2026 First Round Winners – Chicago, IL
Table 1: Pale American Beer
| Place | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Stephen P Polczynski of Moore, OK | Red Earth Brewers |
| 2nd | Eric Slater of Grand Rapids, MI | Rivertown Homebrewers |
| 3rd | Josh Shenton of Downers Grove, IL |
Table 2: Pale European Beer
| Place | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Dan Acheson of Winfield, IL | Urban Knaves of Grain |
| 2nd | Eric Lewis of Mount Pleasant, WI with Jason Slaasted | |
| 3rd | Jon N. Phillips of Chicago, IL | C.H.A.O.S. Brew Club |
Table 3: Pale Lager
| Place | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Bryce Hunter of Belmont, MI | QUAFF |
| 2nd | Aaron De Boer of Crystal, MN | Nordeast Brewers Alliance |
| 3rd | Mark McBride of Ferndale, MI |
Table 4: German Pilsner
| Place | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Al Selberg of Waterford Township, MI | Pontiac Brewing Tribe |
| 2nd | Evan W. Brill of Louisville, KY | Louisville Area Grain and Extract Research Society (LAGERS) |
| 3rd | Joe Skiles of Carol Stream, IL | Urban Knaves of Grain |
Table 5: Pale Malty European Beer
| Place | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Aurelio Gonzalez of Grayslake, IL | North Urban Brewing Society (NUBS) |
| 2nd | Joel McGormley of Zionsville, IN | Foam Blowers of Indiana, Inc (FBI) |
| 3rd | Lee Birkett of West Dundee, IL | Midnight Carboys |
Table 6: Amber European Beer
| Place | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Gerad Miller of Dayton, OH | Dayton Regional Amateur Fermentation Technologists |
| 2nd | Danny Sack of Evanston, IL | Evanston Homebrew Club |
| 3rd | Evan W. Brill of Louisville, KY | Louisville Area Grain and Extract Research Society (LAGERS) |
Table 7: Dark European Lager
| Place | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Beth Migalla of Highland Park, IL | North Urban Brewing Society (NUBS) |
| 2nd | Cory Emal of Ann Arbor, MI | Ann Arbor Brewers Guild |
| 3rd | Chris Kaebisch of Edgerton, WI |
Table 8: American Wheat & Blonde
| Place | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Brett Helmbrecht of Oshkosh, WI | Society of Oshkosh Brewers |
| 2nd | Eric Slater of Grand Rapids, MI | Rivertown Homebrewers |
| 3rd | Aaron Pigors of Saint John, IN | Illiana Beer Rackers Union (IBRU) |
Table 9: German Wheat & Rye Beer
| Place | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Eric Boyle of Berkley, MI | Royal Oak Area Homebrew Club |
| 2nd | Chuck Redpath of Downers Grove, IL | |
| 3rd | Gregory Roskopf of Brownsburg, IN | Foam Blowers of Indiana, Inc (FBI) |
Table 10: Pale British Ale
| Place | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Stephen P Polczynski of Moore, OK | Red Earth Brewers |
| 2nd | Joe Formanek of Bolingbrook, IL | Urban Knaves of Grain |
| 3rd | Michael Wallace of Chicago, IL |
Table 11: Scottish & Irish Ale
| Place | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Todd Donnelly of Chardon, OH | Society of Northeast Ohio Brewers |
| 2nd | Stephen P Polczynski of Moore, OK | Red Earth Brewers |
| 3rd | Christopher Olson of La Porte, IN with Dean Tuholski | Gravity Works Homebrew Club |
Table 12: American Pale Ale
| Place | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Michael A Loula of Weston, WI | |
| 2nd | Joseph Dussling of Westlake, OH | Brewly Homebrew Club |
| 3rd | Randy Sauter of Rapid City, SD | Ale Riders Homebrew Club |
Table 13: Amber & Brown American Ale
| Place | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Larry Reuter of Akron, OH with Donna Reuter | Society of Akron Area Zymurgists (SAAZ) |
| 2nd | Marc Riordan of Chicago, IL | |
| 3rd | Phillip G. Abbott of Overland Park, KS with Jeremy Rott | Johnson County Brewing Society |
