Belgian Beerfest 2026 Comp Day Wrap-Up
Belgian Beerfest 2026 was held on Sunday 17 May 2026 at Hard Road Brewery in Bayswater, bringing together brewers from across the homebrewing community for a celebration of Belgian beer styles.
From bright and expressive golden ales through to rich dark strong ales, saisons, wild beers and creative specialty entries, the competition showcased the range, character and technical challenge that makes Belgian brewing so rewarding.
A huge thank you goes to everyone who helped make the day happen, including the entrants, judges, sponsors, organisers, volunteers and supporters.
Major Awards
Congratulations to Richard Grant from Merri Mashers, whose Belgian Dark Strong Ale was awarded Champion Beer of Show, scoring an outstanding 125 points.
Richard also took out Best Novice Brewer with the same Belgian Dark Strong Ale, capping off a brilliant competition result.
Champion Brewer was awarded to Daniel Horridge from Merri Mashers, who finished on 5 points.
The Best Club Award went to Merri Mashers, who finished strongly on 19 points, ahead of Bayside Brewers, Melbourne Brewers and Yarra Valley Brewers.
Category Winners
Congratulations to all category winners:
Cat 1 — Light Coloured Ales
Troy Poulier — Belgian Golden Strong Ale — Independent — 118 points
Cat 2 — Dark Coloured Ales
Richard Grant — Belgian Dark Strong Ale — Merri Mashers — 125 points
Cat 3 — Summer Ales
Marc Newbrook — Belgian IPA — Merri Mashers — 121 points
Cat 4 — Saison
Sean Dawson — Saison — Merri Mashers — 122 points
Cat 5 — Wild Beers
Eric Beck — Flanders Red Ale — Merri Mashers — 119 points
Cat 6 — Belgian Specialty Beers
Jason Ayres — Belgian Specialty — Bayside Brewers — 115 points
View the full results here
Yarra Valley Brewers Results
Yarra Valley Brewers was proud to be represented across the competition, with club members entering beers in several Belgian categories.
A special mention goes to Tom Kurka, whose Witbier scored 113.5 points in the Summer Ales category, finishing second in a strong field. Tom also entered a Saison, scoring 101 points.
Richard Brown also represented Yarra Valley Brewers strongly, with a Trappist Single scoring 103 points and a Belgian Dubbel scoring 106 points.
These results helped Yarra Valley Brewers finish on 2 points in the Best Club standings.
Thank You to Our Sponsors
Competitions like Belgian Beerfest rely on the support of sponsors, and we sincerely thank the businesses and organisations who supported the 2026 event:
Keg King
The Full Brew
Vicbrew
Bintani
Hard Road Brewery
Lallemand Yeast
Your support helps make events like this possible and continues to strengthen the homebrewing community.
Final Cheers
Belgian Beerfest 2026 was a fantastic showcase of Belgian-inspired brewing, from clean and expressive classics through to complex, mixed-fermentation and specialty beers.
Congratulations again to all winners, placegetters and entrants, and thank you to everyone who contributed to another successful competition day.
We look forward to seeing what everyone brews next.
Cheers,
Yarra Valley Brewers Team