BREWS BEFORE Q'S

BREWS BEFORE Q'S is a competition barbecue team with 28 Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) contests on record between 2018 and 2026. They have won 1 Grand Championship, at the Rock Lane Presents Grills Gone Wild (2025). They are ranked #1633 of 6,476 teams in the KCBS power rankings.

⚔ Compare with another team

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

#1,633

of 6,476 rated · rankings

Rating

1557

peak 1563 · rated over 26 contests1 invitational or side-series contest not counted

Contests

in the data

First seen

Oct 13, 2018

latest Sep 18, 2026 · 7.9 years on the trail

Best ToY finish

#213

Master 2025 · every season

Grand champs

0 reserve · wins it all 4% of the time

Category wins

11 podiums

Overall top-10s

14% of 28 contests

Avg finish

top 53%

overall standings

Best overall

711.9888 / 720

Master · Rock Lane Presents Grills Gone Wild

Perfect 180s

3 🔥

Current form

689.52 ▲

last 5 Master vs avg 672.40 (+17.12)

Walk rate

75%

contests with a top-10 call

Best single call

180 🔥

Chicken · Smoke on the Bricks

Consistency

±41.62

spread of their Master overall scores (lower = steadier)

Strongest meat

Brisket

avg 171.35 · weakest Pork Ribs (168.06)

Road miles

3,478

across 28 mapped stops · furthest 217 mi

Schedule strength

79%

of rated fields were softer than their average draw (1603)

Purse competed for

$218K

listed at 25 contests — purses, not winnings

State championships

1 🏅

won from 22 state-championship entries

Master avg

672.40 / 720

21 Master contests · 1 GC

Backyard avg

337.37 / 360

4 Backyard contests · 0 GCs

Backyard (3-meat) avg

484.47 / 540

2 Backyard (3-meat) contests · 0 GCs

These overall scores sit on different scales (Master out of 720, Backyard out of 360, Backyard (3-meat) out of 540), so they're kept separate — averaging them together would be misleading.

This team cooks the Backyard series — its own boards, records and Team of the Year are here.

Storylines (12 found in their record)

Each card leads with the number behind the story, straight from their results.

Perfect scores on the board

3 perfect 180s

3 perfect 180s in the data — every judge at the table handing back a nine, across 2 different meats.

Chicken ×2
Brisket ×1

Against the odds

7-in-100 shot on pre-contest ratings

The ratings favoured the top seed the other 93 times in 100

Their Grand Championship at Rock Lane Presents Grills Gone Wild (Oct 3, 2025) came as the ratings underdog — roughly a 7-in-100 shot against the field's top-rated team, GETTIN' BASTED.

They almost always walk

75% of contests with a top-10 call

A call in 21 of 28 contests

A top-10 category call in 75% of their 28 contests — they get to the stage more often than not.

High-water mark

711.9888 career-best overall

98.9% of a perfect 720

Their best day on record: 711.9888 at Rock Lane Presents Grills Gone Wild — 98.9% of a perfect 720.

Master
Oct 3, 2025

State champions

1 state championship won

They've taken 1 state championship from 22 entries at contests carrying the title.

22 state-championship entries

The one to beat

2× one call ahead of them

Petie's Smokin Pits BBQ has finished one call ahead of BREWS BEFORE Q'S 2 times — their closest competition in the data.

A tough matchup

16–1 behind in the head-to-head

MUNNY'S STOVE ahead in 94% of their meetings

MUNNY'S STOVE has come out ahead in 16 of their 17 shared contests.

Show 5 more storylines

A strong matchup

8–3 ahead in the head-to-head

Ahead in 73% of their meetings

They've finished ahead of Cities Edge BBQ in 8 of their 11 shared contests.

The comeback

3 yrs off the trail, then back

Off the trail for 3 years, then back at Que' For a Cause (BACKYARD) (Oct 1, 2021).

last seen Oct 13, 2018
back Oct 1, 2021

Looking over their shoulder

2× one call behind them

MEAT RUSHMORE BBQ has landed one call behind them 2 times.

An August team

Top 43% average finish in August

Something about August: average finish in the top 43% across 5 contests, versus top 53% the rest of the year.

5 August contests
top 53% the rest of the year

The long haul

3,478 road miles between contests

Contest to contest, they've covered roughly 3,478 miles across 28 mapped stops — the longest single trip being 217 miles to Grillstock BBQ & Music Festival.

