Amber Waves of Grain - 30th Anniversary, WNY Largest Homebrew Competition!
Thank you for your interest in the Amber Waves of Grain - 30th Anniversary, WNY Largest Homebrew Competition! organized by Niagara Association of Homebrewers, 2437 Niagara Rd, Niagara Falls, NY 14304.
You only need to register your information once and can return to this site to enter more brews or edit the brews you've entered. You can even pay your entry fees online if you wish.
Entry Registration is Open
117 entries have been added to the system as of 9:58 AM, EST, Sunday, February 22, 2026.
29 paid entries are in the system as of 9:58 AM, EST, Sunday, February 22, 2026.
To add your entries into the system, please proceed through the registration process or log in if you already have an account.
Judge and Steward Registration is Open
If you have not registered and are willing to be a volunteer, please register.
If you have registered, log in and then choose Edit Account from the My Account menu indicated by the icon on the top menu.
Rules
This year's competition is runing a special for 30th Anniversary of the competition with a "30 for 30," note we will still be require 2 bottles per entry.
30th Anniversary Special Price! “30 entries for $130,” will be available for entrants submitting 30 distinct entries this year! Eligibility requirements (inclusive of all competition rules as outlined, plus):
- At least 30 paid entries for 2026 competition
- Must volunteer AWOG Judging Session OR Awards Ceremony, OR otherwise volunteer with AWOG competition (definition of volunteer at discretion of Competition Organizers)
A $40 reimbursement will be provided at AWOG Judging or Awards to participate. Please see a Competition Organizer about eligibility and our Treasurer (Tim Collins) or Co-organizer (Mark Zambron) will issue reimbursement. Please note: this applies to the first 30 entries only. A second set of 30 would be great, but the reward for this is a hefty number of excellent score sheets!
This is an amateur competition. Professional Brewers, and employees of professional breweries, may submit entries, provided that they were brewed on non-commercial equipment. Affixed entry labels by rubberband, do not use tape. Tape entries will be disqualified.
All entries shall be paid by Saturday March 28 at 2:00 PM. All unpaid entries will be purged from the competition and not judged. No refunds will be given even if entry was not dropped off in time.
All entries must have BJCP category and sub-category information entered. Entries will be judged in the category entered. Any entered in the incorrect categories will not be reassigned.
It is at the discretion of the judges, upon consultation with the Head Judge or Competition Organizer, to disqualify any entry that is deemed to be unsafe for complete analysis due to perceived infection or contamination. Judge sheets will be noted and returned. No refunds will be provided.
The competition organizers intend to post competition results within 72 hours of the completion of the competition on the Web at https://awog.brewingcompetitions.com/ Judge point information sent to the BJCP within two weeks of the competition. Any scoresheets not picked up in a month the entrant will be sent out by mail or emailed to entrants by the end of April.
Prizes not picked up at the awards ceremony will be sent to the entrant and the entrant will be required to cover the cost of the shipping.
All entries become the property of the Niagara Association of Homebrewers. We reserve the right to disqualify any entry for failure to comply with these rules. Disqualified entries may be evaluated but will not be eligible for awards or prizes. No entries or fees will be returned. The decision of the judges is final.
All proceeds of the competition will be used to defray competition expenses. 100% of donations solicited from commercial brewers, distributors, good beer bars, and homebrew-related businesses and manufacturers are given out as prizes for winning at the competition, and as gifts to the support team of judges, stewards, and organizers.
Please fill out the online entry forms completely. Be meticulous about noting any special ingredients that must be specified per the 2021 BJCP Style Guidelines. Failure to note such ingredients may impact the judges' scoring of your entry.
All entry fees must be paid in full at or before the time the entry is shipped or dropped off.
Multiple entries per category are permitted. Multiple entries per sub-category are permitted. Submitting an entry of the same batch of brew multiple times in the same subcategory, without distinct features expected in each entry, is not an acceptable practice (i.e. loading the category with the same exact brew multiple times).
Currently, the online entry software is being used to collect your entry information, collect your payment, and print the entry forms and bottle tags for your entries. The information you have entered and saved by the entry deadline is the information we will use to judge your entries. Changes made after the entry deadline may not be applied to your entries for judging.
Entry Acceptance Rules
Number of Bottles Required Per Entry: 2
Each entry will consist of capped or corked bottles or cans that are void of all identifying information, including labels and embossing. Printed caps are allowed, but must be blacked out completely. Affixed entry labels by rubberband, do not use tape. Tape entries will be disqualified.
12oz brown glass bottles are preferred; however, green and clear glass will be accepted. Swing top bottles will likewise be accepted as well as corked bottles. Cans are acceptable as well.
Bottles and cans will not be returned to contest entrants.
Completed entry forms and recipe sheets must be submitted with all entries, and can be printed directly from this website. Entry forms should be attached to bottle labels by the method specified on the bottle label.
Please fill out the entry forms completely. Be meticulous about noting any special ingredients that must be specified. Failure to note such ingredients may impact the judges' scoring of your entry.
Competition Officials
You can send an email to any of the following individuals via Contact.
- - 01 Mark Zambron — Co Competition Organizer
- - 02 Brian Milleville — Co Competition Organizer
- - 03 John Crossett — Registrar
- - 04 Andrew Urban — Head Judge
- - 05 Tom Sirgey — Head Steward
- - 06 Tom Reed — Judging Site Coordinator
- - 07 Tim Collins — Treasurer
- - 08 Paul Callahan — Co Prize Coordinator
- - 09 Mark Scibilia — Co Prize Coordinator
- - 10 Keith Curtachio — Co Banquet Coordinator
- - 11 Paul Weisenburger — Co Banquet Coordinator
Sponsors
Niagara Association of Homebrewers is proud to have the following sponsors for the Amber Waves of Grain - 30th Anniversary, WNY Largest Homebrew Competition!.