Washington Homebrewers Association

Throughout the state of Washington there are homebrewers who are going to great lengths to take homebrewing to the next level. There are skilled homebrewers who can dream up a near perfect beer and bring it into your glass. There are clubs who collectively share a wealth of ideas and efforts, all to make a better pint. There are individuals who devote tons of energy for the betterment of the homebrewing hobby as a whole. While these brewers may only be seen by a few, their skills and efforts reach far beyond the walls of their home brewery.

One of the core missions of the Washington Homebrewers Association is to “Recognize Excellence in Washington’s Homebrewing Skills and Contributions to the Homebrewing Society.” To accomplish this, the WAHA has set up several awards programs to shine a light on Washington’s top homebrewers and to encourage everyone to aim for that next highest goal.

Brewers and clubs from around the state are invited to compete for the following awards.

·Washington Homebrewer of the Year—GUIDELINES HERE - Sponsored by Hop Union

·Awarded to the homebrewer who scores the most points in sanctioned WAHA competitions

·Bert Grant Award—GUIDELINES HERE

·Awarded the “best of show of the brewers.” From each qualifying competition, the top brewers in the BOS round will be eligible to be submitted to a final best of show round at the end of the year to find the best brewer from all of the competitions.

·Washington Homebrew Club of the Year – GUIDELINES HERE (Summary Here)

·Recognition of the brewing skills and contributions of Washington clubs

Washington Spirit of Homebrewing Club of the Year (discontinued) – GUIDELINES HERE

·Recognizing Washington homebrew clubs who make great efforts to serve their homebrew club members, bring in new homebrewers, and support the Washington homebrewing movement. (Submission form)

Golden Mash Paddle - GUIDELINES HERE -

2022-23 Nomination Period Open - Nominate Someone Today

·Recognition of homebrewers who help progress the Washington Homebrewing scene

Rules for qualifying competitions found HERE. To register your competition as a WAHA Awards Program Qualifying Competition, you must meet the requirements and then must register your competition here.

Awards Reporting Spreadsheet

Planned 2021 Qualifying Competitions (merged with 2020 competition season due to pandemic and competition cancellations):

Best of the Bay - August
Cascade Brewers Cup - September
Yakima Fresh Hop Homebrew Competition - October
Lights Out! Dark Beer Only Competition - October

Planned 2020 Qualifying Competitions:

GEBL Hop Madness IPA Challenge - February
JBLM Brewfest - March
Washington Mead and Cider Cup - March
Cascade Brewers Cup - April
Wallonian Cup - May
Best of the Bay Competition - Late July/August
Cowlitz County Fair - August
Evergreen State Fair - August - Cancelled
Puyallup Fair (Washington State Fair) - August
BREW's Lager Only Competition - September
Light's Out! Dark Beer Only Competition - October
Joint Novembeerfest and Puget Sound Pro-Am - November

Planned 2019 Qualifying Competitions:

GEBL Hop Madness IPA Challenge - February
McChord Brewfest - February
Cascade Brewers Cup - March
Washington Mead and Cider Cup - March
Best of the Bay Competition - Late July
Cowlitz County Fair - August
Evergreen State Fair - August
Puyallup Fair (Washington State Fair) - August
BREW's Lager Only Competition - September
Light's Out! Dark Beer Only Competition - October
Joint Novembeerfest and Puget Sound Pro-Am - November

2018 Qualifying Competitions:

GEBL Hop Madness IPA Challenge - March
Cascade Brewers Cup - April/May
McChord Brewfest - June
Best of the Bay Competition - Late July
Evergreen State Fair - August
Light's Out! Dark Beer Only Competition - October
Joint Novembeerfest and Puget Sound Pro-Am - November

2017 Qualifying Competitions:

McChord Brewfest - February
GEBL Hop Madness IPA Challenge - March
Cascade Brewers Cup - April
Best of the Bay Competition - Late July
Cowlitz County Fair - August
Evergreen State Fair - August
Joint Novembeerfest and Puget Sound Pro-Am - November

2016 Qualifying Competitions:

McChord Brewfest - February
GEBL Hop Madness IPA Challenge - March
Washington Mead and Cider Cup - March
Cascade Brewers Cup - April
Best of the Bay Competition - Late July
Cowlitz County Fair - August
Evergreen State Fair - August
XBrew - September
Joint Novembeerfest and Puget Sound Pro-Am - November

2015 Qualifying Competitions:

McChord Brewfest - February
Cascade Brewers Cup - April
GEBL Hop Madness IPA Challenge - May
Best of the Bay Competition - Late July
Cowlitz County Fair - August
Evergreen State Fair - August
Joint Novembeerfest and Puget Sound Pro-Am - November

2014 Qualifying Competitions:

GEBL Hop Madness IPA Challenge - March
Washington Mead and Cider Cup - March
Cascade Brewers Cup - April
Best of the Bay - July/August
Evergreen State Fair - August
XBrew - September
Joint Novembeerfest and Puget Sound Pro-Am - November

2013 Qualifying Competitions:

GEBL Hop Madness IPA Challenge - Jan
Joint Cascade Brewers Cup and Puget Sound Pro-Am - April
Best of the Bay - July/August
Evergreen State Fair - August
XBrew - October
Novembeerfest - November
North Sound Winter Homebrew Competition - December

2012 Qualifying Competitions:

GEBL Hop Madness IPA Challenge - Feb
Joint Cascade Brewers Cup and Puget Sound Pro-Am - March
Best of the Bay Homebrew Competition - July
Evergreen State Fair - August
Scottish and Irish Ale Highlander Challenge - September
Novembeerfest - November
Washington Mead and Cider Cup - December

2011 Qualifying Competitions:

GEBL Hop Madness IPA Challenge - Jan
Cascade Brewers Cup - March
McChord Brewfest - March
Puget Sound Pro-Am - April
Evergreen State Fair - Aug
Best of the Bay - Aug
Skagit County Fair - Aug
Washington Mead and Cider Cup - Sep
Novembeerfest - Nov