Winners – Shamrock Open XXXI – April 11, 2026

Best of Show

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Ken Hilton	Chestnut Maibock	Helles Bock	Down East Alers (DEA)
2nd	Anthony Mercer	Gnarly Branch Dark Mild	Dark Mild	Down East Alers (DEA)
3rd	Rich Hart	Blond Ambition	Belgian Blond Ale	Seven City Brewers

Table 1: Std American Lager, Kentucky Common, & British Golden (10 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Mike Rousseau	Corn Dog	Cream Ale	Lowcountry Libations
2nd	Chris Rousseau	I Hear Banjos	Kentucky Common	Lowcountry Libations
3rd	Chad Faulstick	Chettyweiser	American Light Lager	Wheeling Alers

Table 2: Int’l Lager & Pre-Prohibition Pils (8 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Allan -Shiny- Sepkowski	Old Big Baldy	Pre-Prohibition Lager	Wort City Brewers
2nd	Steven Jones	Little B	International Dark Lager	Down East Alers (DEA)
3rd	Dave Siler	Rice Lager	International Pale Lager	James River Homebrewers

Table 3: Czech Lager (8 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Dave Siler	All Authentic	Czech Premium Pale Lager	James River Homebrewers
2nd	Carter Bundy	Czech Dark	Czech Dark Lager	James River Homebrewers
3rd	Stephen Goadhouse	Noctambulatory	Czech Dark Lager	151 Brew Club
4th	Joel Miller	Czech It Twice	Czech Pale Lager	James River Homebrewers

Table 4: Pale Malty Euro Lager (7 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Ken Hilton	Chestnut Maibock	Helles Bock	Down East Alers (DEA)
2nd	Matthew Harrington	Reveling	Festbier	Cary-Apex-Raleigh-Brewers-Of-Yore (CARBOY)
3rd	Brian Beauchemin	Mybock	Helles Bock	Carolina Brewmasters

Table 5: Bitter German Beer (8 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Chris Rousseau	Upside Down	Altbier	Lowcountry Libations
2nd	Joel Miller	Big Hammer Pilsner	German Pils	James River Homebrewers
3rd	Paul Tagert	County Line Alt	Altbier	Battleground Brewers Guild

Table 6: Amber Malty Euro Lager (6 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Anthony Mercer	Gnarly Branch Bock	Dunkels Bock	Down East Alers (DEA)
2nd	Joshua Cass	Auf Ex	Märzen	James River Homebrewers
3rd	Brian Beauchemin	Brian’s Bock	Dunkels Bock	Carolina Brewmasters

Table 7: Dark Euro Lager (6 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Thomas Mann	Munich Dunkel	Munich Dunkel	White Street Brewer’s Guild
2nd	Carter Bundy	Schwarzbier	Schwarzbier	James River Homebrewers
3rd	Ryan Larsen	Keller Night Lite	Schwarzbier	James River Homebrewers

Table 8: Euro Wheat & Rye Beer (9 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Beth Madden	MaddShady	Roggenbier	Seven City Brewers
2nd	Matthew Van	Weizenbock	Weizenbock	Cary-Apex-Raleigh-Brewers-Of-Yore (CARBOY)
3rd	Stephen Goadhouse	Bungle Rye	Roggenbier	151 Brew Club

Table 9: American Stouts (7 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Ryan Larsen	Chubs	American Stout	James River Homebrewers
2nd	Beeron Gallonbelly	Fools Chocolate Stout	Imperial Stout	Cary-Apex-Raleigh-Brewers-Of-Yore (CARBOY)
3rd	John Martin	Blacker Than A Trillion Midnights	Imperial Stout

Table 10: Experimental & Alt Fermentables (8 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Brian Beauchemin	The Other Bock	Alternative Grain Beer	Carolina Brewmasters
2nd	Brandon Christian	Celtic Cream Crusher	Experimental Beer	Seven City Brewers
3rd	Brian McCrickard	Decadence: Bananas Foster	Experimental Beer	Seven City Brewers

