Competitions are a mid-to-late game feature in Ale Abbey, offering a structured challenge to test your brewing skills against randomized criteria and a rotating panel of judges. These contests are not mandatory for progression, but they provide:
- A deeper layer of gameplay
- Unique trophies (decorative furniture)
- A way to evaluate your brewing mastery
This Ale Abbey Judges Guide will walk you through how competitions work, how judges are randomized, and what you need to win first place.
Competitions are periodic events where your abbey submits a brewed ale to be judged against several criteria. Here’s how they work:
No real opponents: Rankings are simulated, but there is no economic or gameplay impact from other abbeys.
Ranked system: You must place 3rd or higher to unlock the next competition in the sequence.
Unlockable Leagues: Completing the last competition in a league unlocks the next league.
Rewards: Winning 1st place grants a unique trophy item for your abbey.
How to Join a Competition
You will receive a pop-up above the Orders icon when a new competition becomes available.
Click the icon to open the Competition Menu.
Choose from available competitions. Initially, only the first contest in the first league is unlocked.
Review the requirements, including:
Ale style required
Judging panel
Bonus conditions
Deadline for brewing and delivery
Entry fee
Important: If you fail to deliver your ale on time, you lose the entry fee.
Competition Structure
There are three leagues in the game, each with multiple contests:
1. Sacristybrewers League
- Entry-level challenges
- 3 judges
- Low entry fees
2. Alchemists League
- Intermediate difficulty
- 4 judges
- Increased fee and expectations
3. Braumeisters League
- Late-game, high stakes
- 5 judges
- Maximum entry fees (up to 19,000 Florins)
You can replay older competitions at any time to try for a better placement or unlock the trophy you missed.
Judges: Likes and Dislikes
Randomized Behavior
There are five judges total, and their likes and dislikes are randomized per campaign. In one game, a judge might favor hops; in another, the same judge might dislike them.
Sacristybrewers League: 3 judges
Alchemists League: 4 judges
Braumeisters League: 5 judges
Judges rotate between competitions and are not fixed to any specific event.
Judge names and appearances stay the same, but their preferences change each run.
Known Judge Preferences
Likes (Positive Bonus to Score)
Ale has 5 special traits
Ale includes out-of-style ingredients
More than 1 unit of hops
More than 1 yeast variety
Submission is 300 liters or more
Ale is aged or matured
Ale has traits:
- Astonishing
- Chromatic Delight
- Meditation Ale
- Hipstericus
- Spiced
- Sessionable
- Vintage
Ale is brewed by a nun Fermentine
Dislikes (Negative Score Modifier)
Ale has been brewed before by the same monk
Ale contains more than 3 traits
More than 5 of the same ingredient
Foam is in the yellow range
Ale used ingredient preparation
Ale has half shelf life or less
Ale contains exactly one unit of hops
Submission is less than 100 liters
Ale used pantry-stored ingredients
Brewed by Fermentine under Rank V
These preferences are applied on a per-judge basis, and their effects are cumulative. If multiple judges dislike the same thing in your ale, expect a major penalty.
Special Conditions (Bonuses)
Each competition may also feature random special preferences that act like bonus multipliers. These are displayed on the competition screen and may include:
- Specific ale traits (e.g. Spiced, Vintage)
- Minimum volume thresholds
- Yeast or hop diversity
- Aging status
Always check the competition info panel before brewing. Missing these can cost you first place, even with a high-quality ale.
Rewards: Unique Trophies
Each competition awards a trophy (custom decorative furniture) for placing first. These can be displayed in your monastery and serve as proof of brewing excellence.
You can re-enter any previously unlocked competition at any time, making it possible to go back and win trophies you initially missed.
Competitions in Ale Abbey are more than just side activities. They test your brewing systems under pressure and reward smart planning and recipe knowledge. While the judging mechanics involve some RNG due to shuffled preferences, you can still optimize your chances through good brewing practices.
Track judge behavior across multiple runs and try to build a flexible brewing strategy to adapt to randomized conditions.