28 mapped stops
furthest 217 mi

Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)

Year	Series	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
2026 ↗	Master	#258 (744 pts)	#206 (944 pts)	#387 (609 pts)	#172 (999 pts)	#166 (1,044 pts)
2025 ↗	Master	#213 (1,032 pts)	#209 (1,077 pts)	#210 (1,127 pts)	#221 (1,004 pts)	#149 (1,277 pts)
2024 ↗	Backyard	#317 (105 pts)	#336 (100 pts)	#239 (191 pts)	—	—
2023 ↗	Backyard	—	#176 (271 pts)	#193 (224 pts)	—	—
2023 ↗	Master	#798 (173 pts)	#654 (273 pts)	#686 (291 pts)	#796 (183 pts)	#768 (208 pts)
2022 ↗	Backyard	—	#285 (97 pts)	#353 (57 pts)	—	—
2022 ↗	Master	#1309 (60 pts)	#1341 (60 pts)	#1404 (60 pts)	#1348 (60 pts)	#1333 (60 pts)
2021 ↗	Backyard	—	#214 (105 pts)	#224 (100 pts)	—	—
2018 ↗	Master	#1865 (76 pts)	#1921 (76 pts)	#1948 (71 pts)	#1922 (81 pts)	#1772 (106 pts)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

The teams rated closest to BREWS BEFORE Q'S, each with one reason worth a look.

44 rated teams sit within a point of this rating, so a place on this list means the numbers match — no more than that.

RUSTY'S SMOKE BBQ

#1,628 of the rated field

1557 power rating

Contests: 31
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 48%
Peak: 1610

0–1 in 1 shared contest (0% to BREWS BEFORE Q'S)

One contest in common so far: too few to settle anything, but a team BREWS BEFORE Q'S has actually stood beside rather than a stranger on the same rating.

rated over 28 contests
last seen Jun 19, 2026

⚔ Head-to-head

Ambition Que

#1,631 of the rated field

1557 power rating

Contests: 113
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 17%
Peak: 1637

3–4 in 7 shared contests (43% to BREWS BEFORE Q'S)

They've been 1637 at their best, 80 points above where they sit today — they're arriving at this rating from above.

rated over 113 contests
last seen Sep 25, 2026

⚔ Head-to-head

THE SNORTIN' BOAR

#1,632 of the rated field

1557 power rating

Contests: 17
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 24%
Peak: 1557

Their last contest in the data was back in 2019, 7 years before BREWS BEFORE Q'S's most recent — their rating stopped moving when they stopped cooking.

rated over 17 contests

⚔ Compare careers

FLAVOR SAVOR

#1,634 of the rated field

1556 power rating

Contests: 16
GCs: 0
Top-10s: 25%
Peak: 1556

Fewer contests behind them than BREWS BEFORE Q'S has cooked, 16 to 28, which makes theirs the less settled rating of the two.

rated over 16 contests
last seen Sep 15, 2017

⚔ Compare careers

FOX RIVER BBQ

#1,635 of the rated field

1556 power rating

Contests: 47
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 26%
Peak: 1593

Their rating is built on 1 Grand Championship in 47 contests, alongside a 26% overall top-10 rate.

rated over 46 contests
last seen Oct 6, 2017

⚔ Compare careers

BBQ HIGHLANDER

#1,627 of the rated field

1557 power rating

Contests: 13
GCs: 1
Top-10s: 62%
Peak: 1557

4 straight overall top-10s says this rating is a moving target.

rated over 12 contests
last seen Sep 21, 2019

⚔ Compare careers

Familiar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)

Opponent	Meetings	Ahead	Behind	Win rate
MAN MEAT BBQ	17	2	15	12%	⚔ compare
MUNNY'S STOVE	17	1	16	6%	⚔ compare
PARTS 'R' SMOKIN	15	3	12	20%	⚔ compare
WOOD HOOK BBQ	14	7	7	50%	⚔ compare
Cities Edge BBQ	11	8	3	73%	⚔ compare
Kermit's Ex	11	4	7	36%	⚔ compare
Petie's Smokin Pits BBQ	11	2	9	18%	⚔ compare
JANKY LEG BBQ	11	0	10	0%	⚔ compare
Bocephus BBQ	11	0	11	0%	⚔ compare
Who's Cookin'	10	6	4	60%	⚔ compare
BULL IN THE RING	10	3	7	30%	⚔ compare
BrewsCue	10	3	7	30%	⚔ compare
PACS BBQ	10	2	8	20%	⚔ compare
Squealin N Dealin BBQ	10	1	9	10%	⚔ compare
HOLLOW Q	9	3	6	33%	⚔ compare

