The Brews
Selected for this year's competition, the three categories of "brews" will be a return of Porters, Festbier, and Mead.
Porter
Porter originated in London, England, during the early 18th century and became one of the world's first mass-produced beer styles. Named after the porters who transported goods throughout the city, it was prized for its rich, roasty malt character and smooth drinkability. As porter spread across Europe and North America, regional variations emerged. Traditional English Porter is balanced and malt-forward, featuring flavors of chocolate, caramel, and toasted bread with moderate alcohol content. American Porter builds on the English tradition but often incorporates more assertive roasted malts and American hops, resulting in bolder chocolate, coffee, and citrus or pine notes. Baltic Porter developed in countries surrounding the Baltic Sea, where brewers adapted the style using lager yeast and colder fermentation, producing a stronger, smoother beer with rich notes of dark fruit, caramel, chocolate, and a clean finish.
- Porter
Festbier
Festbier is a traditional German lager style that originated in Bavaria as the celebratory beer served at autumn festivals, most notably Munich's Oktoberfest. While the original Oktoberfest beers of the 19th century were darker Märzen lagers, brewing trends shifted in the latter half of the 20th century toward a lighter, golden-colored beer with a cleaner, more refreshing character. Modern Festbier is brewed to be highly drinkable while still offering a rich malt flavor, balanced by moderate bitterness and a crisp finish. Today, Festbier has become the standard beer served at Oktoberfest in Munich and is enjoyed around the world as a symbol of German brewing tradition and celebration. For a description of how this style of beer is judged, please see the following BJCP Style Guideline:
Mead
Mead is one of the world's oldest alcoholic beverages, with evidence of honey fermentation dating back more than 8,000 years. Made by fermenting honey with water and yeast, mead has been enjoyed by cultures across Europe, Africa, and Asia, and was especially important in the traditions of the ancient Greeks, Celts, Vikings, and medieval societies. Often associated with feasts, celebrations, and mythology, mead earned the nickname "the drink of the gods." Although its popularity declined with the rise of beer and wine production, mead has experienced a modern revival, with craft meaderies producing a wide variety of traditional and innovative styles enjoyed by enthusiasts around the world. Accordingly, brewers may choose any of the many styles of mead recognized in the BJCP Guidelines:
- Mead (choose any style!)