Lancaster Iron Brewer Homebrew Judging March 7, Awards Mid-March

Judging for the Lancaster Iron Brewer, a BJCP-certified regional homebrew competition run by Lancaster Homebrew, is scheduled for March 7, 2026, with an awards party set for Saturday, March 14 from 6 to 9pm at Columbia Kettle Works, 40 N 3rd Street, Columbia, PA. “This is a BJCP certified event,” Lancaster Homebrew’s event materials state, marking the contest as part of the organized amateur circuit that judges to BJCP standards.

The 2026 listing shows a per-entry fee of $10, an entry limit of eight per entrant and a requirement of two bottles per entry; the event entry count on the listing reads 15. Entries are identified in the 2026 materials as being submitted to Lancaster Homebrew at 1551 Manheim Pike, Lancaster, PA 17601, with two different explicit submission deadlines appearing in source material: an App BJCP event row lists Feb. 28, 2026 as the deadline and a separate 2026 General Information block notes entries due “by March 3rd, 2026.” The App BJCP row also names Jeremiah Eastep as the organizer for the Lancaster Iron Brewer 2026 entry.

Prizes combine traditional ribbons with brewery-backed production opportunities. Flight winners will receive first-, second- and third-place ribbons, and the Brewers Choice program lists three sponsor partners: Big Dog Craft Brewing, Columbia Kettle Works and Mad Chef Craft Brewing. Each Brewers Choice prize is described as the winning beer being brewed and put on tap at the sponsoring brewery. The 2026 prize block lists BJCP Best of Show gift-card awards to Lancaster Homebrew in amounts of $200, $100 and $75 for the top three finishers; Lancaster Homebrew’s 2025 posting shows different historical Best of Show amounts ($150, $75 and $50), which are recorded as the prior year’s figures.

Judging logistics mirror Lancaster Homebrew’s 2025 template: judges were asked to arrive at 8:30am for a 9:00am morning session with a lunch break from noon to 1:00pm, and organizers pledged to provide lunch, snacks and water. Lancaster Homebrew’s 2025 volunteer call also asked, “If you are a BJCP judge or a provisional judge and would like to participate, please follow the link below to register. We will also need some judges who are non BJCP to help fill in a few gaps. And we will need a handful of stewards to help manage judges tables. If you would like to help with that, please register using the link below.”

The 2025 contest judged at Big Dog Craft Brewing, 1559 Manheim Pike, Lancaster, PA 17601, and that posting included the logistical note: “Please park in the outer parking lot to leave room for customers.” The 2026 event listing supplies the March 7 judging date but does not explicitly repeat the 2025 venue in the 2026 block; the App BJCP row shows only Lancaster, Pennsylvania as the location.

Lancaster Homebrew’s awards-party language from 2025 captures the atmosphere organizers aim for in mid-March: “We will start announcing winners sometime around 7pm. We encourage folks to come out early and have dinner and a pint or two.” For 2026, winners are slated to be celebrated at Columbia Kettle Works on March 14 between 6 and 9pm, with Brewers Choice winners poised to get brewery tap time and Best of Show placings accompanied by Lancaster Homebrew gift cards as listed in the 2026 event materials.