
Brau Challenge 2025
We’re thrilled to announce the Brau Challenge 2025! Registration is open from April 1st to April 30th, 2025.
Building on the success of the past two editions, we’ve focused our efforts on creating an even more engaging and challenging competition for homebrewers. This year, we’ve partnered with key players in the homebrewing scene to provide top-quality ingredients for our Brau Challenge kits and to offer outstanding prizes for all our winners.
The Brau Challenge 2025 features two brewing categories: Top Fermented (New Zealand Ale 20L) and Bottom Fermented (New Zealand Lager 20L).
Each of these brewing kits will have a customizable choice of hops from Hop Revolution and yeast from WHC Lab To test the skills of our participants, we’ve tailored the brewing process for each category. This year, beers in the Top Fermented category can include a special ingredient in the recipe, while beers in the Bottom Fermented category must strictly adhere to the German Beer Purity Laws (Reinheitsgebot).
By purchasing one of our Brau Challenge Beer Kits, you’ll automatically be entered into the competition. Additionally, you’ll have the option to order a Foss Test to have your beer analyzed in our Hamburg lab. Please note that only beers submitted to the competition are eligible for testing.
At the end of the competition, we’ll crown one overall winner and award top prizes for the best three beers in each category, with six incredible prizes in total.
Please note: only individual homebrewers can participate—team or professional brewery registrations are not allowed. You can compete in both the Top and Bottom Fermented categories, but each brewer may only submit one beer per category.
Make sure to read the rules and regulations at the bottom of the page before entering.
Fire up the brew kettles!
We would like to extend our gratitude to our sponsors for supporting the Brau Challenge 2025
Beer Analysis
The comprehensive analysis includes:
- Alcohol in vol. %
- Actual residual extract in °P
- Apparent residual extract in °P
- Original gravity in °P
- Density in g/ml
- Specific gravity
- Final fermentation degree in %
- pH value
- Sensory analysis by our Braumarkt beer sommeliers

“Top-Fermented” Category
1st Place:
2nd Place:
3rd Place:
“Bottom-Fermented” Category
1st Place:
2nd Place:
3rd Place:


ARTICLE 1
Introduction
1.1 The Brau Challenge is a beer brewing competition for individuals.
1.2 These rules apply to entries as a hobby brewer only. See Art. 3.5
1.3 Participants are automatically entered into the competition with the purchase of the Brau Challenge brewing kit on the landing page of the Brau Challenge. The customer's order number is their entry number for the competition. Orders must be completed at Braumarkt by the end of 30th April 2024.
1.4 Subject to acceptance of the rules and upon payment of the Brau Challenge products, each entry will receive a package, including a box to send a maximum of three samples of the entered beer to Braumarkt.
1.5 The beers must be packed in the box provided and the shipping cost must be borne by the customer.
1.6 From all brews delivered to Braumarkt no earlier than 15th July and no later than 30th July 2024, a jury will select 35 beers that will go through to the finals. These finals will take place at the Braumarkt Store in Hamburg, where the jury will choose the winners of the two categories and the overall winner. All brews must be delivered to Braumarkt GmbH, c/o Brau Challenge 2024, Beerenweg 12, 22761 Hamburg, Germany.
1.7 The following competition rules have been drawn up to ensure the smooth running of this competition. Each participant accepts these competition rules as well as any addition and/or modification to these competition rules that the Organisation may be compelled to make.
ARTICLE 2
Organisation and arrangements
2.1 The Organisation is in the hands of Grainvest B.V., Markerkant 11-11 NL-1316AE Netherlands (Almere) and Braumarkt GmbH, Beerenweg, 12 22761 Hamburg (Deutschland)
2.2 Each participant accepts these competition rules as well as any addition to and/or modification of these competition rules that the Organisation may be compelled to make.
2.3 Eligible for selection to this competition are all established persons over 18 years of age who meet the entry conditions in Article 3.
2.4 No purchase obligation is attached to this competition besides the entry fee.
2.5 The box contains: ingredients, three bottles, beer labels, postcard, return box for bottles.
2.6 The Organisation reserves the right to change the action or its course, extend, shorten the competition period, and postpone or advance any announced date. It cannot be held liable if, due to circumstances, the course of the competition is changed, interrupted, postponed, or canceled.
