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2026: A new fundraising record and a four-peat for the Ale Gals!

Posted on by Tim Maxwell

The Dude’s Homebrew Competition 2026 eclipsed all previous tallies for the event, raising another $7,409 for blood cancer research and Blood Cancer United! We couldn’t be more grateful for all who contributed to this success, and it was a joy to spend the day tasting beers with all of those who attended.

Everyone played a part in making this year’s event successful, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t extend a huge thank you to the following:

Jeff Ware, Andrew Zach, Madeline Mulholland, Conner Bradbury, and the entire staff at Resurgence Brewing Co. Year in and year out since we started this event in 2014, they’ve been unbelievably generous and accommodating to our event, bending over backwards to make sure everything runs smoothly. We couldn’t ask for a better host and presenting sponsor. Thank you, Resurgence!

Our official beer judges — Evan Flury of Spotted Octopus and Rob Haag of Santora’s — tasted and scored all of the beers, providing thoughtful feedback to our homebrewers. Thanks, Evan and Rob!

The best DJ in Buffalo (who you may recognize from his work at 104.1FM), Russ Burton, once again provided an incredible soundtrack to the event and served as defacto MC. The Dude would’ve felt right at home with this playlist. Thank you, Russ!

Meg Maxwell, Charlie Maxwell, and Libby Maxwell volunteered at our registration table, checking guests in, tallying donations, entering scores, etc. The event could not have gone on without their efforts. Thank you!

Our friends David and Tracey Gardon once again spearheaded our 50/50 raffle sales — they’re incredible ambassadors for our cause, and we love seeing them every year!

And finally, the biggest shoutout goes out to our homebrewers — with special recognition to the Niagara Association of Homebrewers and Sultans of Swig. There wouldn’t be an event without these wonderful humans generously donating 5 gallon batches of their amazing beers and ciders to the cause. Thank you so much to all who participated.

Now, to the results…

Four in a row for the Ale Gals!

It’s safe to say that The Dude’s Homebrew Festival crown belongs to The Ale Gals (Jen and Corey Dudish Hare), who have now won an unbelievable four times in a row. They submitted two beers this year, and their beers finished in first and second place, with the winning beer “Shut the Puff Up, Donny” also taking first place with our judges panel! With their victory, they’ll get to brew a barrel of their winning beer with the Resurgence staff! Congratulations on another excellent showing, Corey and Jen!

View the Full 2026 results!

Cheers to great beers with great people for a great cause!

The Dude abides.

2024: Brewers and beer lovers raise another $7,362 for cancer research!

Posted on by Tim Maxwell

For the 10th time, the Buffalo beer community came together with two goals: enjoy delicious beer and raise some money for a great cause. Mission accomplished! The 10th Annual The Dude’s Homebrew Competition raised $7,362 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and with a record 38 beers registered in the competition, there was no shortage of great beer.

Thank You’s are in Order

Before we get to the results from the day, there are some important people and businesses we need to thank for their support of this event.

First and foremost, a HUGE thank you goes out to Jeff Ware, Andrew Zach, Conner Bradbury, Brigid Taylor, and the entire staff at Resurgence Brewing Company. To put it plainly, we couldn’t have this event without the generosity and hospitality of Resurgence, our presenting sponsor, and to say that we’re grateful for their support would be an understatement.

We also need to thank our distinguished official beer judges, who scored and provided feedback for all of the beers in our contest:

These experts all volunteered their time and talents to score our beers and choose an official judges’ Best in Show winner. We were so lucky to have them!

Of course, it wouldn’t be a homebrewing competition without the homebrewers, and Buffalo’s homebrewing community is second to none. A huge thank you to all of the brewers who donated their beer to the event, and a special shout out to the Niagara Association of Homebrewers and Sultans of Swig for their contributions towards making this event possible.

No event is complete without a great soundtrack, and the super talened Russ Burton once again provided that for us. Thanks for the playlist, Russ!

More thanks go out to Ellen, Meg, Hunter, Eric, Chris, and Andy, our defacto organizing committee who do a lot of the setup and work on the day of the event, and to our friends David and Tracey Gardon who show up every year to help us sell raffle tickets!

