2021 Honey Beer Competition Registration is Now Open

Brewers of honey beers are invited to enter the 2021 Honey Beer Competition that’s hosted by the National Honey Board. Now in its seventh year, the Honey Beer Competition is judged by certified judges from the Beer Judge Certification Program and features 13 beer style categories, a cider category, a hard seltzer category and a design category.

This past year’s competition saw 220 honey beers that competed for an array of beer style categories and Best in Show honors. Taking home Best in Show honors was Honey Kölsch from Rogue Ales & Spirits. This award marked the beer’s return to the top spot after claiming it in the first two Honey Beer Competitions.

“Our Honey Beer Competition is one of our annual favorites,” Catherine Barry, National Honey Board’s director of marketing, said in a statement. “It’s hard to imagine that this is our 7th year! When we first started, there were only a handful of honey beers produced in the United States. Today there are hundreds in styles ranging from sours to IPAs.”

This year’s entries must be submitted by July 30. The competition is limited to 300 entries, and each entry must be commercially available in the United States. Breweries may submit multiple entries per category, but each beer may only be entered in one category. To register, visit http://honeybeercompetition.com/.

The winners of the 2020 Honey Beer Competition:

Best in Show Winners
Gold Medal: Honey Kolsch — Rogue Ales & Spirits, Newport, Oregon
Silver Medal: Honey Sucker Pils — Roy-Pitz Brewing Company, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania
Bronze Medal: Honey Shot — Alvarium Beer Company, New Britain, Connecticut

Category Winners
General Ale: Honey Kolsch — Rogue Ales & Spirits, Newport, Oregon
Amber/Brown Ales: Stardog — Mathews Brewing Company, Lake Worth Beach, Florida
General Lager: Honey Sucker Pils — Roy-Pitz Brewing Company, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania
Belgian-Style: Dance Language — Oxbow Brewing Company, Newcastle, Maine
Fruit/Spiced/: Archer — Launch Pad Brewery, Aurora, Colorado
IPA: Honey Shot – Alvarium Beer Company, New Britain, Connecticut
Braggot: Tow City — Obscurity, Maple Park, Illinois
Stouts/Porters: Dark Nectar — Grist House Craft Brewery, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Wheat: Honey Weiss — Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company, Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin
Sour: Microburst — Grist House Craft Brewery, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Barrel-Aged: Wood Ya Honey — Jackie O’s Brewery, Athens, Ohio
Cider: Rose Cider — Saint Arnold Brewing Company, Houston, Texas
Other: Honey Double Maibock — South Shore Brewery, Ashland, Wisconsin
Hard Seltzer: Blackberry Mojito Hydromel — Whistle Hop Brewing Company, Fairview, North Carolina
Packaging/Design: Polymorphism — Speciation Artisan Ales LLC, Comstock Park, Michigan

For a full list of winners, more information and pictures, please go to http://honeybeercompetition.com/2020-winners/.