2025 Fresh Hop Best in Show Competition!

HELLO ALL,

Your club is invited to participate in the annual GEBL Fresh Hop Best in Show (BOS) Competition! Challenge your fellow brewers to see whose recipe will earn the Fresh Hop Championship Belt.

Competition Overview

Below you'll find all the important details and rules for this exclusive, invite-only event. If your club would like to enter, be sure to register using the link provided.

Date

Competition date: 10/16/2025

Registration

Deadline: Wednesday, 10/15/2025 at noon

Rules

At least 50% of the hops used in the beer must be fresh hops.

“Fresh Hops” include undried or freshly kilned cones, frozen cones, or ground material (per Brewers Association Guidelines).

Other hop forms may be included, but the main flavor and aroma must showcase the current year’s hop harvest.

All beer entries must be homebrewed (not commercial).

Any beer style is permitted.

Entries and Pricing

Entry fee: $10 per club

Each club may submit one beer

Clubs should select the beer that best represents their membership

Submissions require either at least three (3) 12-ounce bottles or cans, or two (2) 22-ounce bottles or cans

Each bottle or can must be labeled with:

Club name

Brewer’s name

Beer name

Fresh hops used

ABV

IBU

Deadline to deliver entries: October 16, 2025, by 9:30am at Sound to Summit Brewing, 1830 Bickford Ave #111, Snohomish, WA 98290

Judging

The competition follows the 2021 Brewers Association Fresh Hop guidelines:

Beer color, malt aroma/flavor, bitterness, fermentation characteristics, and body will vary according to style

Hop aroma/flavor should be dominant, showing grassy, freshly-mown, or bright “fresh hop” characteristics

Chill haze at low temps and hop haze at any temp are acceptable

Aging may change the fresh hop character, leading to unique flavors

Subcategories may be created based on hop processing (unprocessed, frozen, kilned)

Supplemental info may be requested (beer style, hop variety, form, addition timing, other ingredients, etc.)

Local professional brewers will serve as judges (to be announced)
All participants will receive feedback

Prizes

The Best of Show winner will receive the Fresh Hop Best in Show Championship Belt, engraved with their name, to keep for one year

The belt must be returned for the next BOS competition; if not, the winning club is responsible for its replacement.

If you have questions, please contact Todd Johnson, GEBL President (president@gebl.org)