05/10/2026
🍺🏆 2026 WASABC – THAT’S A WRAP! 🏆🍺
What a year it has been for the Western Australian State Amateur Brewing Competition.
After months of planning, registrations, drop-offs, transporting hundreds of bottles, three days of judging, an incredible Awards Night, and finally getting the score sheets out, we can officially put a bow on WASABC 2026.
And what a competition it was.
🍻 219 entries were registered, with 216 entries ultimately judged across our 20 competition categories — B**r, Mead, C***r and Perry — showcasing an incredible range of brewing talent from across Western Australia.
From the first entries arriving at Big Gal’s Brew Shed in Bunbury, Brewmart Bayswater and TWOC Bibra Lake, through to the judging tables at Northbridge Brewing Company, there was an enormous amount of work happening behind the scenes.
None of it happens without volunteers.
Our judges, stewards, drop-off crews, coolroom crew, organisers, setup and pack-down helpers and everyone who simply put their hand up when something needed doing — THANK YOU.
A special thank you to our 2026 Chief Judge, Wade Pelly, for overseeing the judging side of the competition, and to everyone who gave up their time across the judging weekend.
🏆 THE BIG WINNERS OF WASABC 2026
🍺 BEST OF SHOW – B**R
Jerome Kennedy – Flanders Ale
West Coast Brewers
🍯🍎 BEST OF SHOW – MEAD/CIDER
Mark Aleksandrow – Plumb-bo
Perth Home Brew Share
🏆 TWOC CHAMPION BREWER
Peter Van Bockxmeer
Northern Brewers Homebrew Club
Peter finished an outstanding competition with 3 first places and 4 second places, taking Champion Brewer with 17 points.
🥈 George Copley – 15 points
🥉 Michael Doswell – 10 points
🏆 BEST WA CLUB
WEST COAST BREWERS
WCB finished with an incredible:
14 Firsts • 12 Seconds • 15 Thirds • 7 HMs — 88 points
Congratulations also to Perth Home Brew Share, Northern Brewers Homebrew Club, South West Brew and all the clubs and independent brewers represented throughout the competition.
❤️ VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR
One of the additions we were particularly proud to introduce in 2026 was the WASABC Volunteer of the Year Shield.
Congratulations to:
🏆 Bryson Derbyshire – 2026 WASABC Volunteer of the Year
A thoroughly deserved recognition for the time, effort and years of contribution Bryson has given to WASABC and the WA homebrewing community.
🎤 THE AWARDS NIGHT
Our season culminated with the WASABC Awards Night on Friday 11 September at Northbridge Brewing Company.
Having everyone together upstairs at NBC — competitors, volunteers, sponsors, friends and family — was the perfect way to celebrate months of work.
A huge thank you to our MC, Tallan Ames, who did a fantastic job guiding us through the evening.
We had trophies and medals, plenty of laughs, some fantastic b**r, free finger food and more than $2,000 worth of door prizes given away during the night.
And, of course, plenty of discussion about b**r!
🍺 FROM HOMEBREW TO THE BIG STAGE
WASABC isn't just about medals.
It is about improving as brewers, receiving independent judging and feedback, meeting other brewers, sharing knowledge and giving WA's best amateur brewers the opportunity to represent their state at the Australian Amateur Brewing Championships.
Our 1st, 2nd and 3rd place eligible entries qualified for the AABC Nationals in Sydney, and 58 WA entries were collected at Brewmart Bayswater for shipment to Sydney, with another two being sent separately.
That means WA is once again heading east with a very strong team of b**rs, meads and c***rs.
Good luck to everyone representing Western Australia at the 2026 AABC in Sydney on 24–25 October.
Let's see if WA can make it a HAT-TRICK! 🏆🏆🏆
🤝 OUR SPONSORS & SUPPORTERS
A competition of this size simply could not operate without the generosity of the brewing industry and businesses that support amateur brewing in Western Australia.
To every sponsor who supplied funding, prizes, equipment, products, venue support, trophies, medals, b**r or their time — THANK YOU.
Your support allows a volunteer-run, not-for-profit competition like WASABC to continue.
A huge thank you to our supporters throughout 2026, including:
Northbridge Brewing Company • Ellerslie Australia • WABA • TWOC Brewing Supplies • Brewmart Brewing Supplies • Big Gal’s Brew Shed • Bintani Australia • Mr Hops • Keg King • The Craft Smith • King Road Brewing Co • Mortlock Malt • Indian Ocean Brewing Company • Besk • Hogg Culture Brewing Co • Found • Bailey Brewing Co • Artisan Brewing • Rocky Ridge Brewing Co • PHat Brew Club • The House of Honey • Funk • Sandgroper Brewing • Tilt Hydrometer and everyone else who contributed to making the competition possible.
We also extend our thanks to the breweries who helped make Awards Night something special by supplying b**r for the evening.
❤️ AND FINALLY...
WASABC is run by volunteers.
There isn't a big company behind the curtain.
There are simply people who love brewing and are prepared to give their time so that amateur brewers from around Western Australia have a competition where their b**r, c***r and mead can be judged, recognised and celebrated.
To everyone who entered — thank you for trusting us with your creations.
To everyone who judged — thank you for sharing your knowledge.
To every steward and volunteer — thank you for giving us your time.
To our sponsors — thank you for backing amateur brewing in WA.
To everyone who attended Awards Night — thank you for making it a night worth remembering.
And congratulations again to every medal winner, placegetter and brewer who took the courage to put their work in front of the judges.
Whether you walked away with a trophy, a medal, a Nationals qualification, or simply feedback to help make your next brew better—that's what WASABC is all about.
The 2026 Western Australian State Amateur Brewing Competition has been a massive undertaking, but seeing the WA brewing community come together made every hour worthwhile.
🍻 Cheers to WASABC 2026.
🍺 Cheers to WA homebrewing.
🏆 See you all again in 2027!
**rWA **r ***r
