Entry Rules & Details
Eligibility
The Best Florida Beer Competition (BFBC) is open to all commercial beers brewed and offered for sale in the State of Florida without significant changes or modifications to the beer recipe from the way is has been offered for sale to the public. Breweries, Meaderies, and Cideries must be fully licensed for the manufacture and commercial sale of beer, mead, or cider in the state of Florida. Breweries must have a Brewer’s Notice on file with the TTB. Eligible entries must be for sale or have been poured on premise on or before January 31st, 2025.
Entries
The Best Florida Beer Professional Competition is back and better than ever, with exciting updates—including brand-new medals! For this year’s competition (2025), we’re announcing much earlier and opening the sign-up period well ahead of previous years, giving brewers ample time to plan their production and entries. We’ve also outlined clear guidelines on entry categories and planned group collapses, in alignment with the 2025 World Beer Cup Guidelines. These collapses were determined based on historical categorical entry numbers in this competition, market trends in style popularity, current WBC guidelines, and overall judging fit within each collapse.
While we aim to stick with these planned collapses, adjustments may be made if entry numbers fluctuate significantly. For example, a high volume of Hefeweizen entries could lead us to judge it as a standalone medal group, while other Wheat/Rye categories remain grouped and judged per their specific guidelines. Ultimately, our goal is transparency in category organization, and while we’ve made these decisions based on logical parameters, we welcome any questions you may have. Please reach out to Board@bestfloridabeer.org, and we’ll be glad to assist.
Categories:
Style | 2025 World Beer Cup Category
American Wheat | 1 A-C
Fruit Beer | 2
Fruited Wheat Beer | 3
Field / Herb / Spice / Pumpkin | 4, 5, 7
Chill Beer | 6
Coffee Beer (Non Stout/Porter) | 9
Chocolate Beer or Coffee Stout/ Porter | 8, 10
Dessert or Pastry Stout | 11
Honey Beer | 13
Session IPA / Hoppy Lager | 18, 39
Experimental IPA / New Zealand Style IPA / English Style IPA / Fresh Hop / Strong Pale | 21d, 22, 60, 85C,101
Experimental / Historical| (21A,B, and C and E - excludes D), 23
Mixed Culture / Brett Beer | 28
Wood and Barrel Aged Beer | 29
Wood and Barrel Aged Strong Beer + Stout | 30, 31
Wood and Barrel Aged Sour Beer | 32
Smoke Beer | 34
International Pilsner / Italian Pilsener | 37 , 42
International Light Lager and Lager | 36, 38
Dark Lager except Schwarzbier | 41, 40
German Pils | 43
Bohemian Pils (Czech) | 44
Munich Helles | 45
Dortmunder / Oktoberfest / Märzen | 46
Vienna Lager | 47
Schwarzbier | 49
Bock / Doppelbock | 50, 51
American Lager / Cream Ale | 35, 52, 55
American Amber Lager | 56
American / British Barley Wine | 61
Kolsch | 62
German Sour (Berliner/ Leipzig-Style Gose) AKA Non-fruited. | 63a,64a
Contemporary Gose / Berliner-Style Weisse / Pastry Sour / Floridaweisse - AKA Fruited | 63b, 64b, 999B
German Wheat / Rye - Hefeweizen, Kristal Weizen, Dunkel Weizen, Weizenbock, Rye Beer | 65, 66, 68, 69, 12
Saison / Belgian Blond / Witbier | 72, 73, 77
Dubbel, Quad, Belgian Dark Strong | 79, 81
Belgian Strong Blonde / Tripel | 78, 80
Belgian / French Ales (Biere de Garde, Oud Bruin or Red, Specialty Saison, Belgian Sour Ales/Spon) | 71, 74, 75, 76, 82
English Bitter / Mild / English Brown / Altbier
59, 84, 86, 70
Brown Porter / Robust Porter | 87, 88
Sweet/Cream/Irish Stout/Oatmeal Stout / Export Stout | 89, 90,94,95
American Imperial Porter / Baltic Porter / American Stout / American Black Ale | 19, 108
Imperial Stout | 91, 109
Irish Red | 93
Scottish Style Ales / Scotch Ale | 96,97
Blonde/Golden Ale | 98
American Style Pale Ale | 99
Juicy/Hazy Pale Ale | 100
Imperial India Pale Ale | 103
Juicy or Hazy Imperial India Pale Ale | 104
American Red | 105
American Brown | 107
American Style IPA | 110
Juicy of Hazy India Pale Ale | 111
West Coast Style India Pale Ale | 112
Tannic Cider, No/Low Tannin Cider, Single Varietal Cider
| 201, 202, 206
Fruited Cider | 203
Experimental, Barrel Aged or Specialty Cider - Botanical or Spiced Cider | 204, 205
Mead
Per BJCP Guidelines as WBC does not include Mead currently.
