Eligibility
Open
to any licensed brewery, brewpub, seltzer, or hard kombucha producer, meadery, or
cidery (hereafter referred to collectively as breweries unless otherwise
specified). Breweries in planning, homebrewers, and non-licensed breweries are
ineligible to participate. All brews entered must be currently available for
commercial sale to the public.
CONTACT US
Tom Nickel, Coordinator; Tyson Blake, Assistant Coordinator
Entry Office, Agriculture, Education, & Arts Department
2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd, Del Mar, CA 92014
Office (858) 792-4207 - Mon-Fri 10:00am – 4:00pm
Entry Limit
There
is a limit of one (1) entry per numbered class, per brewery in all Departments.
Breweries with multiple locations may not enter the same brand twice if that
product is produced in two locations.
Entry Fees
Entry fees are payable online, via credit card, and are not refundable.
1-5 Entries: $50 per Entry
6-10 Entries: $45 per Entry
11-15 Entries: $40 per Entry
16-20 Entries: $35 per Entry
More than 20 Entries: $30 per Entry
How to Enter
Distributors are responsible for gaining brewery permission for entry submittal. No entries will be judged unless registered during the online entry time.
We will be using the Beer Awards Platform for the registration and judging processes.
1. All participants must register via the Beer
Awards Platform (BAP): Click
HERE to go
to the Beer Awards Platform Competition Homepage.
2. Register as an exhibitor.
3. Input your entries under the proper department, division, and class along with other required information. See “Divisions,” for a list of all divisions and classes.
4. Review your entry before completing registration to ensure that you have entered the correct division and class for each entry.
5. Click the check-out button and pay for all entries.
6. Your submission in the BAP system will also produce your necessary entry labels needed for submission.
Competition Objectives
The San Diego County Fair’s Craft Brew Competition serves to:
- Uphold a judging system that is reliable, simple, fair, and accurate, while encouraging healthy competition among producers and driving continuous improvement in quality.
- Promote breweries producing top-quality beer, cider, kombucha, seltzer, and mead by featuring and selling award-winning selections at the Beer Experience bar during the 2026 San Diego County Fair.
- Winners of the San Diego County Fair Craft Beer Competition will be given the exclusive opportunity to serve as a featured Brewery of the Day during the 2026 San Diego County Fair. This exciting showcase includes prominent placement within the Farm 2U exhibit, a stage appearance to share your story and your brews with fairgoers through a guided tasting session, the chance to have your beer featured on tap during the Fair, and an invitation to participate in the 2026 Beer Fest Invitational at the San Diego County Fair.
Judging
All Divisions and Classes are based off of the 2026 San Diego County Fair Craft Brew Competition Guidelines.
The San Diego County Fair Craft Brew Competition will be a blind judging, held in closed session, by a slate of judges made up of judged by brewers, industry veterans, BJCP certified judges, and individuals meeting the standards laid out in the Beer Judge Certification Program. Judges who own or are employed by a brewery that is also an entrant in the competition will be required to disclose the categories their brewery is competing in and will be strictly prohibited from judging these categories.
All entries must meet the TTB definition of Beer, Malt Beverages, or Ciders. For all divisions, entries must gain their alcohol through natural fermentation. Any product found to be made with distilled spirits of any kind will be immediately disqualified and no refund will be issued. Judges and/or coordinators may reassign an entry to a more appropriate division or class as needed. They may also combine divisions or classes to create an adequate judging pool.
Judging Procedure
All entries will be chilled prior to judging and divided into their respective classes and tasted by one panel of judges. As needed, larger classes may be separated by sub-style at the discretion of the coordinators to help the products best compete against similar entries in the judging and scoring process. A brew’s sub-style alignment will not change under any potential category breakdown.
Judges within the panel will evaluate each entry within the flight. The panel may discuss each flight to help evaluate the entries and develop more accurate evaluation. Classes exceeding the capacity of one panel to taste will be divided into multiple panels. In the first round of judging, each judge will be completing comment sheets that contain characteristics for Aroma, Flavor, Appearance, and Mouthfeel as well as brief descriptions for any present flaws and overall feedback. Each judge will choose their top selections to move on to the next round of panel judging. If additional panels are needed, comment cards for additional rounds beyond the first will not be provided to the brewer. The final panel will designate the Class Entries receiving Gold, Silver, Bronze, Honorable Mention, or No Award. Top Gold Award winners will move on to the Best of Show competition.
In the event a beverage served is deemed unacceptable the judges may request a re-pour. In the event all remaining samples of an entry are flawed, the entry will receive a No Award designation. Panel judges may request to re-taste and re-evaluate any entries from an earlier flight within a class, so long as that class has not been closed.
