Registration is now open to submit to our 13th Annual Best of the Northwest beer competition!
All product must be delivered by September 27th with the exception of Fresh Hop Beers which must be delivered by October 7th.
Judging will take place on October 15th & 16th at Old Stove Ballard in Seattle, WA.
Submissions are tasted blind, by a panel of the Northwest’s top palates made up of cicerones, beverage directors/buyers, beer writers, educators, distributors and beer industry professionals. Top contenders earn prestigious recognition with Platinum, Double Gold, Gold, or Silver medals in their respective categories. And not to miss Judges’ Picks, which spotlight exceptional beers that narrowly missed the top four but were favorites of the judging panels.
By the end of this long-running competition, gain exclusive insights into the dynamic Northwest beverage scene and uncover a curated list of must-try beers for the year ahead.
SUBMISSION DETAILS
1. Cost of entry is $60 for each individual product submission. Payment is accepted via credit card by clicking HERE ,as well as by check via mail to 1335 N. Northlake Way, Suite 101, Seattle, WA 98103. All applicable submission fees must be paid in full by Friday, Sept. 27 to be entered in the judging. *Please do not ship products to this location. Shipping instructions below.
2. Please submit your beer by clicking HERE. The submission will not be entered in the judging unless the online form is completed.
3. Send four (4) samples of each submission for 500ml or less, two (2) samples for 19oz, 22oz or 750ml bottles, two (2) 32 oz crowlers or one (1) 64 oz growler.
***There is no special labeling required but if you are submitting shiner bottles, cans or crowlers please make note on each vessel the name of the beer and category it is submitted to.
4. All products must be produced in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska, Montana or British Columbia.
5. Shipping and drop off instructions at the bottom of the post.
*Credit card payment link: CLICK HERE
**Submission form link: CLICK HERE
SHIPPING INSTRUCTIONS
1) Carefully package all glass-format beers, especially growlers, as shipping companies are not always gentle.
2) Please do not use packing peanuts or popcorn.
3) Ship all entries to the following address:
Sip Magazine c/o Seattle Wine Storage
Attn: Best of Beer
9401 Aurora Ave N., Seattle WA 98103
In person deliveries can be made to Seattle Wine Storage daily from 12-6pm (excluding holidays).
2024 CATEGORIES
Category identification and judging criteria based on the Brewers Association 2023 Beer Style Guidelines published by the Brewers Association.
ALE STYLES
Amber / Red Ale
Belgian-Style Ales
Golden, Blonde, Cream Ales, or Other Light Ales
German Style Ales: Berliner Weiss, Gose, Altbier
German Wheat + Rye Beers
Kolsch
Porter
Fruited Sour Ale
Saison
Session India Pale Ale
Juicy or Hazy Pale Ale
American-Style Pale Ale
American-Style Strong Pale Ale
Juicy or Hazy Strong Pale Ale
India Pale Ale – American-Style (Mainstay / Year-Round Offering)
India Pale Ale – American-Style (One Offs)
India Pale Ale – West-Coast Style (Mainstay / Year-Round Offering)
India Pale Ale- West-Coast Style – (One Offs)
India Pale Ale – Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ale (Mainstay / Year-Round Offering)
India Pale Ale – Juicy or Hazy India Pale Ale – (One Offs)
American-Style Imperial or Double India Pale Ale (6-8.4% ABV)
Juicy or Hazy Imperial or Double India Pale Ale (6-8.4% ABV)
Strong Ale – Barley Wine, Triple, Quadruple Ales
Stout
Imperial Stout
Wood & Barrel Aged Beer
LAGER STYLES + PILSNER STYLES
American-Style Lager – Lager, American-Style Light Lager, Contemporary American-Style Lager, American Light Pilsner, Contemporary American-Style Pilsner, American-Style Amber Lager, American-Style Dark Lager
International Dark Lager -Bockbiers, Shwarzbier, Czech Amber/Dark, Bock
International Light Lager – Japanese Lagers, Dortmunder, Helles, Vienna, Marzen, Oktoberfest
Hoppy Lager – Dry Hopped Lager, New Zealand Pilsner, Italian PIlsner, India Pale Lager
Pilsner- German Pilsner, Czech or Bohemian
(American-style Pilsner should enter in the American-style Lager category)
OTHER BEER STYLES
Brett and Mixed Culture Beer
Wood & Barrel-Aged Sour Beer
Specialty Beer
Fruit Beer – raspberries, blueberries, watermelon, peach, etc.
Coffee
Non-Alcoholic Beer
FRESH HOP BEER
Pale Ale
India Pale Ale
Imperial or Double India Pale Ale
Other
*Though unlikely for most, all categories are subject to change if submissions are too low or too high. In the case of lower submissions, beer would be merged into an appropriately fitting category; for higher submissions, a category of its own would be created. Additionally, beers submitted into the wrong category will be moved to the correct category.
Sip Magazine is an award-winning publication covering the wine, beer, spirits and cider of the Pacific Northwest and beyond. To view the complete list of winners from the 12th Annual Best of the Northwest Beer click here.