By meat

Category	Entries	Calls	Wins	Podiums	Best	Worst	Average	Avg finish
Chicken	27	8	2	5	180 🔥	150.8000	169.71	top 50%
Pork Ribs	28	9	0	1	177.7028	142.8344	168.06	top 55%
Pork	22	6	0	2	178.8572	146.7656	169.27	top 54%
Brisket	21	9	2	3	180 🔥	155.3600	171.35	top 43%

“Calls” = top-10 category finishes (getting called to the stage). Scores here are the final weighted totals KCBS publishes; per-criterion appearance/taste/tenderness marks aren’t in the public results feed.

By field size and state

By contest size

Field	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
Small (<20 teams)	2	1	top 12%
Medium (20–39)	19	0	top 60%
Large (40+)	6	0	top 46%

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Where	Contests	GCs	Avg finish
KS	12	0	top 52%
OK	8	0	top 57%
MO	5	1	top 45%
AR	2	0	top 65%

Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)

Contest	Visits	Best	Avg finish	Last visit
Smoke on the River (Day 2)	5	11	top 57%	Sep 5, 2026
Smoke on the Bricks	2	20	top 45%	Aug 7, 2026
Smokin on the Osage BBQ Contest (Day 2)	2	19	top 73%	Jul 18, 2026
Smoke on the Plains BBQ & Music Fest	2	12	top 54%	Jun 13, 2025
Que' For a Cause	2	6	top 38%	Aug 4, 2023

More numbers

Busiest season 2025 9 contests · 1 GC

Contests a season 4 across 7 seasons in the data

Most contests held in KS 12 of 28 contests · 4 states in all

Contests visited 19 5 of them more than once

Most-entered meat Pork Ribs 28 entries · 0 wins · 9 calls

First title Oct 3, 2025 Rock Lane Presents Grills Gone Wild

Opponents faced 508 finished ahead 451 times, behind 625

Longest layoff 3 yrs Oct 13, 2018 → Oct 1, 2021

Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)

20263 milestones

Jun 12 Peak power rating (1563) Smoke on the Plains BBQ & Music Fest
Aug 7 25th tracked contest Smoke on the Bricks
Sep 18 Most recent contest Cherokee Strip BBQ & Chili Cookoff

20253 milestones

Oct 3 First Grand Championship Rock Lane Presents Grills Gone Wild
Oct 3 First state championship Rock Lane Presents Grills Gone Wild
Oct 3 Career-best overall score711.9888 Rock Lane Presents Grills Gone Wild

20242 milestones

Sep 13 First overall podium Grillstock BBQ & Music Festival
Sep 13 10th tracked contest Grillstock BBQ & Music Festival

20234 milestones

Aug 4 First call Que' For a Cause (ONE MEAT RIBS)
Aug 4 First category win (Chicken) Que' For a Cause
Aug 4 First overall top-10 Que' For a Cause
Aug 4 First perfect 180 (Chicken) Que' For a Cause

20211 milestone

Oct 1 First overall past 90% of a perfect score487.3484 Que' For a Cause (BACKYARD)

20181 milestone

Oct 13 First tracked contest Bedouin Brew & Bar-B-Que

Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)

📈 Biggest rating jumps

Swing	Contest	Date
+18.7	Rock Lane Presents Grills Gone Wild	Oct 3, 2025
+14.9	Que' For a Cause	Aug 4, 2023
+14.6	Grillstock BBQ & Music Festival	Sep 13, 2024
+12.8	Old Town Smokeout	Jun 27, 2025
+8.5	8th Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship	Mar 20, 2026

📉 Toughest weekends

Swing	Contest	Date
-12.9	University of Arkansas Animal Science Boots, Brews, and BBQ Contest	Mar 14, 2025
-12.7	Smokin on the Osage BBQ Contest (Day 1)	Jul 17, 2026
-12.1	Que' For a Cause (BACKYARD) Day 1	Oct 7, 2022
-10.1	Smoke on the Plains BBQ & Music Fest	Jun 13, 2025
-4.9	Smokin on the Osage BBQ Contest (Day 2)	Jul 18, 2026

