Fermentation Frenzy 2026
Thanks to all who participated in the Fermentation Frenzy 2026.
There were 282 entries judged and 155 registered participants, judges, and stewards.
Past Winners
View past winners:
Best of Show Winners
Best of Show – Beer
| Place | Brewer | Entry Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Metts Potter | Adventure Chicken | 18B: American Pale Ale | Bloatarian Brewing League |
| 2nd | Steve Ristau | Stau-Haus Brüderbier | 26A: Belgian Single | Ale Riders Homebrew Club |
Best of Show – Mead/Cider
| Place | Brewer | Entry Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Garrett Freeman | I Swear It's Not Applesauce | M3A: Fruit and Spice Mead | Red Earth Brewers |
Winning Entries
I am a real American - Brother!! (17 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Mike Bechina MHP | American Pride | 1B: American Lager | Kansas City Bier Meisters |
| 2nd | Mike Petrick Co-Brewer: Katrina Edwards | American Corn Lager | 1B: American Lager | Three Rivers Alliance of Serious Homebrewers (TRASH) |
| 3rd | Metts Potter | Little Buddy | 1B: American Lager | Bloatarian Brewing League |
World Wide Wheats (10 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | John Martinson | Summer Wheat Ale | 1D: American Wheat Beer | |
| 2nd | Thomas Crabtree MHP | Blanche D'Oneonta V3 | 24A: Witbier | Homebrewers Of Otsego County Proper Society (HOPS) |
| 3rd | Dirk Montgomery MHP | Van Overveld | 24A: Witbier | Red Earth Brewers |
Czech these Out!! (15 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Jason Dunn MHP | The Most Gluggable | 3D: Czech Dark Lager | Inland Empire Brewers |
| 2nd | Mike Petrick Co-Brewer: Katrina Edwards | Baja Bound | 2A: International Pale Lager | Three Rivers Alliance of Serious Homebrewers (TRASH) |
| 3rd | Tracy Pratt MHP | Enter The Dark Side | 3D: Czech Dark Lager | Battleground Brewers Guild |
What the Helles This? (14 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Dustin Wood MHP | Helles Bock | 4C: Helles Bock | Southern Nevada Ale Fermenters Union (SNAFU) |
| 2nd | Ben Nelson | Zuden Zelten | 4B: Festbier | |
| 3rd | Mark Hauer | Helles | 4A: Munich Helles | |
| 4th | Stephen Schmitt MHP | Festhalle | 4B: Festbier | Evanston Homebrew Club |
German Resentment (13 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Nicholas Benoit | Dort The Export | 5C: German Helles Exportbier | |
| 2nd | John Kaye | Take Your Pils | 5D: German Pils | |
| 3rd | Ross Stuart MHP | Dortmunder | 5C: German Helles Exportbier | Arizona Society of Homebrewers |
Euros with an Attitude (15 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Dustin Wood MHP | Vienna Lager | 7A: Vienna Lager | Southern Nevada Ale Fermenters Union (SNAFU) |
| 2nd | Kyle Ernsberger MHP | Meanbrews Schwarzbier | 8B: Schwarzbier | Cider, Homebrew, And Mead Production Specialists (CHAMPS) |
| 3rd | Holland Andrew | Roadtrip Rauchbier | 6B: Rauchbier | |
| HM | Eddie Belter MHP | Dunkel Ed | 6C: Dunkels Bock | STLBrewhogs |
Across the Pond (12 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Andrew Thompson | Bollocks | 11A: Ordinary Bitter | |
| 2nd | Jay Wilkes MHP | OnlyDads | 12A: British Golden Ale | DC Homebrewers |
| 3rd | Zachary Seely MHP | Strong Bitter | 11C: Strong Bitter |
British Isles War (12 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Steven Offutt | Mild | 13A: Dark Mild | Ozark Zymurgists |
| 2nd | Dennis E. Marty | On The Lash | 15A: Irish Red Ale | |
| 3rd | Metts Potter | Accidental Sobriety | 13C: English Porter | Bloatarian Brewing League |
Princes of Darkness (13 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Ben Schooler | Distinguished Gentleman | 17D: English Barley Wine | |
| 2nd | Cole Christian MHP Co-Brewer: Paulette Palacios | Yappie Neighbor | 16D: Foreign Extra Stout | DC Homebrewers |
| 3rd | Steve Ristau MHP | Anchor Porter III | 20A: American Porter | Ale Riders Homebrew Club |
Pale Americans (14 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Metts Potter | Adventure Chicken | 18B: American Pale Ale | Bloatarian Brewing League |
| 2nd | Britton Heim | Sierra Appalachia Pale Ale | 18B: American Pale Ale | |
| 3rd | Garrett Freeman MHP | My Pale Ale | 18B: American Pale Ale | Red Earth Brewers |
Not so Pale Americans (12 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Scott Gordon MHP | Tiger's Eye | 19A: American Amber Ale | The Brü Club |