Competition Entry Details:
• Entry Period: Open today through January 17, 2025 (midnight).
• Drop-Off Dates: January 10 – 18, 2025 (close of business).
• Sample Requirements: Three (3) Cans or Bottles per entry. Beers will be served to the judges “blind” so the type of container, or any branding on packaging, will not be an issue.
• Drop-Off Location: Magnanimous Brewing, Seminole Heights, 6809 N Nebraska Ave, Tampa, FL 33604.
Entry Fees and Payments:
• Entry Fee: $75 per entry, with a maximum of 10 entries per brewery (per location).
• Paying for Entries: Paypal is the preferred payment method and is available on the Reggie website during signup.
However, should you need to pay via check please send to:
Linda - BFB Treasurer
℅ Best Florida Beer Competition
3007 W Leila Ave
Tampa, FL 33611
Checks must be received by January 31st, 2025, before the first day of judging, or your entries will not be eligible for medal consideration. Please attach a letter notating the check number and the brewery/brewer being paid for. Note DO NOT send your check with your entries. They must be paid via PayPal or sent to the address above.
https://reggiebeer.com/ReggieEntry.php?CompetitionID=SDVLBC1000909
Peer-Reviewed Judging Process:
Best Florida Beer is dedicated to celebrating and rewarding your commitment to brewing world-class beer right here in Florida. We invite you to send qualified team members to participate in judging or stewarding. First-time judges should have experience with sensory panels and a solid vocabulary for describing and evaluating beer. Our judging panel will also include BJCP judges with a Certified or higher rank, as well as Certified and Advanced Cicerones. All judges are treated equally and have an equal say at the evaluation tables, regardless of rank or previous experience. That said, we strive to make all new judges feel welcome, and to help do so, we try to pair less experienced judges with seasoned ones to provide guidance throughout the process. Please note that employees or owners of competition entrants must disclose their affiliation during initial sign-up. This protects the integrity of the competition by ensuring they are not assigned to judge categories in which their company has entries.
Judge Training/Sensory Training:
This year, in collaboration with Sensory-Sensei, we are offering a judge training and sensory class prior to the start of competition judging. The class will be held at Grand Central Brewhouse on Wednesday 1/22/25 from 5-8pm. This is a ticketed event and you must RSVP to secure your seat. All registered judges will receive complementary entry to the course courtesy of BFBC.
What Judges Receive:
Satisfaction of Supporting Excellence: Contribute to a peer-based judging system, ensuring only the best beers in Florida earn medals in their entered categories.
Brewers Ball Tickets: Each judge receives a personal, non-transferable ticket to Brewers Ball. Judges who complete 4 or more sessions earn an additional guest ticket (up to a maximum of 3 guest tickets).
Custom Judge Gifts: This year, we’ve put together some special, customized gifts for our judges.
Catered Meals: Each day, we provide a catered meal, with coffee, light breakfast, and snacks on weekends, plus a hearty lunch available for both AM and PM session judges to enjoy.
Beer! After each judging session, enjoy up to 2 beers on us at our host locations.
Travel Stipend for Long-Distance Judges: Judges traveling over 100 miles are eligible for a $150 hotel stipend if they judge a minimum of three sessions. This could include a Sunday double session and Monday night, or at least three of the four Saturday and Sunday sessions. To claim, submit your request via email to board@bestfloridabeer.org, and stipends will be paid after completion of your judging sessions.
What Stewards Receive:
Pride in Making a Great Competition Possible: Play a key role in supporting an exceptional competition.
Brewers Ball Tickets: Each steward receives a personal, non-transferable ticket to Brewers Ball. Those completing 4 or more sessions earn one guest ticket (up to a maximum of 3 guest tickets).
Custom Steward Gifts: Customized, high-quality gifts as a thank you for your help.
Catered Meals: Each day, we provide a catered meal, with coffee, light breakfast, and snacks on weekends, plus a hearty lunch available for both AM and PM session judges to enjoy.