Table 11: British Bitter (8 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Joshua Cass	She SB	Strong Bitter	James River Homebrewers
2nd	John Mitchell	Waterloo Sunset	Best Bitter	James River Homebrewers
3rd	Ryan Larsen	Heel Champion	Strong Bitter	James River Homebrewers
HM	Dirk Montgomery	Thames River Bitter	Best Bitter	Red Earth Brewers

Table 12: Brown British Beer (11 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Anthony Mercer	Gnarly Branch Dark Mild	Dark Mild	Down East Alers (DEA)
2nd	Carter Bundy	English Porter	English Porter	James River Homebrewers
3rd	Aaron VanDervort	The Night Watchman	English Porter	Cary-Apex-Raleigh-Brewers-Of-Yore (CARBOY)

Table 13: Scottish & Irish Ales (10 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Brian Donegan	Beam Me Up, Scotty	Scottish Export	Seven City Brewers
2nd	Chris Rousseau	Red Clover	Irish Red Ale	Lowcountry Libations
3rd	Ryan Larsen	Full Circle	Irish Red Ale	James River Homebrewers
HM	Clint Eaker	Jeff’s Not Killian’s Irish Red	Irish Red Ale	Mountain Ale and Lager Tasters (MALT)

Table 14: Irish Stout (8 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Matthew Harrington	Mingling	Irish Extra Stout	Cary-Apex-Raleigh-Brewers-Of-Yore (CARBOY)
2nd	Andre Gobbo	No Spoon Required	Irish Extra Stout	DC Homebrewers
3rd	Carter Bundy	Irish Stout	Irish Stout	James River Homebrewers

Table 15: Dark British Beer (8 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Allan -Shiny- Sepkowski	Sippin’ By The Fire	Sweet Stout	Wort City Brewers
2nd	Christopher Riley	Snow Worries	Oatmeal Stout	Winston-Salem Wort Hawgs Homebrew Club

Table 16: Strong British Ale & Dopplebock (8 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Bill Lynch	Bill’s Kilted Cock	Wee Heavy	Carolina Brewmasters
2nd	Allan -Shiny- Sepkowski	Black Velvet	Doppelbock	Wort City Brewers
3rd	Clint Eaker	Doppelbock	Doppelbock	Mountain Ale and Lager Tasters (MALT)
HM	Terry Withers	Weight Lifter	Wee Heavy	151 Brew Club

Table 17: Pale American Ale (12 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Brian McCrickard	Citra Bliz	American Pale Ale	Seven City Brewers
2nd	Carter Bundy	APA	American Pale Ale	James River Homebrewers
3rd	Art Kim	Sister Golden Hair	Blonde Ale	Illiana Beer Rackers Union (IBRU)

Table 18: Amber & Brown American Beer (7 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Mike Rousseau	Brownie	American Brown Ale	Lowcountry Libations
2nd	John Martin	The Brown Bunny	American Brown Ale
3rd	Jefferson Burns	Crush Depth	California Common	Lowcountry Libations

Table 19: Wood & Smoke Beer (11 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Eric Darnell	Pecan Smoked Milk Stout	Classic Style Smoked Beer	Garner Ale Society
2nd	Brian McCrickard	7CB Wee Heavy V4	Specialty Wood-Aged Beer	Seven City Brewers
3rd	Ryan Larsen	Weekend Regret	Specialty Wood-Aged Beer	James River Homebrewers

Table 20: American & Baltic Porters (5 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Brian Ballantine	Thunder Bock	Baltic Porter	First In Fermentation
2nd	Anthony Mercer	Gnarly Branch Porter	American Porter	Down East Alers (DEA)
3rd	Alex Hannagan	Anti-Virus	Pre-Prohibition Porter

