The Founder and Lead Judge of the Crafties Beverage Association is an industry veteran who crafted a brewery from concept to regional brand. Along the way, he won more than 25 national and international brewing awards for his beers (including medals from the WBC and the US Open). He also developed 400+ unique beer recipes.

The Crafties Beverage Association judges are all industry experts from around the country including: craft beverage company owners, brewers, cider makers, certified judges, and beertenders

Each craft beverage is evaluated on individual merit, not solely based on style guidelines or directly against other entries. We judge entries one at a time. We get to "know" each entry beyond first impressions. If there is a tie, the tied entries will be judged head-to-head to determine the final placing. The top 3 places will be awarded.

Scoring is based upon: - Appearance up to 8 points - Aroma up to 24 points - Mouthfeel up to 10 points - Flavor up to 38 points - Overall Impression up to 20 points - For a total up to 100 points. Then an additional Style Guideline Bonus up to 5 points.

The Crafties Beverage Association uses the Great American guidelines during our judging process for the Ultimate IPA Awards. First and foremost, we evaluate each beverage for how well it was crafted. If it nails the style intended, it will receive a bonus up to five additional points.

The evaluation of, and education around the production of craft beverage products which allows us to highlight the best producers of craft beverages. We educate the public on sustainable and responsible producers, as well as showcasing their best products to the American consumer.