Beer! After each session, enjoy up to 2 beers on us at our host locations.
Judging Dates and Locations:
All schedule sessions will be held at Magnanimous – Seminole Heights locations.
Saturday, 2/1/2025 - Session Start Times: AM Session at 9:00 AM, PM Session at 1:00 PM
Sunday 2/2/2025 - Session Start Times: AM Session at 9:00 AM, PM Session at 1:00 PM
Monday 2/3/2025 - Session Start Time: 6PM
Tuesday 2/4/2025 - Session Start Time: 6PM
Wednesday 2/5/2025 - Session Start Time: 6PM
Saturday 2/8/2025 - Session Start Time: AM Session at 9:00 AM.
Sunday 2/9/2025 - Session Start Times: AM Session at 9:00 AM, PM Session at 1:00 PM
Monday 2/10/2025 - Session Start Time: 6PM
Tuesday 2/11/2025 - Session Start Time: 6PM
Wednesday 2/12/2025 - Session Start Time: 6PM
*Note that additional sessions/locations maybe scheduled on an as needed basis.
https://reggiebeer.com/ReggieEntry.php?CompetitionID=SDVLBC1000909&BeAJudge=1
Medal Winner Comp & Discounted Ticket Information:
Each medal awarded to a brewery earns their business one complimentary ticket to the Brewers Ball. For example, if your company wins 5 medals, you’ll receive 5 complimentary tickets. Additionally, all entrants will receive a 25% off discount code for any of their staff to use.
Medal Winner Brewers Ball Beer Requirements:
Medal-winning breweries are required to send or arrange for the delivery of either 2 x 1/6 bbl or 1 x 1/4 bbl keg of their medal-winning beers to the Brewers Ball on March 2nd, 2025. For convenience, a volunteer will be onsite at the FBG Fest on March 1st to accept drop-offs for those who wish to deliver their beers that day.
Brewers must not remove kegs until the end of the festival. Please refer to the Keg Return section for details on drop-off, pickup, and donation information. Once tapped, empty kegs will be stored in our trailer and should be collected after the festival.
In the case of small-batch, barrel-aged, or bottle-only products, 2 cases may be provided instead of a keg. We will have a dedicated section for these specialty beers, with a volunteer assigned to pour and ensure the beer is shared thoughtfully among attendees.
Best of __ Trophy Update:
As the industry evolves, we’re updating our plaque and trophy categories to better reflect current business models and production scales. The “Brew Pub of the Year” category is being retired, recognizing the shift in operational structures among breweries.
For the 2025 Pro Competition, the trophy categories are revised to align with today’s brewing landscape and production capacities across the state. The new categories are as follows:
• Best Small Brewer (0-250 BBL Annual Production) (Runner Up & 2nd Runner Up)
• Best Medium Brewer (250-1,000 BBL Annual Production) (Runner Up & 2nd Runner Up)
• Best Large Brewer (1,000+ BBL Annual Production) (Runner Up & 2nd Runner Up)
• Best in Show – "Best Beer" (Runner Up & 2nd Runner Up)
• Best In Show Cider/ Mead- “Best Cider/Mead” (Runner Up)
*Note: Breweries with multiple locations are welcome to enter each location individually. Points earned are attributed solely to the specific participating location and are not combined for the brewery group as a whole. For example, if a brewery has two locations and both compete, the points earned by Location 1 apply only to Location 1's total for "Best Of" trophies. Currently, there is no "Brewery Group of the Year" accolade; however, this is under consideration and may be introduced in future events as the industry continues to evolve.
We look forward to an incredible 2025 competition and Brewers Ball!
Register on Reggiebeer.com HERE
Competition Entry Limit: 1000
Brewery Entry Limit (per location): 10
Cost: $75
Payment Deadline is: Before January 31st 2025
Entry Window: Open today through January 17, 2025 (midnight).
Entry Delivery Window: January 10 – 18, 2025 (close of business).
Drop-Off Location:
Magnanimous Brewing, Seminole Heights, 6809 N Nebraska Ave, Tampa, FL 33604.
Shipping Address:
Same as drop-off
Entry Link:
Register on Reggiebeer.com HERE
Judging:
2/1/2025 - 2/12/2025 at Magnanimous Brewing Seminole Heights. Full list of sessions available at link below.