Winners - America's Finest City (AFC) 2026

Table 1: Standard American Beer (29 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Matthew Young	The One Night Stand	American Light Lager	Ace Brewing Society
2nd	Jamie Crawford	Dolla Dolla Bill Y'All	Cream Ale	Maltose Falcons
3rd	Jeff Zwetsch	Le Crema	Cream Ale	Ace Brewing Society
HM	Ross Stuart	American Lite	American Light Lager	Arizona Society of Homebrewers

Table 2: International Lager (13 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Dan Baker	The Great Cornholio	International Pale Lager	QUAFF
2nd	Eli Palma	Cuello Azul	International Pale Lager	QUAFF
3rd	John Bell	Category Roulette for $1000	International Amber Lager	QUAFF

Table 3: Czech Lager (18 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Ross Stuart	Czech Amber	Czech Amber Lager	Arizona Society of Homebrewers
2nd	William Vigil	Czechmate	Czech Dark Lager	Ace Brewing Society
3rd	Todd Slater	SCHF Czech trail beer 2025	Czech Pale Lager	Thousand Oaked Homebrewers
HM	Greg Orth	Sister City Pivo	Czech Amber Lager

Table 4: Pale Malty European Lager (7 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Mike Neice	Feisty one	Festbier	Ace Brewing Society
2nd	Benjamin Frymark	The Human Fund	Helles Bock	QUAFF
3rd	Pete Graham	Heaven Beside You… Helles Beside You	Munich Helles	Foam Blowers of Indiana (FBI)

Table 5: Pale Bitter European Beer (17 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Rick Chainani	Export Helles	German Helles Exportbier	Bay Area Mashtronauts
2nd	Richard Bagnell	Pils from the Doctor	German Pils	QUAFF
3rd	Mike Page	It’s A Pilsner	German Pils	QUAFF

Table 6: Amber Malty European Lager (10 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	John Bell	Lost Marzen	Märzen	QUAFF
2nd	Trevor McGuire	An Ode to Roy Mustang	Rauchbier	Diablo Order of Zymiracle Enthusiasts (DOZE)
3rd	Jennifer Vonderwell	Made in America	Dunkels Bock	Brewtubers

Table 7: Amber Bitter European Beer (11 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Ross Stuart	Vienna Lager	Vienna Lager	Arizona Society of Homebrewers
2nd	David Gulotta	Goalgetter	Vienna Lager	Ace Brewing Society
3rd	Kim Hynek	Boneshaker	Altbier	Red Earth Brewers
HM	Steve Ristau	Isarian Alt	Altbier	Ale Riders Homebrew Club

Table 8: Dark European Lager (9 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Benjamin Frymark	Man Hands	Schwarzbier	QUAFF
2nd	Eli Palma	Night harvest	Munich Dunkel	QUAFF
3rd	Juan Pablo Salcedo	A Bavarian Thing	Munich Dunkel	Tijuana Homebrew Club

Table 9: Strong European Beer (11 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Ernest Hedberg	Ice water	Eisbock	QUAFF
2nd	Benjamin Frymark	The sea was angry that day, my friends.	Doppelbock	QUAFF
3rd	Matthew Semaan	Doofenshirmztinator	Doppelbock	Northern Ale Stars Homebrewers Guild

Table 10: German Wheat Beer (13 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Kim Hynek	Hefeweizen	Weissbier	Red Earth Brewers
2nd	Gregory Roskopf	Seid freundlich!	Weissbier	Foam Blowers of Indiana (FBI)
3rd	Benjamin Frymark	The summer of George	Weizenbock	QUAFF

Table 11: British Bitter (7 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	John Bates	Ordinarily Bitter And Extraordinarily Grumpy	Ordinary Bitter	Horsemen of the Hopocalypse
2nd	Stephen Schmitt	Goodison Park	Strong Bitter	Evanston Homebrew Club
3rd	James Faircloth	Wise Owl ESB	Strong Bitter	C.H.A.O.S. Brew Club

Table 12: Pale Commonwealth Beer (10 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Nick & Heather Hartley	Kwikee down Under	Australian Sparkling Ale	Red Earth Brewers
2nd	John Bell	Dog's Bollocks	British Golden Ale	QUAFF
3rd	James Faircloth	Bengal Tiger IPA	English IPA	C.H.A.O.S. Brew Club

