Dont Be Afraid of the Dark Homebrew Competition

Thank you for your interest in the Dont Be Afraid of the Dark Homebrew Competition organized by Anglian Craft Brewers.

You only need to register your information once and can return to this site to enter more brews or edit the brews you've entered. You can even pay your entry fees online if you wish.

If you are willing to judge or steward, please return to register on or after Thursday 1 May, 2025 00:00, BST.

Rules

The ACB Dont Be Afraid of the Dark homebrew competition is a BJCP sanctioned competition open to competitors aged 18 or over, where your homebrewed beers are assessed by qualified judges against current style guidelines.

This competition will focus on "Dark" beer styles....effectively those styles with an EBC greater than 50.

You can use this site to register for the competition, pay your entry fees and submit details of your beers. Once registered you can log in anytime to enter additional brews, or edit details of those you've already entered up until the cut-off times/dates.

Detailed and constructive feedback by qualified or experienced judges is a key goal of our event. Judges will evaluate and score each entry. Score sheets and written feedback will be provided on each entry. 

Beers will be assessed against the 2021 BJCP Style Guidelines available via this link https://www.bjcp.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/2021_Guidelines_Beer_1.25.pdf

Prizes will be awarded to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd placed beers in each category. The Best of Show beer will be determined by a Best of Show panel based on a second judging of a fresh bottle of the winning beer from each table.

The competition organizers reserve the right to combine styles for judging and to restructure awards as needed depending upon the quantity and quality of entries. All possible effort will be made to combine similar styles. All brews in combined categories will be judged according to the style they were originally entered in.The competition organizers are not responsible for mis-categorized entries. 

Eligibility

This competition is open to any amateur homebrewer, worldwide. All entries must be handcrafted products, containing ingredients available to the general public, and made using private equipment by hobbyist brewers at home. Those made in commercial establishments, including brew-on-premise establishments, are not eligible.

Competition Organizers, staff, judges and stewards may enter the competition. Measures are in place to ensure fair, anonymous, judging. Judges and stewards will not be assigned to categories that they have entered. 

Where

Briarbank Brewing Company, 70 Fore Street, ipswich. IP4 1LB
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When

Judging commences - approx. 10am Saturday 22nd November 2025
Awards Ceremony - approx. 6pm

RESULTS LIVE STREAM LINK - TBA

Important Deadlines

Register online and pay for all entries by 31st October 2025 11:59 PM
Finalise your entries by 31st October 2025 11:59 PM
Delivery of entries by Friday 14 th November 2024 05:00 PM

Entry Cost 
Entry fee is £10 for the first entry. 2nd entries may be made available at a later date for a discounted cost.

Entry Acceptance Rules

Number of Bottles Required Per Entry: 2

Each entry will consist of two bottles, or cans, of between 330-500mL

330mL or 500mL brown glass bottles are preferred; however, green and clear glass will be accepted. PET and swing top bottles will likewise be accepted.

Bottles will not be returned to contest entrants.

One bottle/can will be judged in the first round. A second, fresh, bottle will be judged if the beer progresses to Best of Show.

Labelling Bottles and Cans: Print out an entry label from this site and then attach to each bottle/can WITH CLEAR PACKING TAPE or SELLOTAPE covering the entire label.

No other label or identifiable information should be present. All requisite paperwork must be submitted with each entry and can be printed directly from this website. 

Be meticulous about noting any special ingredients that must be specified on the entry system where required. Failure to note such ingredients may impact the judges' scoring of your entry.

Entries not recieved by the shipping deadline date will not be entered into the competition. However we will endeavour to judge them at a later date and provided written feedback.

Competition Officials

You can send an email to any of the following individuals via Contact.

• Nick Davis — Competition Organiser
• James Pettifor — Competition Organiser
• Tony Tilbury — Competition Staff