Results & Awards
The Danish system of judging will be used, and awards will be made on a merit basis where entries are ranked against similar sub-category entries. Gold, Silver, and Bronze Rosettes will be awarded as merited in each class. Larger classes may also designate Honorable Mention.
Results will be posted on the San Diego County Fair’s website during the second week of April. Only Gold, Silver, Bronze, Best of Division, Best of Show, and Top 3 of Competition will be published. Please do not call or email for competition results.
Winners of the San Diego County Fair Craft Beer Competition will be given the exclusive opportunity to serve as a featured Brewery of the Day during the 2026 San Diego County Fair. This exciting showcase includes prominent placement within the Farm 2U exhibit, a stage appearance to share your story and your brews with fairgoers through a guided tasting session, the chance to have your beer featured on tap during the Fair, and an invitation to participate in the 2026 Beer Fest Invitational at the San Diego County Fair.
Rosettes and awards must be picked up in person at the awards ceremony on Wednesday, June 17th at 7:00 p.m. If you cannot attend the awards, please contact the entry office to arrange pick up. Awards will not be mailed.
Standard Awards
|
Gold
|
Entries that exemplify the defining characteristics of their respective
styles, showcasing exceptional balance and complexity in quality, aroma,
flavor, finish, and overall craftsmanship.
|
|
Silver
|
Entries that demonstrate exceptional character, showcasing remarkable flavor, aroma, appearance, and overall balance, while closely adhering to the style guidelines and standing out for their outstanding qualities.
|
|
Bronze
|
Entries that exhibit outstanding characteristics in flavor, aroma, appearance, and overall balance, reflecting exceptional quality and craftsmanship.
|
|
Honorable Mention
|
Entries that are exceptional and noteworthy, distinguished by their outstanding quality and merit.
|
|
Best of Division
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Chosen from all Gold Award winners in each division, with the top entries advancing to the Best of Show consideration.
|
|
Best of Show
|
Selected from all Best of Division winners in each category, with one award given to the top beer, mead/cider, seltzer, and kombucha.
|
|
Best of Show Beer
|
The winner of the overall Best in Show Beer will receive the San Diego Brewers Guild Trophy. The winning brewery is responsible for safeguarding the trophy, displaying it throughout the year, and returning it to the San Diego County Fairgrounds the following year.
|
Special Awards
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Champion Brewery Award
|
Awarded to the brewery with the highest total points across all Beer Divisions.
|
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Champion San Diego Brewery Award
|
Awarded to the San Diego brewery with the highest total points across all Beer Divisions.
|
|
Champion Meadery/Cidery Award
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Awarded to the cidery/meadery with the highest total points across both the Mead and Cider Divisions.
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Champion Kombucha/Seltzer Producer Award
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Awarded to the brewery with the highest total points across both the Hard Kombucha and Seltzer Divisions.
|
|
Champion Non-Alcoholic Award
|
Awarded to the
brewery with the highest total points across all Non-Alcoholic Beer Divisions.
|
How to Prepare Your Entry for Delivery
Each entry shall consist of one of the following:
- Three (3) bottles or cans of 16 oz. or more (17.9 oz., 22 oz., 750 mL)
- Four (4) bottles or cans of 11 oz. or 12 oz.
- IPA entries- Must submit four (4) bottles or cans regardless of bottle size
Entry
labels are required for all submissions, whether delivered or shipped.
Appropriate labels can be found in your Beer Awards Platform entry materials.
Print the necessary number of labels and ensure all information is accurate and
matches the corresponding entry. Attach one label to each bottle or can, using
a waterproof method to prevent damage (wide, clear packing tape is
recommended). All samples must have a label securely taped to the entry before
delivery or shipment to the Fairgrounds. If submitting bottle-conditioned
entries, please include a clearly visible additional label indicating this.
Delivery
Submissions
must meet Fair rules and judges’ standards for quality and presentation. See
“How to Prepare Your Entry,” for specific requirements. Entries may be
delivered or shipped to the Fairgrounds. All steps will be taken to keep deliveries
chilled until judging. Submissions will not be returned after judging.
Delivery: A copy
of the drop-off map will be emailed to entrants prior to the day of delivery.
Dates, times, and entry points into the fair are subject to change, and any
changes will be emailed to exhibitors.
Shipping: Shipped entries must arrive at the San Diego County Fair Ag & Ed office no later than the date specified in Entry Materials. The Fair is not responsible for lost or delayed shipments.
Ship to:
San Diego County Fair
Ag & Ed Department • Craft Brew Competition
2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd.
Del Mar, CA 92014