2.7 The Organisation reserves the right to refuse persons entry to this competition. The Organisation may also limit the number of participants without prior notice or explanation. The Organisation cannot be held liable for excluding or limiting the number of participants.
2.8 By participating in this competition, all points of the competition rules must be accepted, as well as any decision that the organisers or the bailiff may be obliged to take.
2.9 Participants agree to appear as such, with name, photo, and/or video, in the organisation's publications and possibly other publications. The Organisation may share visual material of you with third parties.
2.10 The Organisation reserves the right to include the personal data in their file to keep participants informed of the actions or articles that might interest them. Participants have the right to access, correct or delete this data free of charge at any time. The Organisation can share personal data for use by third parties insofar as this is necessary and consent has been given.
ARTICLE 3
Candidacy/Selection/Acceptance
3.1 Registration occurs automatically by purchase of one of the Brau Challenge Kit.
3.2 A valid entry consists of one participant, who is the buyer behind the order number of the Brau Challenge kit. The order number is the identifier for the competition together with the category, which has to be written on the provided labels. It is only possible to submit to the jury one beer per category per purchase. If you want to try to compete in two competitions (Hoppy Ale and Hoppy Lager) you can only submit one beer per category with the same order number (resulting in a maximum of two entries per order number). The customer is not restricted to purchasing more beer kits in the same order but is restricted to order numbers for competition entry. All members must have reached the age of 18.
3.3 When registering as an individual, this person is resident in Netherlands, Germany, Austria or Belgium or has a Dutch, German, Austrian or Belgian identity document.
3.4 Excluded from the Brau Challenge 2024 are members of the Organisation and: -Those living under the same roof as the above-mentioned persons. -Beer companies marketing beers commercially.
3.5 No correspondence will be entered into on the selection and admission procedure.
3.6 The current competition rules and all necessary documentation are available at www.braumarkt.com .
3.7 Only the two specified beer categories may be entered in the brewing competition: top fermented and bottom fermented. These categories do not attach to a specific beer style. Participants may include a special ingredient of their choice, but this must be included on the label. The special ingredient may only be added to the ingredients of the purchased beer kit, but not replace any of the provided ingredients. Necessary water treatment for achieving a proper pH is allowed. The organiser reserves the right to disqualify the entry if the conditions are not met. The label should only include order number, beer category and special ingredient.
3.8 All participants are compulsory and automatically joined members of Brau Challenge 2024. This is a requirement from the excise legislation which states that, as a hobby brewer, you cannot simply share your brews with third parties. An exception to this is when the takes place within the framework of an event organised by a non-profit Organisation for this purpose, as long as all the participants in the event are members of the relevant non-profit Organisation and no sales take place.
ARTICLE 4
Conduct of the challenge
4.1 The registration can always be cancelled afterwards by the Organisation if the conditions have not been met.
4.2 All official information can be accessed at www.braumarkt.com. In case of any further questions, they can be sent by e-mail to service@braumarkt.com.
4.3 The home-brewed beer must be handed in to Braumarkt no earlier than 15th July and no later than 30th July 2024. All participants must hand in their beers to Braumarkt GmbH, Beerenweg 12, 22761 Hamburg (Germany)
4.4 The bottles are to be returned only in the packages that have been provided in this challenge. Bottles are 0,33 Liter Longneck. No other bottles may be used. Failure to do so leads to automatically disqualification. Three bottles will be served with the package.
4.5 The Organisation has the right to request additional bottles from entrants should there not be enough beer available for judging.
4.6 The Organisation cannot be held responsible for any beer flaws induced by the participant or the transportation. All ingredients provided by the organiser are quality-checked.
ARTICLE 5
Determination of winners
5.1 A jury composed by the Organisation led by professional brewers, beer sommeliers, and beer lovers will taste the beers blind. Beers will be judged according to German beer sommelier standards. The Organisation will not provide any score or ranking to the participants, despite the official winners.
