Registration Opens for AHA-Sanctioned 2026 PUBS Homebrew Invitational; Early Entries Reported

Eighty-one entries have been added to the system for the AHA-sanctioned 2026 PUBS Homebrew Invitational, hosted by the Placer Ultimate Brewing Society, and 51 paid entries are in the system as of 6:51 PM, PDT, Sunday, March 8, 2026. The competition page records that "Registration is now open!" after a January 1 launch.

Placerbrewers lists its registration timeline and caps plainly: "Registration Opens: Thursday January 1, 2026" and "Registration Deadline: Friday April 3, 2026 @ 11:59pm." The site also posts the entry fee structure: "Fee: $12 per entry for the first 3 entries; $10 per entry for entries 4 and up." Organizers remind entrants that "There is a limit of 200 entries for this competition" and the page also displays "There is a limit of 200 paid entries for this competition."

Logistics and the contest calendar are also published. Judging is scheduled as "Judging Date: Saturday April 11, 2026." A prep pickup is listed as "Pickup and Sort Beers 04/07/2026 5:00 PM, PDT" and judging-day tasks include "Set Up Judging Areas 04/11/2026 7:00 AM, PDT," "Cellar Master 04/11/2026 8:00 AM, PDT," "Food Preparation and Serving 04/11/2026 8:00 AM, PDT," and "Judge and Steward Check-In 04/11/2026 8:30 AM, PDT." The page breaks judging into sessions with exact windows: "Session #1 04/11/2026 9:00 AM, PDT — 04/11/2026 12:30 PM, PDT" and "Session #2 04/11/2026 1:00 PM, PDT — 04/11/2026 2:30 PM, PDT In Person." Award rounds are shown as "MBOS 04/11/2026 2:30 PM, PDT." and "BOS 04/11/2026 3:30 PM, PDT." Cleanup is scheduled "04/11/2026 5:00 PM, PDT."

The competition software and on-site instructions are visible in the capture. The page footer records "2026 PUBS Homebrew Invitational - BCOE&M 2.8.2 - Hosted Amateur Competition Edition 2009-2026." Entrants are warned, "Please pay attention to the notes provided for each drop-off location. There could be earlier deadlines for some drop-off locations listed, particular hours when entries are accepted, certain individuals to leave your entries with, etc. All entrants are responsible for reading the information provided by the organizers for each drop-off location." At the same time, the capture shows the UI messages "Entry Drop-Off Closed" and "Entry Shipping Closed."

Several administrative windows and a time-zone inconsistency appear on the site. The page states "Account registrations accepted 01/01/2026 12:00 AM, PST through 04/05/2026 1:00 PM, PDT." and separately records "Registrations for judges or stewards accepted 01/01/2026 12:00 AM, PST through 04/10/2026 6:00 PM, PDT." Notably, the account-registration end date on April 5 appears after the April 3 entry deadline listed elsewhere on the site, and the strings mix PST and PDT.

The page thanks partners but provides limited sponsor detail: the original report named "Knee Deep Brewing" among "partner hosts and sponsors including Knee Deep Brewing and others" while the competition page shows "Thank you to our 2026 Invitational Sponsors" with no roster listed in the captured text. Contact for administrative questions is given as webmaster@placerbrewers.org.

With 81 entries added and 51 paid entries recorded against a 200-entry cap, the invitational is moving toward its April 3 cutoff and the April 11 judging schedule. Organizers have opened the field after member feedback, noting "After reviewing your feedback, we have decided on opening up to all styles," which changes the competition from its prior concentrated-style focus and broadens the pool ahead of the deadline.