Table 14: Brown British Beer
| Place | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Cory Emal of Ann Arbor, MI | Ann Arbor Brewers Guild |
| 2nd | Sebastian Seith of Hinsdale, IL | Brixie's Brewers |
| 3rd | Gregory Roskopf of Brownsburg, IN | Foam Blowers of Indiana, Inc (FBI) |
Table 15: Irish & British Stout
| Place | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Brian Stephens of Portage, MI | Keepers of Craft |
| 2nd | Eric Boyle of Berkley, MI | Royal Oak Area Homebrew Club |
| 3rd | Joe Formanek of Bolingbrook, IL | Urban Knaves of Grain |
Table 16: American Porter & Stout
| Place | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | John Futrell of Des Plaines, IL | |
| 2nd | Michael Aston of Clinton, WI | |
| 3rd | Daniel Deveney of Madison, WI | Madison Homebrewers & Tasters |
Table 17: American IPA
| Place | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Scott Patrick of Arden, NC | Mountain Ale & Lager Tasters (MALT) [NC] |
| 2nd | Joe Carlyon of Chicago, IL | |
| 3rd | Joshua Cooper of Walton, KY |
Table 18: Specialty IPA
| Place | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Ryan Kuhn of Aurora, IL with Jack Churchill | |
| 2nd | Bill Carlton of Gurnee, IL | North Urban Brewing Society (NUBS) |
| 3rd | Gregory Roskopf of Brownsburg, IN | Foam Blowers of Indiana, Inc (FBI) |
Table 19: Hazy IPA
| Place | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Mark McBride of Ferndale, MI | |
| 2nd | Michael Lawler of Schaumburg, IL | North Urban Brewing Society (NUBS) |
| 3rd | Art Kim of Highland, IN | Illiana Beer Rackers Union (IBRU) |
Table 20: Strong American Ale
| Place | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Michael A Loula of Weston, WI | |
| 2nd | Randy Sauter of Rapid City, SD | Ale Riders Homebrew Club |
| 3rd | Randy Sauter of Rapid City, SD | Ale Riders Homebrew Club |
Table 21: Strong European Lager
| Place | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Stephen Schmitt of Evanston, IL | Evanston Homebrew Club |
| 2nd | Marc Riordan of Chicago, IL | |
| 3rd | Eric Slater of Grand Rapids, MI | Rivertown Homebrewers |
Table 22: Strong British Ale
| Place | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Gillian Muller-Greyz of Evanston, IL | Evanston Homebrew Club |
| 2nd | Jeffrey Whelpley of Chicago, IL | C.H.A.O.S. Brew Club |
| 3rd | Melissa Edmunds of Plymouth, MI | Ann Arbor Brewers Guild |
Table 23: Imperial Porter & Stout
| Place | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Gerad Miller of Dayton, OH | Dayton Regional Amateur Fermentation Technologists |
| 2nd | Joe Formanek of Bolingbrook, IL | Urban Knaves of Grain |
| 3rd | Nick Fantozzi of Strongsville, OH | Society of Akron Area Zymurgists (SAAZ) |
Table 24: Saison
| Place | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Ryan Kuhn of Aurora, IL with Jack Churchill | |
| 2nd | Josh Shenton of Downers Grove, IL | |
| 3rd | Brad Powszok of Chicago, IL |
Table 25: Belgian Ale
| Place | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Randy Sauter of Rapid City, SD | Ale Riders Homebrew Club |
| 2nd | Johnny Bavlsik of Bay City, MI | Cass River Homebrew Club |
| 3rd | Peter Hestad of Northbrook, IL |
Table 26: Strong Belgian Ale
| Place | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Michael Borchert of Colgate, WI | Beer Barons of Milwaukee |
| 2nd | Shawn Stafford of Hendersonville, NC | Mountain Ale & Lager Tasters (MALT) [NC] |
| 3rd | Joe Skiles of Carol Stream, IL | Urban Knaves of Grain |
Table 27: European Sour Ale
| Place | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | PAUL RICHARD BRUSKI of Ames, IA | Iowa Brewers Union |
| 2nd | James Silverstein of Buffalo Grove, IL | Club Wort |
| 3rd | Eddie Belter of Saint Louis, MO | STL Brewhogs |