Table 21: American IPA (9 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Joel Miller	On The Verge	American IPA	James River Homebrewers
2nd	Dave Siler	Tasty Toast	American IPA	James River Homebrewers
3rd	Mike Rousseau	HZ Piggy	American IPA	Lowcountry Libations

Table 22: American Specialty IPA, English IPA, & Strong Ales (10 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Jeremy Robertson	Flip Off	Red IPA	Upper Palmetto Zymurgy Society
2nd	Bill Lynch	Bill’s Big One	American Strong Ale	Carolina Brewmasters
3rd	Rich Hart	Tidal Red	Red IPA	Seven City Brewers

Table 23: Hazy IPA (10 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Justin Leppek	There’s Something In The Haze	Hazy IPA
2nd	Art Kim	Hazy Cosmic Jive	Hazy IPA	Illiana Beer Rackers Union (IBRU)
3rd	Eric Darnell	Incognito	Hazy IPA	Garner Ale Society
HM	Carter Bundy	NEIPA	Hazy IPA	James River Homebrewers

Table 24: Belgian Golden Ales (3 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Rich Hart	Blond Ambition	Belgian Blond Ale	Seven City Brewers

Table 25: Saison (12 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Joshua Cass	Black Lake	Saison	James River Homebrewers
2nd	Allan -Shiny- Sepkowski	Don’t Hate Me Because I’m Beautiful	Saison	Wort City Brewers
3rd	Matthew Van	Saison	Saison	Cary-Apex-Raleigh-Brewers-Of-Yore (CARBOY)

Table 26: Belgian Single, Dubbel, & Biere de Garde (6 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Mike Kennedy	New Fallen Day	Bière de Garde
2nd	Carter Bundy	Single	Belgian Single	James River Homebrewers
3rd	Ryan Larsen	What About Sing	Belgian Single	James River Homebrewers

Table 27: Belgian Dark Strong (6 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Ken Hilton	Drunk Dark Monk	Belgian Dark Strong Ale	Down East Alers (DEA)
2nd	Mike Kennedy	Fear Of The Dark	Belgian Dark Strong Ale
3rd	Ryan Larsen	BDSA 9000	Belgian Dark Strong Ale	James River Homebrewers

Table 28: Sour Beers (9 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Brian McCrickard	Straight Sour Homie	Straight Sour Beer	Seven City Brewers
2nd	Ken Hilton	Flanders Fields	Flanders Red Ale	Down East Alers (DEA)
3rd	Joshua Cass	Sour Power Omega	Straight Sour Beer	James River Homebrewers

Table 29: Fruit Beers (10 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Brandon Christian	Scorched Summer	Fruit Beer	Seven City Brewers
2nd	Ken Hilton	Bramble Patch	Fruit Beer	Down East Alers (DEA)
3rd	Alex Hannagan	Yuz Guys	Fruit Beer

Table 30: Spice/Herb/Vegetable (11 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Steven Jones	Feel The Power Of The Dark Side	Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer	Down East Alers (DEA)
2nd	Joshua Cass	Caffe Donna Mia!	Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer	James River Homebrewers
3rd	Brandon Christian	El Diablo De Chocolate	Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer	Seven City Brewers

Table 31: Seasonal & Specialty Spice Beers (6 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Dirk Montgomery	Dragon Smoke	Winter Seasonal Beer	Red Earth Brewers
2nd	Brian McCrickard	Krampus’s Blackstrap	Winter Seasonal Beer	Seven City Brewers
3rd	Mike Kennedy	From Out Of Nowhere	Autumn Seasonal Beer

Table 32: Mixed Style (6 entries)

Place	Brewer	Entry Name	Style	Club
1st	Bill Lynch	Bill’s Hazy	Mixed-Style Beer	Carolina Brewmasters
2nd	Stephen Goadhouse	Sprezzatura	Mixed-Style Beer	151 Brew Club
3rd	Colby Wallace	Call Of The Ruru	Mixed-Style Beer