Brew To Style 3 – Time to Brew Something British!

Brew to Style 3 is officially on the calendar, and it’s time to get your brew day booked.

Not sure what to do with all that payday cash? We have an idea.

Buy some grain, grab some hops and brew a batch of delicious beer for the upcoming Durban Homebrewers Brew To Style 3!

Our third Brew To Style competition for 2026 is coming up in September, which means now is the perfect time to get brewing. This round we’re heading across the pond and tackling UK Beers, with everything from easy-drinking British Bitters to big, bold Strong British Ales on the table.

What is Brew To Style?

Brew To Style, or BTS, is our quarterly Durban Homebrewers competition designed to get us brewing, experimenting and learning more about different beer styles.

Rather than everyone entering completely different beers, each BTS focuses on a selected group of BJCP styles. It gives us an opportunity to dig a little deeper into what makes those beers unique and, more importantly, try brewing them ourselves.

Your beer doesn’t have to be perfect. That’s part of the point.

Brew it, enter it and get some useful feedback on where you got it right and where you could improve the next batch.

Brew to Style 3 – UK Beers

For Brew To Style 3 we’re working our way through some of the classic beers of Britain, Scotland and Ireland. The eligible BJCP styles are:

• 11 – British Bitter
• 12A & 12C – Pale Commonwealth Beer
• 13 – Brown British Beer
• 14 – Scottish Ale
• 15 – Irish Beer
• 16 – Dark British Beer
• 17 – Strong British Beer

That’s a pretty big playground for a homebrewer.

You could keep things light and sessionable with a Best Bitter, brew a malty Scottish Heavy, try your hand at an Irish Red Ale, go dark with a Sweet Stout, or push the ABV with something like an English Barleywine.

There are plenty of styles to choose from, so find something you haven’t brewed before and give it a go.

Get Brewing Now

Not familiar with the style guidelines? Download the free BJCP Style Guidelines and use them to guide your recipe. Judging takes place on Saturday, 26 September 2026, with entries closing on Wednesday, 23 September 2026.

That might sound like plenty of time, but we all know how quickly brew day becomes “I’ll do it next weekend.”

Depending on what you’re brewing, you’ll need time for fermentation, conditioning and carbonation before your bottles are ready for judging. If you’re thinking about one of the bigger beers in Category 17, you’ll probably want to give it even more time to come together.

So don’t leave it until the last minute. Payday has arrived. The ingredients are calling. Get that brew day booked!

Judging at Taps on 24

Taps on 24 will be hosting our BTS 3 judging on 26 September 2026.

Each beer will be judged according to its entered BJCP style, giving you the opportunity to see how your beer stacks up against the style guidelines and the other beers entered by Durban Homebrewers.

And remember, competitions aren’t only about winning.

Getting constructive feedback on your beer is one of the best ways to improve your brewing. If you want to sharpen your ability to evaluate beer before judging day, check out our recent sensory training session recap. Sometimes a small change to your recipe, fermentation temperature, water chemistry or process can make a huge difference to the next batch.

So the question is… what are you brewing for BTS 3?

Brew to Style 3 – Tips for Brewing British Styles

British beers are known for their balance, drinkability and the emphasis on malt character over hop bitterness. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you plan your brew:

• Water chemistry matters. British styles traditionally use harder water with higher sulphate levels for bitters and softer water for milds and stouts. Take a look at your water profile before brew day.
• British yeast strains are your friend. The right yeast makes a big difference in British beers. Look for strains that accentuate malt character and produce that classic English ester profile.
• Don’t overcomplicate the recipe. Many of these styles are simple grain bills that rely on quality ingredients and good process rather than complexity.
• Temperature control during fermentation is key — especially for styles where diacetyl can be a concern. Give your beer a proper diacetyl rest if needed.

Above all, have fun with it. Brew to Style 3 is about learning and experimenting. Even if your first attempt at a British style doesn’t go exactly to plan, you’ll come away with valuable experience and a beer worth sharing.


Drop off at Beyond Brewing, Hillcrest. If you can’t get to Beyond Brewing or you live in another part of KZN and would like to enter, please get hold of Justin Clark or any of the committee members.

Cost of entry is R50 (first entry of the year is free) and can be paid into the club account or use our Zapper code, both linked in the description on our WhatsApp group