IPA Comp 2026
Merri Mashers 2026 IPA Competition
Brought to you with the support of our major sponsor Hop Products Australia
Get ready hop-heads! The Merri Mashers IPA Competition is back for 2026, and we’re calling on brewers from near and far to showcase their finest hop-forward creations. Whether your passion is crisp and bitter, juicy and hazy, or bold and experimental, this is your chance to put your IPA skills to the test in a fun, friendly competition run according to BJCP rules and guidelines.
What's more, there are also a swathe of great prizes to be won, including premium brewing ingredients, top of the line brewing equipment, and commercial rebrews for the top-performing beers!
So clear your fermenters, polish your recipes, and join us for a celebration of all things IPA!
Why Enter?
Get high-quality BJCP feedback from experienced judges to help refine your recipes and brewing techniques.
Celebrate your love of IPA alongside fellow hop enthusiasts in a focused, style-driven competition.
Challenge yourself across a wide range of classic and modern IPA styles, from traditional English to cutting-edge specialty expressions.
Bragging rights and recognition within the Victorian homebrewing community and beyond.
Be part of the Merri Mashers tradition—a welcoming, well-run competition dedicated to great beer and great people.
Competition Details
Competition Date: Sunday, 22 March 2026
Venue: The Woodlands Hotel
84–88 Sydney Rd, Coburg VIC
Awards Party and Livestream
If you're judging, stewarding, have and entry in the comp or just like a good celebration, make sure you come down to The Woodlands from 5pm. We have a heap of door prizes and The Woodlands will be serving great beer and food. Plus there are a heap of impressive door prizes to be given away (see below for details
If you can't make it to awards we will be live streaming the presentation from about 5:30. Keep an eye on the Mashers public Facebook page for the exact timing and the actual stream
Entry Registration & Deadlines
Entry Registration Deadline: 11:00am, Saturday 14 March 2026
Entry Drop-off Deadline: 12:00pm (midday), Saturday 14 March 2026
All entries must be registered and received by the above deadlines. Late entries will not be accepted.
Register your entries via our competition portal:
https://comps.merrimashers.org/login
IPA Categories & Sponsors
Entries will be judged according to the current BJCP Style Guidelines within the following IPA categories:
American IPA - Proudly sponsored by Joe White Maltings & Bintani
Black IPA - Proudly sponsored by The Crafty Pint
Brut/Specialty IPA - Proudly sponsored by Keg King
Double IPA - Proudly sponsored by Bintani
English/Brown IPA - Proudly sponsored by Voyager Craft Malt
Hazy IPA - Proudly sponsored by CoConspirators Brewing Co. & Bluestone Yeast Co.
Red/Rye IPA Proudly sponsored by 3 Ravens Brewery
White/Belgian IPA - Proudly sponsored by Stomping Ground
Brut/Specialty IPA - Proundly sponsored by Keg King
As well as these category sponsors we also have the following sponsorship:
Major Sponsor - Hop Products Australia
Venue Partner - The Woodlands Hotel
Champion Brewer - Molly Rose Brewing & Bluestone Yeast Co.
Champion Beer - Tallboy and Moose
Best Novice - Beer Co. and Vicbrew
Club of Show - New Zealand Hops & Bintani
Event Sponsor - Vicbrew
And if that wasn't enough, we also have a ton of door prizes to give away at the award ceremony, including prizes from:
Entry Limits & Category Rules
Entrants may submit one (1) beer per BJCP IPA style.
A maximum of twelve (12) total entries per entrant is permitted.
In combined-style categories, entrants may submit more than one entry provided each entry represents a different BJCP style within that category.
Example:
You may enter only one American IPA in the American IPA category.
You may enter two beers in the English/Brown IPA category if one is an English IPA and the other is a Brown IPA.
Eligibility
All entries must be homebrewed.
Beers brewed on commercial or professional brewing equipment are not eligible and will be disqualified.
Entry Drop-Off Locations
Entries may be delivered to any of the following locations prior to the drop-off deadline:
Keg-King – 48 Smith Rd, Springvale VIC 3171
Backyard Home-Brew – 8 Cypress Ave, Brooklyn VIC 3012
The Great Beyond – 152 Bell St, Coburg VIC 3058
Greensborough Home Brew Supplies – 29 Beewar St, Greensborough VIC 3088
Postal Entries
Postal entries are accepted and must arrive by the entry drop-off deadline.
Please send entries to the Competition Coordinator:
Sharif Slamet
Unit 1, 48 Miranda Rd
Reservoir VIC 3073
Entrants are responsible for ensuring adequate packaging and timely delivery.
Important Notes
Entries received after the entry drop-off deadline will not be accepted under any circumstances.
All beers will be judged by qualified judges in accordance with BJCP rules and procedures.
Judges and Stewards
Love Homebrewing? Then why not volunteer to judge or steward? These volunteer roles can be a lot of fun and no experience is necessary as we will make sure any new or inexperienced judges are seated with those who can assist. We also look after our generous volunteers by making sure they get a free parma (or diet friendly alternative) at the lunch break.
There will be two judging sessions; a morning session and an afternoon one. You can volunteer for one, the other, or both.
To register as a judge or steward please click here.
Questions
If you have any further questions please reach out to the Merri Mashers committee via info@merrimashers.org
Past Merri Masher's IPA Comps
2025 results
2024 results
2023 results
2022 results
2021 results
2020 was cancelled due to Covid
2019 results
2018 results
2016 results (Specialty IPA Comp)
Recording links aren't working at the moment for some reason. We're talking to Zuckerberg about it. I'm told it's his top priority.
2025 awards recording
2024 awards recording
2023 awards recording
2022 awards recording
2021 awards recording