Table 13: Brown British Beer (11 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Benjamin Frymark	How can the same street intersect with itself?	Dark Mild	QUAFF
2nd	Michael Rensing	Stearman's Sahti	English Porter	Cider, Homebrew, And Mead Production Specialists (CHAMPS)
3rd	Zachary Belzer	Backary's mild Mild	Dark Mild	Urban Knaves of Grain

Table 14: Scottish Ale (6 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Dave Breyer	Johnny McBoy's Tasty Brew	Scottish Heavy	395brewers
2nd	Paul Domich	Kilted Emigrant	Scottish Export	Diablo Order of Zymiracle Enthusiasts (DOZE)
3rd	Dirk Montgomery	Left Ya Kelt!	Scottish Export	Red Earth Brewers

Table 15: Irish Beer (17 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Brent Krohn	Lemmiwinks	Irish Red Ale	QUAFF
2nd	Gerad Miller	It's only forever, not long at all	Irish Stout	Dayton Regional Amateur Fermentation Technologists
3rd	Brian Trout	Irish Stout	Irish Stout	QUAFF
HM	Jose Dias	Shenanigans Dry Irish Stout	Irish Stout	QUAFF

Table 16: Dark British Beer (9 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Jeff Case	Keep Pounding (Verdant)	Oatmeal Stout	QUAFF
2nd	Allan Polk	Experimental Stout	Foreign Extra Stout	QUAFF
3rd	Logan Strickland	Silk Scarf Stout	Sweet Stout	Arizona Society of Homebrewers
HM	Jeff Case	Office Hero Milk Stout	Sweet Stout	QUAFF

Table 17: Strong British Ale (10 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Kyle Ernsberger	Weeeee	Wee Heavy	Cider, Homebrew, And Mead Production Specialists (CHAMPS)
2nd	Logan Strickland	A wee bit too heavy	Wee Heavy	Arizona Society of Homebrewers
3rd	Tom Leonard	Monarch EBW	English Barley Wine	Arizona Society of Homebrewers

Table 18: Pale American Ale (15 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Chris Erdos	Munich Moses	American Pale Ale
2nd	Tom Leonard	Creek Run	American Pale Ale	Arizona Society of Homebrewers
3rd	Curtis Ritter	Charlotte	Blonde Ale	Ace Brewing Society
HM	Jeff Case	Blonde Foo v6	Blonde Ale	QUAFF

Table 19: Amber and Brown American Beer (15 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Phillip Saurer	Cowbell Brown Ale	American Brown Ale	Peninsula Fermentation Society
2nd	Brian Trout	Downtown Julie Brown	American Brown Ale	QUAFF
3rd	Curtis Ritter	Cascade Centennial Accord	American Amber Ale	Ace Brewing Society

Table 20: American Porter and Stout (15 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Dave Breyer	P's Porter	American Porter	395brewers
2nd	John Bell	Monster of the Sea	Imperial Stout	QUAFF
3rd	Betty Dehoney	Flight to Russia	Imperial Stout	QUAFF

Table 21: IPA (17 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Jason Justeson	FKI	American IPA	Brewing Borrachos
2nd	Ross Stuart	American IPA	American IPA	Arizona Society of Homebrewers
3rd	Ben Wilson	Grump IPA	American IPA	Long Beach Homebrewers
HM	Eli Palma	DREAM CHUNKS	American IPA	QUAFF

Table 22: 21B - Specialty IPA (15 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Taylor Shastid	RiPcOrD	Black IPA	Diablo Order of Zymiracle Enthusiasts (DOZE)
2nd	Beau Floch	Brown IPA	Brown IPA	Inland Empire Brewers
3rd	Stephen Schmitt	Vader	Black IPA	Evanston Homebrew Club

Table 23: 21C - Hazy IPA (10 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Ross Stuart	Hazy IPA	Hazy IPA	Arizona Society of Homebrewers
2nd	Colby Reineke	Exit Planet Sludge	Hazy IPA	Minnesota Home Brewers Association
3rd	Nikolas Isely	Aurora Australis	Hazy IPA	Immersion Chillers

Table 24: Strong American Ale (13 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Deborah And Marc Prichard	She Licked Me	Wheatwine	Kansas City Bier Meisters
2nd	Nic Templeton	Snow Goose	American Strong Ale	Cascade Brewers Guild
3rd	Benjamin Frymark	A George divided against itself cannot stand!	American Barleywine	QUAFF

