Central Coast Home Brewing Competition winners announced
– The California Mid-State Fair is proud to share the results of the 2026 Home Brewing Competition, highlighting the creativity and local flavor of amateur beermakers from the Central Coast.
Held each year ahead of the Fair, the competition brings together entries from San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara County residents, reflecting the region’s strong connection to agriculture and brewing.
Beers and ciders are entered across a range of classes, offering a broad look at locally produced beers.
Entries are evaluated blind by a panel of local BJCP-certified judges, who score each beer based on appearance, aromatics, taste and mouthfeel, leading to overall award placements.
2026 competition highlights:
• Best of Show: Conner Medeiros (Creston) – Experimental Beer Imperial Pastry Stout
• Reserve Best of Show: Nate Alexander (Paso Robles) – Czech Premium Pale Lager
“Emblematic of the high quality of entries submitted to this year’s competition, our top beers are both notoriously challenging to brew styles,” said chief judge, Jason Affourtit. “To me, this speaks to the high caliber of homebrewers in our area and makes this event both very competitive and a lot of fun to judge. Thanks to all the brewers who entered!”
The California Mid-State Fair thanks this year’s award sponsors – Humdinger Brewing and Baker Wine & Grape Analysis – for their continued support.
Special thanks also go to our chief judge, judges, and stewards who help organize and run the competition each year.
The 2026 California Mid-State Fair, themed “Back to the ’80s” in celebration of the Fair’s 80th anniversary, runs July 15-26, 2026, at the Paso Robles Event Center. For more information, visit MidStateFair.com.
