe Form is OPTIONAL but will be used to resolve any questions regarding entry or entry style/substyle.
Bottle specifics
Please make sure you follow these bottle and cap rules. They are put in place to make sure the judges cannot identify their own submissions. We want to keep this competition fair for everyone. Caps that are not approved WILL have points deducted from score. Bottles that are discernible and not standard WILL be disqualified from winning that category.
Three bottles must be submitted for each entry.
All labeling must be thoroughly removed.
Standard 12 oz. Amber Bottles (No Grolsch, EZ Cap, etc.)
No discernible commercial bottles are allowed (e.g. New Belgium).
No lettering or label is allowed on bottle caps.
Bottle cap color may be white, silver, standard gold (not yellow), or black. You are allowed to use a permanent black marker to change your cap color completely to black. Be sure no underlying color is visible. Points will be deducted from score if approved cap color is not followed.
All entry bottles must be accompanied by Bottle ID Form that is attached to the bottle using rubber bands.
An Entry Recipe Form may accompany bottles when they are submitted (this is optional but will be used to resolve any questions regarding entry or entry style/substyle).
Please review the BJCP guidelines and provide any required detailed entry information for a specific subcategory, such as the ingredients used, base style, type of wood or smoke, yeast type, specifications, target characteristics, etc. Email us at palodurocup@gmail.com if you have any questions.
Refund/Cancellation Policy: Due to limited competition entry space, no refunds will be issued for entries that are not sent in for the competition.
Officials reserve the right to disqualify or modify entries to assure that they can not be identified by judges.
**Competition Ban On Cannabis-Infused , Commercial, and Brew-on-Premise Entries**
All and any cannabis-infused, CBD, or ingredient derivative of, beers are strictly prohibited by the Amarillo High Plains Drafters. This includes commercially brewed and Brew-on-Premise beers. Any entrant found in violation of this rule will be banned from the competition.
Entry Checklist
___ Entry/Recipe Form (Optional)
____ Bottle ID Form (each bottle must have a bottle ID form attached to it using rubber bands)
____ Electronic Entry Submission (button down below)
Submit your Entries Here
Click the electronic entry submission form button below to submit your entries!
Sign Up to Judge Here
Want to judge the entries? We need volunteers to judge all of these beers. This competition is eligible for earning BJCP judging points. If you are interested in judging please complete the Judging Participant Form below.
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