LAB Open 2026: Past Winners – 2025
Thanks to all who participated in the LAB Open 2026.
There were 169 entries judged and 175 registered participants, judges, and stewards.
Best of Show Winners
Best of Show – Beer
| Place | Brewer | Entry Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Craig Agnor | Frank | 25A: Belgian Blond Ale | London Amateur Brewers |
| 2nd | Ian Cosier | Meleze | 22A: Double IPA | London Amateur Brewers |
| 3rd | Shane Van Der Westhuizen | Sporan Snatcher | 14A: Scottish Light | |
| HM | Pedro Palacios | Primeval Funk | 23D: Lambic |
Winning Entries
Table 1: German Pale and Wheat Beer (17 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Stephan Martin | Liquid Asset | 4C: Helles Bock | |
| 2nd | Aleksi Vanhala | Started From The Bottom Now We Here | 5D: German Pils | Panomaju |
| 3rd | Darren Allen | Clouded Judgement | 10A: Weissbier |
Table 2: Czech & International Pale and Wheat Beer (14 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Simon Bratton | Gratuitous | 3A: Czech Pale Lager | |
| 2nd | Neil Werdmuller Von Elgg | Kanpai! | 2A: International Pale Lager | |
| 3rd | Kevin Surridge-Dines | Grodziskie | 27A5: Piwo Grodziskie | Anglian Craft Brewers |
Table 3: European Amber and Dark Beer (18 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Paul Mills | Klusterbrau Rauch | 6B: Rauchbier | Milton Keynes HBC |
| 2nd | Aleksi Vanhala | Marise Marise Marzen | 6A: Märzen | Panomaju |
| 3rd | Luke Russell | Share The Darkness | 8A: Munich Dunkel | London Amateur Brewers |
| HM | Ken Johnson | 100 Strawberry Lollies And The Princess Of Liechtenstein | 7B: Altbier |
Table 4: British & Commonwealth Ale and Barleywine (20 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Shane Van Der Westhuizen | Sporan Snatcher | 14A: Scottish Light | |
| 2nd | Markku Leminen | Barleywine 4 Life | 17D: English Barley Wine | Panomaju |
| 3rd | Les Manley | The Full English | 11B: Best Bitter | London Amateur Brewers |
| HM | Guy Gallington | Old Gregg | 17B: Old Ale | Anglian Craft Brewers |
Table 5: Mild, Porter and Stout (16 entries)
Please note: results from this table may be incomplete due to insufficient entry or style information.
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | James Pettifor | Lees' Mild | 13A: Dark Mild | Anglian Craft Brewers |
| 2nd | Innes Crawford | Smooth Sipper | 33B: Specialty Wood-Aged Beer | Aberdeen Homebrew Club |
| 3rd | Arthur Olcot | Claustrophobic Astronaut V2 | 13C: English Porter | London Amateur Brewers |
| HM | Jacques Marais | Willy Tonka | 30A: Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer | London Amateur Brewers |
Table 6: American Hoppy Ale and Dark IPA (14 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Joe Hickey | Bob The Krusher | 18B: American Pale Ale | London Amateur Brewers |
| 2nd | Mark Hopkins | Mahogany Mule | 19C: American Brown Ale | London Amateur Brewers |
| 3rd | Shane Van Der Westhuizen | Triple A | 19A: American Amber Ale |
Table 7: American and Speciality IPA (14 entries)
Please note: results from this table may be incomplete due to insufficient entry or style information.
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Ian Cosier | Meleze | 22A: Double IPA | London Amateur Brewers |
| 2nd | Paavo Gaidach Co-Brewer: Andrei Kazakov | DIPATRON | 22A: Double IPA | Panomaju |
| 3rd | Lauri Vuoristo | Gulf Of Majava | 21A: American IPA | Panomaju |
Table 8: Hazy Ale and New Zealand Pilsner (16 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Rick Woolliss | (S)Table Haze | 34C: Experimental Beer | Twickenham Boars |
| 2nd | Markku Leminen | Turkeys Delight | LSX5: New Zealand Pilsner | Panomaju |
| 3rd | Muhis Elwan Co-Brewer: Roope Ruuhonen | Roots | 21C: Hazy IPA | Panomaju |
Table 9: French and Belgian Ale (15 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Craig Agnor | Frank | 25A: Belgian Blond Ale | London Amateur Brewers |
| 2nd | Keith Bailey | Blue Too | 26D: Belgian Dark Strong Ale | Norwich Amateur Brewers |
| 3rd | Simon Thompson | Tintin's Mussels | 26D: Belgian Dark Strong Ale | Twickenham Boars |
| HM | Lucas Stolarczyk | How About The Interior? | 26A: Belgian Single | London Amateur Brewers |
Table 10: Sour, Wild, Mixed Ferm and Speciality Fruit Beer (24 entries)
| Place | Brewer | Name | Style | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Pedro Palacios | Primeval Funk | 23D: Lambic | |
| 2nd | Brett Harman | The Phantom Raspberry Blower Menace | 28C: Wild Specialty Beer | The Hop Addition Homebrew Club |
| 3rd | Marc Hannewald | Pallas | 28B: Mixed Fermentation Sour Beer | Norwich Amateur Brewers |
| HM | Holger Schulz | Revolver | 28C: Wild Specialty Beer |
Judging Sessions
Session 1
16/05/2026 09:00, BST.
Session 2
17/05/2026 09:00, BST.
Account Registration Closed
Account registrations accepted 26/01/2026 20:00, GMT through 16/05/2026 09:00, BST.
Registrations for judges or stewards accepted 26/01/2026 20:00, GMT through 15/05/2026 23:00, BST.
Entry Registration Closed
The competition paid entry limit has been reached.
Entry Drop-Off Closed
Entry bottles accepted at drop-off locations 04/05/2026 16:30, BST — 08/05/2026 22:00, BST.
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.
Entry Shipping Closed
Entry bottles accepted at the shipping location 27/04/2026 08:00, BST — 08/05/2026 21:00, BST.