Dark Side of Winter 2026
Thanks to all who participated in the Dark Side of Winter 2026.
There were 101 entries judged and 107 registered participants, judges, and stewards.
Best of Show Winners
Best of Show – Beer
| Place | Brewer | Entry Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Todd Slater Co-Brewer: Matt Castellino | Atmospheric River | 22B: American Strong Ale | Thousand Oaked Homebrewers |
| 2nd | Peter Johann | Santa | 26D: Belgian Dark Strong Ale | Long Beach Homebrewers |
| 3rd | Ryan Rivas | The New Black | 21B2: Black IPA | SoCal Cerveceros (SCC) |
Winning Entries
Table 1: Dark European & International Beer (15 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Brian Street MHP | Rocket Man Rauch | 6B: Rauchbier | Horsemen of the Hopocalypse |
| 2nd | Rene' Miller | Don't Be Afraid of the Dark | 2C: International Dark Lager | Long Beach Homebrewers |
| 3rd | Mike Neice MHP | D'Yer Mak'er | 7A: Vienna Lager | Ace Brewing Society |
Table 2: Dark British Beer (16 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Christopher Sotelo | Dark Wild | 13A: Dark Mild | Long Beach Homebrewers |
| 2nd | Mike Petrick Co-Brewer: Katrina Edwards | Silian Rail | 13A: Dark Mild | Three Rivers Alliance of Serious Homebrewers (TRASH) |
| 3rd | Travis Durant | Portly Stout | 15B: Irish Stout |
Table 3: Dark Belgian Beer (6 entries)
Table 4: Dark European Strong Beer (14 entries)
Table 5: Dark British Strong Beer (5 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Matthew Smiley MHP | Son of A Barleywine | 17D: English Barley Wine | QUAFF |
| 2nd | Rocky Evans MHP | Og | 17A: British Strong Ale | Orange County Mash Ups |
Table 6: Dark American Beer (11 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Mike Neice MHP | Black Dog | 20A: American Porter | Ace Brewing Society |
| 2nd | Travis Johnson MHP | Salivating Moose 2.0 | 19C: American Brown Ale | QUAFF |
| 3rd | Thomas Alejandro Fontes | Ali's Amber Ale | 19A: American Amber Ale | SoCal Cerveceros (SCC) |
Table 7: Dark American Strong Beer (11 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Todd Slater MHP Co-Brewer: Matt Castellino | Atmospheric River | 22B: American Strong Ale | Thousand Oaked Homebrewers |
| 2nd | John Bell Co-Brewer: Melissa Greenfield | Monster of the Sea | 20C: Imperial Stout | QUAFF |
| 3rd | Jesse Valle | V.I. Lenin - Vladimir Illanich Uleninov! | 20C: Imperial Stout | |
| HM | Mike Neice MHP | Toad Spit | 20C: Imperial Stout | Ace Brewing Society |
Table 8: Dark IPA (7 entries)
Table 9: Dark Spiced Beer (7 entries)
Judging Sessions
Prelim 1 - Ikasu Brewing
01/13/2026 6:00 PM, PST.
Prelim 2 - Audio Graph Beer Co
01/16/2026 6:00 PM, PST.
Main Judging - Audio Graph Beer Co
01/17/2026 8:45 AM, PST.
Account Registration Closed
Account registrations accepted 09/21/2025 5:00 PM, PDT through 01/13/2026 6:00 PM, PST.
Registrations for judges or stewards accepted 09/21/2025 5:00 PM, PDT through 01/16/2026 5:00 PM, PST.
Entry Registration Closed
Entry Drop-Off Closed
Please pay attention to the notes provided for each drop-off location. There could be earlier deadlines for some drop-off locations listed, particular hours when entries are accepted, certain individuals to leave your entries with, etc. All entrants are responsible for reading the information provided by the organizers for each drop-off location.