Finally, big thanks go out to our sponsors the Premier Group and Premier Gourmet, who support this event logistically every year.

The Results are in

Without further ado, here are the winners from the 2024 edition of The Dude’s Homebrew Competition. Click here for the complete results

Judges’ Panel Best in Show Selections

  1. Smoke on the Water (#18 on our roster) by Mark Zambron
  2. Práce Lásky 13° (Labor of Love 13°) (#33) by Chad Chyreck
  3. Tropic Tonic (#15) by Garreth Wippel
  4. Look What You Made Me Brew (#12) by The Ale Gals
  5. La Jolla (#7) by Dave Torchia

Popular Vote Top Three Finishers

  1. Look What You Made Me Brew (#12) by The Ale Gals: 89 pts
  2. Champagne Problems (#13) by The Ale Gals: 64 pts
  3. Pendejo Pale Ale (#3) by UG3 Brewers Association: 56 pts

Overall Standings Top Three (a combination of judges scores and popular vote)

  1. Look What You Made Me Brew (#12) by The Ale Gals: 128 pts
  2. Champagne Problems (#13) by The Ale Gals: 99.5 pts
  3. Pendejo Pale Ale (#3) by UG3 Brewers Association: 93 pts

Thanks again to everyone who participated! We hope to see you again in 2025.

Click here for the complete results

The 2022 The Dude’s Homebrew Competition is coming up! Here’s what you need to know.

Posted on by Tim Maxwell

The 2022, 8th Annual The Dude’s Homebrew Competition presented by Resurgence Brewing Company is coming up on Saturday, August 6, 2022 at The Parkside Lodge in Delaware Park. Here’s a look at what you need to know about the event:

Tickets for The Dude’s Homebrew Competition

The Dude's Homebrew Competition 2022

Tickets are $30 and are available at the event (with cash or Venmo), or you can save time and pre-purchase your tickets on Eventbrite. All proceeds from the event go to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and their mission to find a cure for blood cancers like leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma. With your ticket, you get to taste all of the beers in the competition in a complimentary tasting glass you get to keep, and vote for your favorites to help us choose our winner!

Buy Tickets at Eventbrite

Let us know that you’re coming, or invite your friends on our Facebook Event page!

Location Information for The Dude’s Homebrew Competition

This year’s event will be held in a beer garden outside of one of Buffalo’s iconic summer locations, The Parkside Lodge in Delaware Park. Resurgence recently opened an event space in the Parkside Lodge, and when they approached us about hosting our event there we couldn’t pass up the opportunity! We’ll be holding the competition outdoors under a large tent — rain or shine! — overlooking the Delaware Park golf course.

The Parkside Lodge at Delaware Park

84 Parkside Ave, Buffalo, NY 14214 (map)

Parking for the Event

There’s on-street parking available on Parkside Ave., but there’s also a convenient parking lot accessible going southbound on Parkside Avenue, with an entrance on the right just before you hit the Scajaquada Expressway (Rte. 198).

Designated Drivers

Since this is an event where you’ll be tasting beers, we encourage you to bring a designated driver or use a ride service to get to/from the event. Designated drivers are allowed into the event for free (though they won’t receive a tasting glass and may not sample the beers).

Food at the Event

Resurgence will have food available for purchase inside The Parkside Lodge.

How the Competition Works

Homebrewers from across Western New York generously donate batches of their beer to the event and pour samples of their beers for anyone that buys tickets to the event. After tasting the beers, attendees will be able to vote for their favorite beers on their phones. There will also be a panel of distinguished beer judges consisting of brewers at some of Buffalo’s best breweries, who will rate each beer and provide feedback on the beers to the brewers. The winner will be awarded based on a combined score of the popular vote from those attending and the official judges’ scores. The winning brewer gets to brew a batch of their beer at Resurgence Brewing Company!

The Cause

The Dude’s Homebrew Competition raises money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, an organization leading the fight towards finding cures for blood cancers like leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma. Research funded by LLS has led to countless life-saving breakthrough treatments for blood cancers, each step moving us closer to cures for these and other cancers. LLS also provides patient outreach, education, and assistance for those afflicted with blood cancers.