MCAB Overview

MCAB is more an event than an organization – the Master’s Championship of Amateur Brewing is an annual national championship competition for homebrewers.  It is open to all amateur brewers ("homebrewers") of legal age.  Brewers qualify for the MCAB championship event by competing in independent homebrewing competitions that have been selected as Qualifying Events for MCAB.  These Qualifying Events (no return link to this page) are located all over North America, and the qualifying cycle runs for the entire calendar year.  Placing first in any MCAB-recognized category (see Definition of Terms) qualifies the entrant for admission into the MCAB championship competition, which is typically scheduled to take place early the following calendar year. 

Originally the annual MCAB finals event was a combination of conference, educational seminars and the annual finals competition.  However, for the last several years it has been focused on the annual finals competition, although educational events are sometimes included for judges and volunteers.   Unless specifically announced otherwise, the MCAB annual event is limited to judges and other volunteers, at the discretion of the competition organizer.

Because each qualifier is a Qualifying Event first place winner, the competition is very strong.  In the words of the announcement for the very first MCAB, it is a “champions’ championship.”  Awards are given to the first three places in each category, as well as Grand Master and Grand Champion awards for best of show and most medal points, respectively.  Simply qualifying for entry into the MCAB championship event is a mark of an excellent brewer because only first place finishers qualify, and the individual Qualifying Events are generally the biggest and best homebrew competitions.

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MCAB Qualification Rules and Details

You qualify for the MCAB championship competition in a given year by placing first - and only first - in any of the
eligible BJCP style categories in a Qualifying Event.  Note that not all BJCP style categories are eligible for MCAB; only categories 1 - 19 and category 22 are eligible.  Qualifying events are held throughout the year, and the championship for that year occurs in the following year, typically (but not always) in February or March.

You can only qualify for the MCAB once per style category per year.  That is to say, if you place first in one Qualifying Event with a Dry Stout and first in another with an Imperial Stout, you can only send one Stout entry to the MCAB championship, in any Stout subcategory you want.  Additional first place finishes in other Qualifying Events in the same style category would reduce your competition in the MCAB championship, but you would still only be allowed one entry in that style category. 

To summarize
          You must take a first place in an MCAB qualifying event to qualify
          You may only send one entry to the finals for each category in which you qualify
          That entry may be in any one of the subcategories of the category(ies) in which you qualify
          Only BJCP categories 1 - 19 and 22 are eligible for MCAB

Brewers may qualify in as many MCAB style categories as they can win in the year’s Qualifying Events.  A running list of Qualifying Brewers will be kept on this page: Qualifying Brewers (no return link to this page). The list will be updated as the information is supplied by each Qualifying Event.  Only the brewers/teams listed may enter the finals event, and they may enter only those style categories for which they have specifically qualified.  No style category substitutions are allowed; only the style subcategory is flexible. 

Aside from the American Homebrewers Association's National Homebrew Competition, almost all competitions combine or split categories.  This is done for a variety of reasons - usually it is to ensure that no category has an insufficient number of entries, and in some cases it is to ensure that no category has so many entries as to overwhelm the judges.  In the past, MCAB had some complex rules for split and combined categories, but we have decided to simplify the process by taking only the first place winners in all (MCAB-relevant) categories.  Thus, if American Pale Ale is split out into its own category and American Amber and Brown are left in another category, there would be two qualifiers in American Ale – one Pale and one Amber or Brown.  There can also be instances in which there is no qualifier in a category: if European Amber and Dark Lagers are combined and an Oktoberfest wins that category, then it would qualify for MCAB and there would be no qualifier from the Dark Lager category.

For the annual championship event:

• You may enter more of the original qualifying beer or you may re-brew it.  Or, as mentioned above, you may enter another beer as long as it is in the same base style category.

Three bottles will be required for each entry in order to be eligible for category and Grand Master/Best of Show judging (should your beer take first place in its category).  You may send only two bottles, but you won't be guaranteed a shot at being judged for Grand Master/BoS.

Standard brown 12 ounce long-neck beer bottles are required.  Common brown long neck bottles with raised lettering are acceptable.

Plain caps, either gold or silver in color are required.

Team entries will be treated as a single entry.  As for awards for placing teams, it is possible to order additional winner's shirts (at cost) for team members, but only one medal will be awarded to each team. 

The entry fee will be $10.00 per entry.

The entry deadline is the deadline by which the  entries must arrive at the destination.  It is not flexible; you must send your entries sufficiently early to ensure that they arrive by the deadline. 

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Definition of terms

MCAB

MCAB XII

CY

Qualifying Event (QE)

Qualifying brewer

MCAB style categories

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MCAB Mission and Goals

The goals of the Masters Championship of Amateur Brewing:

to seek the highest level of judging available

to encourage and promote excellent service to entrants in all events

to provide premium medals and awards to winners of the annual MCAB event

The purpose of the Masters Championship of Amateur Brewing:

to provide an annual national championship competition for amateur brewers

to provide multiple year-round, well-distributed qualifying events

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MCAB Operating Committee

Scott Birdwell

MCAB Competition Committee

Qualifying event representatives:

Kris England, Upper Mississippi Mash Out

Matt Klausner, Drunk Monk Challenge

Rockey Measom, Sunshine State Challenge

Jason Nicolai, Blue Ridge Brew Off

Mort Piripi, Oregon Homebrew Festival

Doak Proctor, Dixie Cup

MCAB participant representatives:

Ed Beilaus

Norm Jufer

At large representatives:

Phil Farrell

Graham Cox

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