Table 25: European Sour Ale (15 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Travis Johnson	Cool as a Cucumber... & Strawberry	Fruit Lambic	QUAFF
2nd	Stephen Schmitt	Oud Bruin	Oud Bruin	Evanston Homebrew Club
3rd	Jeff Case	The Leftorium	Flanders Red Ale	QUAFF
HM	Stephen Schmitt	Oikily Dokily	Flanders Red Ale	Evanston Homebrew Club

Table 26: Belgian Ale (6 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Michael Rensing	Stearman's Czech Dark Lager	Belgian Pale Ale	Cider, Homebrew, And Mead Production Specialists (CHAMPS)
2nd	Scott Rauvola	Belgian Pale Ale	Belgian Pale Ale	QUAFF
3rd	Curtis Ritter	Yeast Mode	Belgian Pale Ale	Ace Brewing Society

Table 27: Strong Belgian Ale (13 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Scott Rauvola	Duvel Clone	Belgian Golden Strong Ale	QUAFF
2nd	Travis Johnson	Golden Goddess	Belgian Golden Strong Ale	QUAFF
3rd	Josh Reid	Selinene Saison	Saison	Missouri Mashers

Table 28: Monastic Ale (13 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	John Bell	Bell Hammer Miraglia Tripel	Belgian Tripel	QUAFF
2nd	Scott Rauvola	Properly Carbonated American Tripel	Belgian Tripel	QUAFF
3rd	Brent Krohn	Teddy Bear Pimp	Belgian Dark Strong Ale	QUAFF
HM	Dirk Manders	Kludde	Belgian Tripel	Bay Area Mashers

Table 29: Historical Beer (26 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Colby Reineke	Cultivate	Kellerbier	Minnesota Home Brewers Association
2nd	Luke Osborne	RIP to your palette	Lichtenhainer	Central Arkansas Fermenters
3rd	Eli Palma	Woodford	Kentucky Common	QUAFF

Table 30: American Wild Ale (11 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Kyle Hufford	Crystal Flowers	Mixed Fermentation Sour Beer
2nd	Benjamin Frymark	If she can’t find me, she can’t break up with me.	Mixed Fermentation Sour Beer	QUAFF
3rd	Kyle Hufford	Long Time Coming	Brett Beer
HM	Alan Wells	Manneken Pis	Mixed Fermentation Sour Beer

Table 31: Fruit Beer (13 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Patrick Leon	One Night Stout: Island Date	Fruit and Spice Beer	QUAFF
2nd	Brian McCrickard	Copacabana Crusher	Catharina Sour	Seven City Brewers
3rd	Brian McCrickard	Copacabana Crusher	Fruit Beer	Seven City Brewers
HM	Andy Scherzinger	Ramona Flowers	Fruit Beer	Weiz Guys

Table 32: Spiced Beer (20 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Andy Scherzinger	Krampus	Winter Seasonal Beer	Weiz Guys
2nd	Joel Hill	Mount Andes Stout	Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer	Mash Masters Homebrew Club
3rd	Tommy John	Black Diamond	Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer	Underground Brewers of Connecticut
HM	Josh Reid	Nuts N' Nibs	Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer	Missouri Mashers

Table 33: Alternative Fermentables Beer (7 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Trevor McGuire	Killer Bee	Alternative Grain Beer	Diablo Order of Zymiracle Enthusiasts (DOZE)
2nd	Jeff Case	Rye Don't Care	Alternative Grain Beer	QUAFF
3rd	Brian Miller	GF French Rice Saison	Alternative Grain Beer	Orange County Mash Ups
HM	Paul Domich	Superior Wildrice Lager	Alternative Grain Beer	Diablo Order of Zymiracle Enthusiasts (DOZE)

Table 34: Smoked Beer (7 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Richard Bagnell	Camp Fire Porter	Specialty Smoked Beer	QUAFF
2nd	Kevin Estrada	Smokey Smokerson	Classic Style Smoked Beer	Tijuana Homebrew Club
3rd	Benjamin Frymark	Smokey the Beer	Classic Style Smoked Beer	QUAFF

Table 35: Wood Beer (10 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Shaun Huggins	Boil Em, Mash Em, Stick Em In A Beer!	Wood-Aged Beer	San Antonio Cerveceros
2nd	Wesley Kulcak	Krampus	Specialty Wood-Aged Beer	Bay Area Mashtronauts
3rd	Phillip Saurer	BBA 13 Day Imperial Stout	Specialty Wood-Aged Beer	Peninsula Fermentation Society

