Participate

Competition Entry

Entry into the competition is done using the Online Registration System which will be available at the end of February.

First Round judging is held from March 30 to April 22, 2012 at the 10 U.S. Judging Centers and the Canadian ALES Home Brew Open competition. The winners lists for all 11 competitions will be posted on NHC Winners.

Final Round judging takes place on Thursday, June 21, 2012 during the AHA National Homebrewers Conference in Seattle, WA.

Download the NHC Judging Center Map  , and/or see it in the March/April 2011 Zymurgy.

Rule Change for 2012 NHC

In 2011 all 9 NHC First Round competitions reached the maximum number of entries (750) and were closed to further entries about one week before the deadline.  After reviewing the 2011 competition, the AHA Governing Committee's Competition Sub-Committee made two recommendations: increase the number of First Round competition to ten, and increase the entry fee. 

• There are now 10 NHC First Round Judging Centers in the U.S. Entrants must choose to which Judging Center to send their entries when they register with the Online Registration System (available at the end of February). Each of the 10 Judging Centers has a 750 paid entry limit. Once the limit has been reached, no more entries will be allowed for that Judging Center.
• The entry fees are now $10 per entry for AHA members, and $15 per entry for non-members.

Rules & Regulations

The 2012 NHC Rules & Regulations  are availabe for download.

Deadlines

All First Round entries were due at the US shipping/drop-off location between Monday, March 19 and Wednesday, March 28, 2012.

Fees

American Homebrewers Association Members	$10 per entry
Non-members	$15 per entry

American Homebrewers Association members get a discount on their NHC entry fees. Join the AHA or renew your membership when you pay for your NHC entries, and the member discount will automatically be applied to your order.

Canada Region

ALES Home Brew Open/AHA Qualifier Competition, shipping/drop-off deadline was Thursday, April 5, 2012. Canadian entrants should visit A.L.E.S. Club for competition details and entry fee information.

On-line Entry

The Online Registration System opens in late February and closes at the entry deadline, or earlier if the maximum entry limit is reached in all 10 First Round competitions.

On-line Payment

Entry fees are paid on-line using a credit card (Visa, MasterCard, or American Express). On-line payment is available when you register your entries on-line. Entries will not be registered without an accompanying payment.

If you want to get the AHA Member discount for your entries, please join or renew (if needed) your AHA membership when you pay for your entries.  The discount will be automatically applied to your bill at checkout.

Sending Your Entries

Send your entries to the correct shipping location for the Judging Center you choose through the Online Registration System (see Entry Shipping/Drop-Off). Entries submitted to the wrong site will be disqualified. Do NOT send entries through the US Postal Service.

Style Guidelines

The 2012 AHA National Homebrew Competition uses the 2008 BJCP Style Guidelines.

2009 NHC Photos © Ed Bronson