Welcome to the Dunedin Craft Beer & Food Festival's Black Rock Homebrew Competition
Thanks to our mates at Black Rock, and festival partners Emerson's, you could be brewing the 2027 Festival Brew!
This is our OG brewing competition. It’s been part of the festival since day one and boasts an ever-growing list of legendary past winners. Check them out on the DCBFF Homebrew page here.
Please note this is BJCP open-style competition, and open to all brewing types, not just extract-based brewing. Entries are limited, so don't be shy!
ENTRY FEE:
Each brew entered is $10, with a maximum of 6 per person. Payment needs to be done online during the entry process - so make sure you get these in before 8PM on Sunday October 11th!
HOW TO ENTER:
* Fill in the details for your brews below. If you have special instructions for the judges (e.g. request that the judges roll a bottle of Belgian Wit before serving) please include these in the special instructions section.
* Make sure each bottle has the bottling label attached (details below)
* Package them brews up and send to Dunedin's Malt House (details as below)
* Hit the deadlines, or miss out (AND remember the number of entries is limited, so best in, best dressed.)
A bottle label needs to be attached to EACH entry. If you are entering more than one brew, please ensure it is clear which entry relates to which label.
Click Here for Label
DROP OFF:
All brews must be dropped off or couriered to:
Dunedin Malt House
596 Hillside Road
South Dunedin
Dunedin
ATTN: DCBFF Homebrew Comp
Online entries must be received no later than 8pm Sunday 11th October 2026
All brews must be delivered by 5pm Thursday 15th October 2026
RULES AND PESKY T&C'S:
Your entries must be brewed by you on homebrewing equipment. If you are a professional brewer or work at a brewery you must specify this - depending on numbers of entries we may create a category just for brewing professionals. It is the entrant’s responsibility to provide the required information and enter into the appropriate category. Entries will be judged according to the category entered only.
You can download the fuller version of the T&C's Here
BJCP Style Guidelines can be found Here
THE PRIZES:
All category winners will win a double pass to Saturday's event, as well as a Black Rock Prize pack.
Judging will take place in late October, with prizegiving in early November
Dates are being finalized - more details will be provided to applicants soon
"BEST IN SHOW"
The Champion Brewer, brewer of the overall winning brew (best brew from across all categories, as chosen by our panel of judges) will get the opportunity to develop a recipe with staff from Emerson’s and to then brew the official Festival Brew for next year’s Festival. Whilst all efforts will be made to replicate your winning recipe as much as possible, consideration will also be given to commercial and technical viability of the Festival Brew, and changes made to the recipe accordingly. Think of it as a co-lab with the godfathers of home brew!
Note:
A few years ago now, NZ Customs approached us and made us aware that under NZ law, homebrewed alcohol is only supposed to be intended for personal consumption. We worked together with them to get an exemption for all entrants to this competition. But we do need to provide full details of the volumes and alcohol percentages of the alcohol entered into the competition.
So it really speeds up this whole process if you make sure you enter the volumes of the bottles you will be using for each brew and enter the ABV for each brew.
Good luck and get brewing!