Table 36: Specialty Beer (8 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Benjamin Frymark	It's not a lie if you believe it!	Experimental Beer	QUAFF
2nd	Michael Rensing	Stearman's Imperial Stout	Commercial Specialty Beer	Cider, Homebrew, And Mead Production Specialists (CHAMPS)
3rd	Matt Castellino	Hyzer Hops	Experimental Beer	Thousand Oaked Homebrewers
HM	Scott Rauvola	SamiClone '19	Commercial Specialty Beer	QUAFF

Table 37: C1 Traditional Cider (15 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Pete Graham	Husted’s Cider	Heirloom Cider	Foam Blowers of Indiana (FBI)
2nd	Christopher Mazurk	Apple	Common Cider	Ace Brewing Society
3rd	Doug Brown	Stupid Wild	Spanish Cider	QUAFF

Table 38: C2 Strong Cider (8 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Alan Turken	Good-N-Sweet	Ice Cider	QUAFF
2nd	Pete Graham	Is It Bedtime Yet?	Applewine	Foam Blowers of Indiana (FBI)
3rd	Benjamin Frymark	Serenity now!	Ice Cider	QUAFF

Table 39: C3 Specialty Cider (24 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Jonathon Schubert	Wild Grape Cider	Experimental Cider	QUAFF
2nd	William Vigil	A Jenn Pore	Fruit Cider	Ace Brewing Society
3rd	Brian Trout	SD Craft Cider 2019 - Apple Pie Ala Mode	Spiced Cider	QUAFF
HM	Alan Turken	Smooth Booze	Experimental Cider	QUAFF

Table 40: C4 Perry (6 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Brian Biggs	Platypus In Swinter	Ice Perry	Dead Yeast Society [LA]
2nd	Benjamin Frymark	The bottle deposit	Experimental Perry	QUAFF
3rd	Bill Boyer	A Pearilous Journey 2023	Experimental Perry	North Georgia Malt Monkeys
HM	Doug Brown	Upcycled Trash Perry	Experimental Perry	QUAFF

Table 41: M1 Traditional Mead (20 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Ryan Vigne	The Sweet One - Kukui Blossom	Sweet Mead	Pittsburgh Mead Makers And Homebrewers
2nd	John Bell	Oregon Goodness	Semi-Sweet Mead	QUAFF
3rd	Shaun Huggins	I call it luck!	Dry Mead	San Antonio Cerveceros

Table 42: M2 Fruit Mead [without Melomel] (19 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Alexandria Perry	Leg of Spider, Eye of Newt	Pyment	QUAFF
2nd	Bill Boyer	Que Shiraz Shiraz Whatever Will Be Will Be 2024	Pyment	North Georgia Malt Monkeys
3rd	Doug Brown	Beginner's Luck (My First Melomel!)	Pyment	QUAFF

Table 43: M2E Melomel (14 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Melissa Greenfield	Raspberry nebbiolo	Melomel	QUAFF
2nd	Karl Kahleck	Move Aside and Let the Mango Through	Melomel	QUAFF
3rd	Doug Brown	Mass Appeal	Melomel	QUAFF
HM	Melissa Greenfield	Persimmon cyser	Melomel	QUAFF

Table 44: M3 Spiced Mead (18 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Doug Brown	Five Star Chick à la Mode	Fruit and Spice Mead	QUAFF
2nd	Karl Kahleck	Ah Squite Squite	Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Mead	QUAFF
3rd	Cody Lester	Big ol' touch of Vanilla & Blueberry	Fruit and Spice Mead	Central Arkansas Fermenters
HM	Bill Boyer	Conquistador Coffee Campaign - Mocha 2026	Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Mead	North Georgia Malt Monkeys

Table 45: M4 Specialty Mead (17 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Doug Brown	The B.O.S.S. Braggot	Braggot	QUAFF
2nd	Bill Boyer	Trójniak vs Montmorency Cherry vs Matthew Mead 2024	Historical Mead	North Georgia Malt Monkeys
3rd	Bill Boyer	Agrestniak 2024	Historical Mead	North Georgia Malt Monkeys
HM	Austin Brown	The Morrígan	Experimental Mead	Brewers Anonymous