The EHG has committed to a new specialty beer breakdown. The new specialty substyles in categories 1-15 and 16-19 are intended for beers that are more-or-less "to style" but have one relatively minor deviation from the "classic" styles.

For example, a beer brewed as a Bohemian Pilsner with style appropriate malt & soft water but with American hop varieties such as Cascade or Centennial would probably be best evaluated alongside other beers in the Pilsner category and not in the "catch-all" Category 23. Beers with major deviations from the style guidelines should still be entered in Category 23.

It is the brewer’s responsibility to determine whether a beer should be entered in one of the new specialty categories or the traditional Category 23. If a beer is entered in one of the specialty substyles, entrants must specify the classic style the beer is based on, and what makes the beer unique. Entries lacking this information will not be eligible for medals.

Brewers who win a gold medal in one of the qualifying MCAB styles will advance to the MCAB finals, regardless of whether the beer is one of the classic styles or is one of the new specialty styles. Of course, if a specialty beer does happen to win, the brewer will have to brew a new "to style" beer to send to the finals to have any chance of winning.