Oxford, Ohio (April 11, 2025) – Registration for the 2025 U.S. Open Beer Championship is now open. Brewers can register beers through May 21. Entries will need to arrive in Oxford, Ohio between May 26 – June 6, 2025. The medal winners and Grand National Champion will be announced on July 16, 2025. The U.S. Open is the only brewery competition to include licensed breweries and the American Homebrewers Association’s (AHA) National Homebrew Competition Gold Medal Winners. In 2025, breweries from Alaska to Florida sent in more than 9,000 beers representing over 150 different styles.
The U.S. Open Beer Championship utilizes blind judging to award each category winner. The U.S. Open is the only beer judging to have its own event center, a 6,000 square foot Amish Barn with 2 walk-in beer coolers, judging, and serving areas. Beer entries are refrigerated within 24 hours upon arrival at the U.S. Open Event Center.
Call for Entries
Each brewery may enter a maximum of ten beers and ten non-alcoholic beers with an entry fee of $85 per submission. A brewery submitting five or more beers will be considered for the Grand National Champion’s award. Entries will need to arrive between May 26 and June 6. Entry forms and rules can be found on the competition website under registration and rules at https://usopenbeer.com/registration/
Over 150 categories will be judged for the 2025 competition year. Winners will receive the traditional U.S. Open beer stein medal for first, second, and third place. The top ten breweries overall will be featured on BeerInfo.com. Along with the medals awarded, the top brewery in the nation will be awarded the coveted Grand National Championship Cup.
New in 2025, The Hard Seltzer Championship Joins the Beer Championship
This year, the Hard Seltzer Championship will be taking place alongside the Beer Championship. Registration and shipping dates will be the same for each competition. It is $75 per hard seltzer entry, and producers can submit up to 10 entries. New Seltzer categories this year include THC and Hard Kombucha. More details and registration info can be found here: https://usopenhardseltzer.com/
AHA’s National Homebrew Submission
Since 2009, the U.S. Open has worked with the American Homebrewers Association to accept the gold medal winners of the National Homebrew Competition to enter the competition. Oftentimes, homebrewers medal in each competition year. In 2024, Christopher Burgess from Colorado won a Gold medal in the Brut IPA category with his homebrew, Like Falling Off A Bike.
Charity Category: Pink Boots Blend
The U.S. Open Beer Championship has partnered with the Pink Boots Society since 2022. The society’s mission is to provide education, assistance, inspiration, and encouragement to women in the fermented/alcoholic beverage profession and the creation of the Pink Boots Blend Category. The Pink Boots Society partnered with Yakima Chief Hops for several years to sell a special hop blend to benefit the Pink Boots scholarship fund, All the beers developed using this hop blend are eligible to enter the category.
Last year, Hear Us Roar by Toms River Brewing in Toms River, New Jersey, claimed the gold medal in this category. Including contributions from previous years, the U.S. Open has donated over $10,000 to the Pink Boots Scholarship Fund. In 2025, all proceeds from the Pink Boots Hop Blend category will be matched and donated, amplifying the support for this important cause.
