Autumn Invitational

Thank you for your interest in the Autumn Invitational organized by Brewing Education Trust.

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.

Judge and Steward Registration is Open

If you have not registered and are willing to be a volunteer, please register.

If you have registered, log in and then choose Edit Account from the My Account menu indicated by the icon on the top menu.

Rules

1. All samples submitted become property of the Brewing Education Trust and will not be returned. It is the entrant’s sole responsibility to ensure entries reach us safely. The competition organisers are not responsible for any entries damaged in transit or handling.

2. To be eligible all entries must reach the shipping location by the Entry Shipping close date, or a designated drop-off point by the Entry Drop-off close date.

3. No requests for day-of-competition entries or special handling will be accepted, except for in-style pouring instructions for stewards.

4. Each entry requires 2 bottles containing at least 500ml volume. Other vessels (e.g.cans, plastic bottles) may be used instead of glass bottles providing the volume requirements are met. Larger bottles (e.g. 2 x 750ml) are fine to enter. 

Entries consisting of equivalent volumes in different numbers of bottles (e.g. 3 x 330ml, 1 x 1000ml) WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

Due to issues with leaks in previous years FLIPTOP BOTTLES WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. Additionally, we strongly recommend using PET bottles.

5. Entrants must have placed first, second or third in the previous AHBC or NZ Brewers Cup to be eligible to enter the Autumn Invitational.

6. Entrants may enter 1 beer in any BJCP style of their choosing. Each entrant may only be associated with a single entry. Winning more than one placing at the AHBC or NZ Brewers Cup does not increase the number of entries permitted.

7. Co-brewers of an AHBC or NZ Brewers Cup placing beer may enter alongside the main brewers, but may not enter independently based on co-brewer status. If a co-brewer won an AHBC or NZ Brewers Cup placing as a main brewer, they may enter the Autumn Invitational with their own entry but may not be a co-brewer on another entry. Each entrant may only be associated with a single entry.

8. Entries must be a new brew made especially for the Autumn Invitational. They may be the same recipe and style as a qualifying entry, but a new batch must be entered.

9. Partial exceptions to rule 8 will be considered for the following styles on a case-by-case basis. Entrants must contact the organisers for permission before submitting any entries in these categories:

23B. Flanders Red 23C. Oud Bruin 23D. Lambic 23E. Gueuze 23F. Fruit Lambic 28A. Brett Beer 28B. Mixed Fermentation Sour Beer 28C. Wild Specialty Beer 28D. Straight Sour Beer 29C. Specialty Fruit Beer 33A. Wood-Aged Beer 33B. Specialty Wood Aged Beer

The key determination for eligibility will be the new aspects of the brew, i.e. per Rule 8, what makes it “a new brew made especially for the Autumn Invitational”? The 3-year old lambic you entered in the qualifier? Probably not. You blended it with a younger beer and made it a fruit lambic? That’ll get you in the door.

10. Entrants must assign entries a BJCP Style and sub-style as noted in the BJCP style guidelines (https://www.bjcp.org/bjcp-style-guidelines/). Ciders, meads and other nonbeer beverages are not part of this competition. The competition organisers will not reassign entries into different styles, all entries will be judged as the style it was entered. For advice on the most appropriate styles, contact the competition coordinators.

11. Commercial beer is not eligible for entry.

12. Prizes involving brewing a commercial batch are subject to recipe, process, and scheduling approval by the commercial brewer. If a suitable recipe cannot be derived from the original homebrew, another may be negotiated.

13. All co-brewers must be registered for every entry, with one person designated as the main brewer. Any prizes will be awarded/delivered to the main brewer only. Teams of brewers are subject to the same entry restrictions as individuals.

14. Entries/entrants found breaching the rules may be disqualified at the organiser’s discretion. No disqualified entries will be returned or refunded.

15. Commercial brewers may enter, however the beer must be made entirely at home using commonly available home-brewing ingredients and processes (e.g. no producing wort at work, then taking it home). Kit beers, fresh wort kits and brew on premises beers are fine to enter.

Commercial brewers and competition staff/organisers may enter and win awards, but are ineligible for any award prizes or spot prizes. Prizes will be given to the runner-up in these cases. Judges may enter and may win awards and prizes.

16. Entrants must be New Zealand residents aged 18 or over.

Entry Acceptance Rules

Number of Bottles Required Per Entry: 2

Entrants must have placed in either the 2024 AHBC or NZ Brewers Cup.

Competition Official

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

• Robert Aylward — Competition Coordinator