Scores over time (% of a perfect score, averaged over 5 contests — tap a meat to add it)

Overall finish over time (top-% of field, lower is better)

Where they finish (overall)

Best vs average (by meat)

How entries end (by meat)

Season by season

Season	Contests	GCs	Top-10s	Category wins	Walk rate	Avg finish	Best overall (% of perfect)	Avg overall (% of perfect)
2026	8	0	0	1	88%	top 52%	96.2%	95.4%
2025	9	1	2	1	89%	top 52%	98.9%	93.1%
2024	3	0	1	1	100%	top 25%	95.9%	92.6%
2023	4	0	1	1	75%	top 50%	97.1%	94.5%
2022	1	0	0	0	0%	top 91%	89.2%	89.2%
2021	2	0	0	0	0%	top 80%	90.2%	87.2%
2018	1	0	0	0	0%	top 77%	89.6%	89.6%

Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)

Date	Event	Overall	Chicken	Ribs	Pork	Brisket
Sep 18, 2026	Cherokee Strip BBQ & Chili Cookoff 🏅 Ponca City, OK	14 / 30 (686.2056)	16 (169.6800)	20 (167.9656)	3 (178.2972)	17 (170.2628)
Sep 5, 2026	Smoke on the River (Day 2) 🏅 Burlington, KS	14 / 25 (690.8116)	15 (174.2628)	19 (167.3944)	12 (173.1316)	5 (176.0228)
Sep 4, 2026	Smoke on the River (Day 1) 🏅 Burlington, KS	16 / 25 (687.3140)	20 (169.6800)	13 (173.1084)	20 (166.8112)	1 (177.7144)
Aug 7, 2026	Smoke on the Bricks 🏅 Baldwin City, KS	20 / 52 (690.7888)	2 (180)	32 (169.1200)	29 (169.6916)	21 (171.9772)
Jul 18, 2026	Smokin on the Osage BBQ Contest (Day 2) 🏅 Osceola, MO	19 / 32 (692.4684)	20 (171.9656)	22 (170.8228)	14 (173.1200)	5 (176.5600)
Jul 17, 2026	Smokin on the Osage BBQ Contest (Day 1) 🏅 Osceola, MO	28 / 32 (672.9940)	30 (166.2284)	27 (167.9772)	25 (166.2400)	13 (172.5484)
Jun 12, 2026	Smoke on the Plains BBQ & Music Fest 🏅 Derby, KS	14 / 36 (687.9084)	16 (173.7028)	19 (171.9772)	5 (176)	27 (166.2284)
Mar 20, 2026	8th Annual Qlathe BBQ Championship 🏅 Olathe, KS	19 / 68 (687.9656)	7 (175.4744)	42 (166.8228)	7 (176.5600)	34 (169.1084)
Oct 3, 2025	Rock Lane Presents Grills Gone Wild 🏅 Branson, MO	1 / 11 (711.9888)	2 (177.7144)	3 (175.4172)	2 (178.8572)	1 (180)
Sep 19, 2025	Cherokee Strip BBQ & Chili Cook-Off 🏅 Ponca City, OK	13 / 25 (689.0628)	20 (165.0856)	10 (173.7028)	15 (171.4172)	2 (178.8572)
Aug 30, 2025	Smoke on the River (Day 2) 🏅 Burlington, KS	15 / 24 (693.0512)	18 (170.8228)	9 (175.4172)	18 (171.4056)	9 (175.4056)
Aug 29, 2025	Smoke on the River (Day 1) 🏅 Burlington, KS	11 / 25 (695.3484)	18 (169.6800)	6 (177.7028)	11 (174.2628)	7 (173.7028)
Aug 8, 2025	Smoke on the Bricks 🏅 Baldwin City, KS	27 / 53 (682.7544)	42 (163.3828)	23 (171.9888)	9 (175.4172)	22 (171.9656)
Jul 18, 2025	Smokin on the Osage BBQ Contest and Car Show (Day 1) 🏅 Osceola, MO	12 / 32 (691.9312)	2 (177.7144)	16 (171.4056)	25 (169.1084)	9 (173.7028)
Jun 27, 2025	Old Town Smokeout 🏅 Van Buren, AR	8 / 27 (692.5028)	20 (169.6800)	6 (175.4172)	4 (177.7372)	14 (169.6684)
Jun 13, 2025	Smoke on the Plains BBQ & Music Fest 🏅 Derby, KS	29 / 36 (662.1028)	22 (167.3828)	24 (166.8344)	30 (162.8000)	29 (165.0856)
Mar 14, 2025	University of Arkansas Animal Science Boots, Brews, and BBQ Contest 🏅 Fayetteville, AR	28 / 28 (513.0856)	10 (173.7144)	18 (169.7028)	—	17 (169.6684)
Oct 25, 2024	Boo-B-Que BBQ Championship (Day 1) (MASTERS and BACKYARD) 🏅 Oak Grove, MO	16 / 53 (323.9200)	16 (150.8000)	4 (173.1200)	—	—
Sep 13, 2024	Grillstock BBQ & Music Festival 🏅 Moore, OK	3 / 19 (345.1200)	1 (173.7028)	4 (171.4172)	—	—
Jun 7, 2024	Smoke on the Plains BBQ & Music Fest 🏅 Derby, KS	12 / 43 (330.7656)	13 (159.9428)	8 (170.8228)	—	—
Sep 1, 2023	Smoke on the River 🏅 Burlington, KS	12 / 20 (675.9432)	4 (176.5716)	12 (167.9772)	19 (159.9772)	7 (171.4172)
Aug 4, 2023	Que' For a Cause Tahlequah, OK	6 / 36 (349.6800)	1 (180)	14 (169.6800)	—	—
Aug 4, 2023	Que' For a Cause (ONE MEAT RIBS) Tahlequah, OK	—	—	10 (171.4172)	—	—
Jun 30, 2023	Happy Basset 3rd Annual BBQ Competition 🏅 Topeka, KS	24 / 33 (665.0744)	21 (170.8572)	33 (156.5484)	15 (172.5600)	26 (165.1088)
Oct 7, 2022	Que' For a Cause (BACKYARD) Day 1 Tahlequah, OK	29 / 32 (481.5884)	17 (166.2628)	31 (157.1084)	27 (158.2172)	—
Nov 11, 2021	3rd Annual KCBS World Invitational - Open unrated Shawnee, OK	110 / 111 (606.0572)	100 (161.0972)	110 (142.8344)	109 (146.7656)	105 (155.3600)
Oct 1, 2021	Que' For a Cause (BACKYARD) Tahlequah, OK	12 / 20 (487.3484)	13 (165.6800)	14 (159.4400)	13 (162.2284)	—
Oct 13, 2018	Bedouin Brew & Bar-B-Que Muskogee, OK	20 / 26 (645.0744)	20 (161.1316)	21 (152.5256)	19 (163.4400)	14 (167.9772)

