North American Beer Awards









June 2 - June 4, 2010

The North American Beer Awards is a unique event sanctioned by the North American Brewers Association. The competition provides an opportunity for your beers to be judged by qualified judges against the best beers in the country. Last year over 1,200 beers were judged! We hope the event, now in it’s 14th year will continue to grow and draw an even broader base of competition.

Detailed below are the organizational and logistical requirements for competing in the North American Beer Awards.
eligibility | judging | judges | awards | entries | note

ELIGIBILITY:

  • The North American Beer Awards competition is limited to commercially produced beers from active breweries.

JUDGING:

  • Beer entered in this event will be judged by the traditional method of determining how closely the beer meets the style definition for the category in which it is entered.(detailed style guide) The event is conducted as a blind sampling followed by rank ordering of the entries within a category.
  • In the event that any subcategory receives less than 6 entries, it will be collapsed into the next closest style subcategory, but each entry will be judged according to the style guidelines under which it was entered.
  • Judging will be held at the Red Lion Hotel in Idaho Falls, Idaho, and will begin Wednesday, June 2 with sessions at 9:30 a.m. & 1:30 p.m. and will continue the next day Thursday, June 3rd at 9:30 a.m. & 1:30 pm
  • It will conclude Friday, June 4th with the final session at 9:30 a.m.
JUDGES:
  • A panel of judges may consist of brewers, certified judges, and other qualified professionals. All people interested in judging at the 2010 competition must have a current judge qualification form on file with NABA. If you have not filled out this form within the last two years, please submit your completed form as soon as possible since the NABA Board must approve judges prior to the competition. Download the Judges' Application.
  • Judges will not be allowed to judge in a category in which they have entered beers.
AWARDS:
  • Awards consist of commemorative Gold, Silver, and Bronze medallions cast with the logo of the North American Beer Awards. Medallions will be presented at a public ceremony on June 4th, 2010, at The Red Lion Hotel downtown Idaho Falls, Idaho. Any winning brewery not in attendance at the event will receive its medallion(s) via US mail.
  • A complete list of competition winners will be posted on the NABA website and at the Fest.
  • Please note that use of the awards in advertising is encouraged; however, such use must meet the criteria specified in the “North American Beer Awards” publicity package.
    ENTRIES:
    • A brewery may enter an unlimited number of beers in the competition. Submit your entry forms early (post marked by Monday April 19, 2010) and receive a discount on your entry fees: only $25 per beer entered! Thereafter, the cost increases to $35 per beer entered. Mail entry forms and fees to:

      • North American Brewers Association

      2845 Holly Place

      Idaho Falls, ID 83402

    • All entry forms and checks must be postmarked by (May 12th, 2010); make checks payable to North American Brewers Association. Entry fees are non-refundable.
    • Please specify on the Entry Form in which category and subcategory each beer will be entered. The style guidelines have been revised to include additional styles and improve or update current style descriptions. Additional information is needed for beers entered in the Specialty/Experimental category. For Flavored Beers, be sure to be sure to indicate which fruit, herb, or spice has been used. Failure to designate a category and subcategory will result in the beer being entered in a category deemed to be appropriate by the organizers.
    • All beer entries must be received by date Friday, May 21st, 2010 — exceptions only in case of emergency. For each beer entered, please send 6 bottles (regardless of bottle size) to:

      • For U.S. entries:

      North American Beer Awards
      Attn: Leon Wolfram
      c/o Idaho Brewing Company
      775 South Capital
      Idaho Falls ID 83402
      Leon Wolfram 208-589-7233
      Dan Christopher 208-757-9248

      For international entries and for pallets for Beer Fest:

      North American Beer Awards
      Attn: Charlene
      c/o Golden Eagle Sales
      5478 Heyrend Drive
      Idaho Falls ID 83402
      208-524-0711

    • Please do not send entry forms and payment to the shipping addresses. Please send entry information and payment to the Holly Place address listed above.

    Important Note:
    UPS will NOT accept beer for shipment. Therefore, we recommend that you use FedEx to ship your entries and that you label shipping containers “Live Yeast Samples for Analysis Only” to ensure delivery. Also, please use gel packs (not ice) to keep entries cool and be sure to cushion the entries against breakage.

    Questions? Contact Us:

    Leon 208-589-7233

    Robin 208-589-7231

    Dan 208-757-9248

    robinandwolf@msn.com