Table 28: Fruit Beer
| Place | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Eric Boyle of Berkley, MI | Royal Oak Area Homebrew Club |
| 2nd | Alex Avery of Victor, NY | Upstate New York Homebrewers Associaion |
| 3rd | Elias Ruiz of Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
Table 29: Spice, Herb & Vegetable Beer
| Place | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Phillip Reik of Grosse Pointe Park, MI | |
| 2nd | Joseph Dussling of Westlake, OH | Brewly Homebrew Club |
| 3rd | Luke Johnson of Chicago, IL |
Table 30: Specialty & Seasonal Spiced Beer
| Place | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Melissa Edmunds of Plymouth, MI | Ann Arbor Brewers Guild |
| 2nd | Melissa Edmunds of Plymouth, MI | Ann Arbor Brewers Guild |
| 3rd | Mark A Connell of Carlisle, MA |
Table 31: Smoke-Flavored Beer
| Place | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Michael Beck of Griffith, IN | Illiana Beer Rackers Union (IBRU) |
| 2nd | Gerad Miller of Dayton, OH | Dayton Regional Amateur Fermentation Technologists |
| 3rd | Chris Wilburn of Heathsville, VA |
Table 32: Wood-Aged Beer
| Place | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Joe Skiles of Carol Stream, IL | Urban Knaves of Grain |
| 2nd | Joel McGormley of Zionsville, IN | Foam Blowers of Indiana, Inc (FBI) |
| 3rd | David Quenneville of Commerce Charter Township, MI |
Table 33: American Wild Ale
| Place | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Larry Reuter of Akron, OH with Donna Reuter | Society of Akron Area Zymurgists (SAAZ) |
| 2nd | Donna Reuter of Akron, OH with Larry Reuter | Society of Akron Area Zymurgists (SAAZ) |
| 3rd | Bryan Antoniuk of Madison, WI | Madison Homebrewers & Tasters |
Table 34: Specialty Beer
| Place | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Paul Richard Bruski of Ames, IA | Iowa Brewers Union |
| 2nd | Alex Avery of Victor, NY | Upstate New York Homebrewers Associaion |
| 3rd | Joe Skiles of Carol Stream, IL | Urban Knaves of Grain |
Table 35: Traditional Mead
| Place | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Allen Martin of Gilbert, AZ | Arizona Society of Homebrewers |
| 2nd | Dan Acheson of Winfield, IL | Urban Knaves of Grain |
| 3rd | Allen Martin of Gilbert, AZ | Arizona Society of Homebrewers |
Table 36: Fruit Mead
| Place | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Joe Skiles of Carol Stream, IL | Urban Knaves of Grain |
| 2nd | Richard Harris of Mulkeytown, IL | North Texas Homebrewers Association |
| 3rd | Dan Acheson of Winfield, IL | Urban Knaves of Grain |
Table 37: Spice Mead
| Place | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Dan Acheson of Winfield, IL | Urban Knaves of Grain |
| 2nd | Donna Reuter of Akron, OH with Larry Reuter | Society of Akron Area Zymurgists (SAAZ) |
| 3rd | Allen Martin of Gilbert, AZ | Arizona Society of Homebrewers |
Table 38: Specialty Mead
| Place | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Allen Martin of Gilbert, AZ | Arizona Society of Homebrewers |
| 2nd | Jeffrey Charles of Chicago, IL | |
| 3rd | Philip Maggio of Springfield, IL | Prairie Schooners |
Table 39: Standard Cider & Perry
| Place | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Jeffrey Carlson of Grand Rapids, MI | PrimeTime Brewers |
| 2nd | Kevin Wojdak of Elk Grove Village, IL | Urban Knaves of Grain |
| 3rd | Dan Acheson of Winfield, IL | Urban Knaves of Grain |
Table 40: Specialty Cider & Perry
| Place | Winner | Club |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Todd Donnelly of Chardon, OH | Society of Northeast Ohio Brewers |
| 2nd | Jeffrey Carlson of Grand Rapids, MI | PrimeTime Brewers |
| 3rd | Brent Anderson of Lisle, IL | Urban Knaves of Grain |