| 2nd | Steve Hackman | Nutshell | 19C: American Brown Ale | Butler County Brewing Society (BCBS) |
| 3rd | Bill Gavin Roy Ventullo | Rod Carew 1980 Topps #700 | 19B: California Common | CRAZE |
IPA's (12 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Matthew Mead MHP | Houblon Triomphe | 21B1: Belgian IPA | PrimeTime Brewers |
| 2nd | Colby Reineke MHP | Out Of Mana | 21A: American IPA | Minnesota Home Brewers Association |
| 3rd | Matthew Cutter | Boomstick | 21B2: Black IPA | Butler County Brewing Society (BCBS) |
| HM | Alex Sullivan | Citra Fog | 21B6: White IPA | Cincinnati Malt Infusers |
More MF'n IPA's (12 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Tyler Hulsebus | Electric Maltstorm | 22C: American Barleywine | |
| 2nd | Colby Reineke MHP | Now With Even More Haze! | 21C: Hazy IPA | Minnesota Home Brewers Association |
| 3rd | Pete Graham MHP | Rule Of Two | 21C: Hazy IPA | Foam Blowers of Indiana (FBI) |
Woo.... That's Tart! (17 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Brian Stephens MHP | Gose ++ | 23G: Gose | Keepers of Craft |
| 2nd | Roxanne Westendorf | Grey Lady | 34B: Mixed-Style Beer | Bloatarian Brewing League |
| 3rd | Matthew Mead MHP | Berliner Weisse | 23A: Berliner Weisse | PrimeTime Brewers |
| HM | Kyle Ernsberger MHP | Abomination Strawberry Cheesecake | 34C: Experimental Beer | Cider, Homebrew, And Mead Production Specialists (CHAMPS) |
Belgians (15 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Patrick Woodward MHP | Lonesome Crow | 25B: Saison | Scioto Olentangy Darby Zymurgists (SODZ) |
| 2nd | Kevin Olson MHP | For Keeping | 24C: Bière de Garde | ZZHops Homebrewing Club |
| 3rd | Jason Dextraze | Peep | 25B: Saison |
Religious Belgians (8 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Steve Ristau MHP | Stau-Haus Brüderbier | 26A: Belgian Single | Ale Riders Homebrew Club |
| 2nd | Colby Reineke MHP | A Divine Intervention | 26C: Belgian Tripel | Minnesota Home Brewers Association |
| 3rd | Nathan James MHP | The Stone Of Triumph | 26B: Belgian Dubbel |
Local History (14 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Joe Skiles MHP | Parasomnia | 27A5: Piwo Grodziskie | Urban Knaves of Grain |
| 2nd | Colby Reineke MHP | Council Of Eldertubbies | 27A1: Kellerbier | Minnesota Home Brewers Association |
| 3rd | George Turner | Appropriate Time For A Call Back? | 27A2: Kentucky Common | Kuhnhenn Guild of Brewers (KGB) |
Let's Get Creative (12 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Lance Clayton | Rise N' Shine | 30A: Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer | Butler County Brewing Society (BCBS) |
| 2nd | Lance Clayton | Squirrel Hunter | 29A: Fruit Beer | Butler County Brewing Society (BCBS) |
| 3rd | Joseph Raney | Mound About | 29C: Specialty Fruit Beer | Middletown Area Society of Homebrewers |
Campfire Beers (12 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Michael Rensing MHP | Mark It 8, Dude! | 32A: Classic Style Smoked Beer | Cider, Homebrew, And Mead Production Specialists (CHAMPS) |
| 2nd | Jeff Frechtling | Smokestack Lightning Smoked Porter II | 32B: Specialty Smoked Beer | Butler County Brewing Society (BCBS) |
| 3rd | Jay Scharenberg Co-Brewer: Paul Klammer | Oak Haven Rauch Smoked Porter | 32A: Classic Style Smoked Beer |
Cider (6 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Jay Wilkes MHP | Bill's Deviation | C1A: New World Cider | DC Homebrewers |
| 2nd | Bill Boyer MHP | Being There - US05 - Indian Summer | C1A: New World Cider | North Georgia Malt Monkeys |
| 3rd | Mandy Porter | Cider Of Some Kind | C2B: Cider with Other Fruit | Inland Empire Brewers |
Sticky Goodness #1 (15 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Garrett Freeman MHP | I Swear It's Not Applesauce | M3A: Fruit and Spice Mead | Red Earth Brewers |
| 2nd | David Boswell | Hi Chili Rose | M3B: Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Mead | |
| 3rd | Cody Lester MHP | Smoking In Style...Apple Style | M4C: Experimental Mead | Central Arkansas Fermenters |
Sticky Goodness #2 (12 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Ilija Melentijevic | Stary Boczek | M4B: Historical Mead | |
| 2nd | Ilija Melentijevic | Flagship | M1B: Semi-Sweet Mead | |
| 3rd | Garrett Freeman MHP | Blueberry Lemonade Mead | M2E: Melomel | Red Earth Brewers |