5.2 The judging will be organised in several rounds. In the final selection round, 35 beers will be chosen for the final. The final will take place at the location mentioned in Art. 4.3.
5.3 Based on the blind tasting by the jury, the winner of the respective category and the overall winner will be determined in a final round.
5.4 Winners may be announced afterwards, latest by the end of August, in various media. The Organisation reserves the right to present the prizes to the winners and to use their names as well as photos taken during the presentation of the prizes for promotional purposes. Consequently, all participants agree to appear with name/photo and/or video in the publications of the Organisation and its possible partners.
5.5 All participants, including the individual members of the teams, unconditionally and irrevocably grant Grainvest B.V. and Braumarkt GmbH the right to market the submitted beer recipe in the form of a malt package or beer kit. This is only in the case a special ingredient is used.
5.6 The result of the preliminary round does not influence the result of the final.
ARTICLE 6
Prizes
6.1 The 35 entries that make it to the finals but do not end up in the top 3 for either category will be entitled to a voucher valid for purchases on www.braumarkt.com
6.2 The overall winning beer will be brewed on our 800-liter system. The winner will receive 10 crates of 0.33 liters 24 bottles of it. The rest will be served at Braumarkt.
6.3 The winner of the Bottom Fermented category will receive a Grainfather GC2 Glycol Chiller and a Grainfather GF30 Conical Fermenter Pro
6.4 The winner of the Top Fermented category will receive an Easybrew SB30T All-in-one Brewkettle Next Gen and an EasyFerment Fermenter with Trub Seperator 30l
6.5 Prizes cannot be exchanged or converted into cash or other in-kind benefits.
6.6 An award is indivisible and must be accepted as awarded.
6.7 The Organisation shall not be held liable if, in case of force majeure, certain modalities of this competition should be changed.
6.8 The Organisation does not make or grant any guarantee relating to any prize. The Organisation cannot be held liable for accidents or damages that may occur (in)directly related to a prize won.
ARTICLE 7
Beer-Analysis (BeerFoss™ FT Go)
7.1 A beer analysis can be purchased for the Brau Challenge 2024 in addition to the brewing kit. The beer analysis cannot be purchased without participating in the Brau Challenge.
7.2 Tick the beer analysis box when configuring the order.
7.3 The beer analysis increases the price of the Brau Challenge Kit by 5 euros. After the Brau Challenge (about two weeks after the final submission date), everyone who has booked this service will receive a document with the following information: Alcohol in vol.% Actual residual extract in °P Apparent residual extract in °P Original gravity in °P Density in g/mL Specific gravity Final fermentation degree in % pH value Short evaluation by our beer sommeliers
7.4 In addition to the booking when ordering the Brau Challenge Kit, the order confirmation must be enclosed as a print-out with the shipment of the beers as identifier for the lab. Samples shipped to the competition without an order confirmation attached to the beers can thus not be identified and analysed.
7.5 Beers will be tested by our beer sommeliers immediately upon arrival at the lab. If the customer requests the beer to be tested later - due to bottle fermentation - this can be noted on the order confirmation.
ARTICLE 8
Disputes
8.1 The conduct of the competition is under the supervision of the Organisation whose decisions are unassailable and irrevocable.
8.2 Any complaint in connection with the current competition must be sent in writing by email or registered post within seven working days of the occurrence of the complaint to the Organisation and no later than 31st October 2024. The person should enclose with his complaint an envelope addressed to himself and sufficiently stamped. Under no circumstances will complaints be dealt with verbally/telephonically. Complaints submitted outside the deadline or not drafted in writing will not be dealt with.
8.3 The current competition rules are subject to the applicable Dutch and German Laws.
8.4 Any attempted fraud that the Organisation detects will be punished by immediate exclusion of the relevant entry and forfeiture of any prizes awarded. And no refund of the entry fee will be provided.
8.5 The Organisation cannot be held responsible for problems nor for damages not attributable to the Organisation. Under no circumstances can the Organisation be held liable for any indirect damage, regardless of the cause of the damage suffered.
8.6 Printing, spelling, typesetting or other such errors cannot be invoked as grounds for any obligations whatsoever on the part of the Organisation.