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2026 home brewer competition

Celebrate creativity, community, and craft at the 2026 Home Brewer Competition! Whether you’re a seasoned homebrewer or just getting started, this friendly competition invites beer enthusiasts from across the region to showcase their best homemade brews.

Participants will submit handcrafted beers to be judged using established style guidelines, receive valuable feedback from experienced judges, and compete for top honors. Best of all, the winning brews will be brewed on-site with local professional brewers and featured at future community events—making this much more than a competition, but a true celebration of local talent and the vibrant craft beer culture in the Willmar Lakes Area.

Terms & Conditions of 2026 Home Brewer Competition:

  • Registration: Click Here to Register

  • Entry Fee & Receipt: $5 per beer – Click Here to Pay Entry Fee (Participants may enter as many beers as they wish.)
    A receipt must be attached to one of the bottles for each entry.

  • Bottle Requirements:

    two – 12 oz brown bottles and be properly labeled using the official Beer Labels.

  • Excluded Styles:
    Barrel-aged beers, wild ales, mead, ciders, and brett-fermented beers may be submitted for feedback only but are not eligible to win or be brewed at a participating brewery.

  • Judging Guidelines:
    Beers will be judged using the 2021 BJCP Guidelines.

  • Registration Deadline:
    April 24, 2026

  • Beer Drop-Off Window:
    Saturday, April 25 – Saturday, May 2
    During open hours at any of the following locations:

    – Intuition Brewing
    – Foxhole Brewhouse
    – Goat Ridge Brewing Co.
    – Talking Waters Brewing Co.

  • Results & Feedback:
    Scores and results will be shared with participants in the months following submission.
    Written feedback will be provided to all home brewers.

  • Awards & Recognition:

    – The Top 4 Best in Show winners will brew their beer at one of the four participating breweries.
    – Additional winners will be recognized in each category.

  • Awards Ceremony:
    Winners will be officially announced during the Mid-Minnesota Toast event on Nov. 1st at Foxhole Brewhouse

  • Recipe Modifications:
    Allowed when brewing with the professional brewery.

“I’ll Dunkel Your Bock” Dunkels Bock – Brewers: EmmaGrace Felton & Matt Semaan (Duluth, MN)

“Dark Side of the Monk,” Belgian Dark Strong Ale – Brewers: Brian Stuedemann & Shannon Edmundson (Marshall, MN)

Looking Back: Mid-Minnesota Toast 2025

We hope you enjoyed Mid-Minnesota Toast, the first collaborative beer event in the Willmar Lakes Area!

The inaugural event took place on March 17, 2025, at Foxhole Brewhouse. Guests enjoyed unlimited samplings from our local breweries—Foxhole Brewhouse, Goat Ridge Brewing Co., and Intuition Brewing—along with live music, games, a special food menu, and a commemorative tasting glass.

One of the highlights of the event was the announcement of the Home Brewer Competition winners. With more than 60 entries from passionate brewers across the region, the competition showcased an impressive range of creativity, flavor, and brewing skill. Brewers traveled from near and far to have their beers evaluated by a panel of judges. Congratulations to the winners (pictured), whose standout creations rose to the top in a highly competitive field!

Mid-Minnesota Toast wasn’t just a one-day event—it marked the beginning of something special for the Willmar Lakes Area craft beer scene. We’re grateful to the breweries, home brewers, volunteers, and guests who made it such a success.

Fish our lakes

The possibilities are endless on our 30 recreational lakes…boating, swimming, fishing, water skiing, tubing, canoeing, kayaking, paddle boating, hydro biking, paddle boarding and so much more!

Fishing Report

Explore our Trails

Surrounded by beautiful lakes and scenery…who wouldn’t take a hike or a leisurely bike ride to enjoy the view? With miles of trials to choose from, you can always find new places to explore.

Trail Report

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