Competition History and Approach

First held in 2015, the Oregon Beer Awards were developed as a collaboration between Willamette Week, Competition Director Ben Edmunds, and beer dude-about-town Ezra Johnson-Greenhough. The event has been honed over time to get where it is now, with rigorous standards, unique styles, and a wide audience. Since its inception the awards have existed with the same goal: to celebrate the art of Oregon Brewing and inspire innovation and growth in the industry.

Unlike other beer competitions, the Oregon Beer Awards Style Guidelines are designed to keep categories competitive, and medal in styles that are meaningful to a consumer. Carefully curated by a committee of top brewers and beer influencers in the state, styles have evolved every year to reflect industry changes and strive to be as inclusive as possible.

Philosophy
on Styles

Part of the objective of the OBAs is to reward beers for being harmonious and dynamic. This differentiates it from other competitions in which medals are given along very strictly written style guidelines. As such, a beer with no technical flaws that varies from classic style parameters will be judged in greater esteem than a beer with technical flaws that adheres to style. While we strive to avoid “nitpicking” style guidelines in this competition, it is important for brewers to be mindful of what types of beers are and aren’t allowable in each category by reading the style guidelines carefully.

How Judging Works

Over 80 judges come together each year to participate in 6 days of rigorous judging. Each judge will taste a series of flights, one style at a time. Three tables will judge the same flight of beer and submit their top three selections. If a beer is judged positively by both tables, it automatically moves onto the next round. If it’s not chosen by both tables, it’ll end its journey there.

Judging is done through a double-blind process: the beers are assigned numbers at the beginning of each round, and every subsequent round, and those serving the beer to the judges also are unaware of the numbers and their associated beers.

Many precautions are taken to ensure the validity of the judging process. See below.

  • The beer doesn’t spend more than a week in cold storage before reaching the tables.

  • Judges never judge a beer that they’ve brewed- they’ll be moved to another table for that particular round.

  • Rounds are curated so that back to back flights are harmonious and won’t send judges’ palates into a tizzy. 

  • Only experienced pourers are allowed to pour the beer, reading instructions carefully from the brewer as they do. 

  • Judges and staff are required to wash their hands with scentless soap, as well as being careful not to smoke or cause any type of offensive smell to impede the palates of the judges on site.

The Judges

Judges are chosen from a select group of individuals- either those with extensive prior judging experience from other competitions like GABF, or those with significant brewing experience who are interested in becoming a judge. Each year, we cycle in 30% new judges, regardless of background, to ensure we are fostering new judging talent and bringing in “new to OBA” talent as well. We look across the country for experienced judges and have had folks from as far as Connecticut fly out to participate. 

Judging, from the judges.

Get a taste of what it’s like on the ground floor.