An unrated contest — an invitational, or a Competitor or Kosher Series board — is in the record but doesn’t move the power rating.

BREWS BEFORE Q'S

At a glance (the record in numbers)

Power ranking

Rating

Contests

First seen

Best ToY finish

Grand champs

Category wins

Overall top-10s

Avg finish

Best overall

Perfect 180s

Current form

Walk rate

Best single call

Consistency

Strongest meat

Road miles

Schedule strength

Purse competed for

State championships

Master avg

Backyard avg

Backyard (3-meat) avg

Storylines (12 found in their record)

Perfect scores on the board

Against the odds

They almost always walk

High-water mark

State champions

The one to beat

A tough matchup

A strong matchup

The comeback

Looking over their shoulder

An August team

The long haul

Team of the Year (rank per category by season — the year links to the full board on kcbs.us)

Overall rank by season

Teams like this (closest power rating)

Familiar foes (most-met opponents in overall standings — one meeting per contest)

By meat

By field size and state

By contest size

By state / province (where the contests were held)

Repeat visits (contests they've cooked twice or more)

More numbers

Milestones (the firsts, the round numbers and the personal bests)

Power rating over time (1500 = average; recomputed nightly)

📈 Biggest rating jumps

📉 Toughest weekends

Scores over time (% of a perfect score, averaged over 5 contests — tap a meat to add it)

Overall finish over time (top-% of field, lower is better)

Where they finish (overall)

Best vs average (by meat)

How entries end (by meat)

Season by season

Contest history (click a row for the event, a column to sort)

Career map (orange GC · green top-10 · grey the rest — tap a pin)