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I sent in three beers - Cal Common, Bock and English IPA. Three styles I've never brewed before but I thought they'd be fun so I hope I'm not wasting the judges time!
This is my first competition and I'm just hoping for good, constructive feedback. I have friends who say polite things about my beer and I like brewing it and I like drinking it but I'm like a hypochondriac who constantly thinks there's some off-flavor or problem with everything I brew.
I viewed this contest like therapy - I'm paying someone to drink my feelings and interpret them for me.
Good luck to everyone who submitted and I'm looking forward to the conversation as the results & recipes come out!
Posted 34 days ago.
Awesome. I'm seeing a ton of competition recipes being entered, so I'm hoping that a lot of people have likewise shipped their beer.
Posted 34 days ago.
Good luck to you as well! I shipped mine (ESB, American Amber and Brown Porter) on Monday; this is only my second competition - my first was only a single beer which scored badly, but I got great feedback from the judge and it helped me improve my brewing techniques. I think my scores will be better this time around, but I'm more interested in quality feedback.
By the way, I also have trouble believing my friends and family when they tell me my beers are good, even though I notice flaws in each one of them.
Posted 34 days ago.
I have to get mine out today. $38 to send them and I don't think they'll make it. That's what happens when life gets in the way : ( One didn't turn out the way it should, so I won't even bother. I really, really, really wish I would have brewed a larger batch of my IPA. I'm really proud of how this turned out. I know I'm going up against stiff competition so I don't expect much, but I want to make this again, and soon.
Posted 34 days ago.
Edited 34 days ago by davidg
I can feel the excitement building. I echo the sentiments of those before me. Feedback that I have received helps some, but it is clearly not unbiased. I am new to brewing (started with a pathetic extract brew in January) and enjoying being able to learn something new each day. I feel like I already won based on how much I have learned about beer styles, base malts, head retention, IBU/SRM calculations, different types of mashing including some methods that I'm quite certain I invented and will never repeat again! I'm looking foreward to the judging feedback. I'm certain that it will be educational.
This is my first competition, but it wont me my last. My beer from Boston should already be in Texas. I hope that the beers from Hawaii make it in time.
Posted 34 days ago.
Hmm... Getting a bit nervous, my Austin-bound BU box only left the UPS hub in Illinois late afternoon yesterday, no update since then. It probably will be fine, I'm just really good about worrying about stuff I can't control.
Regardless, I'll be putting the extra bottle (bottles 3 to 5 of each batch were sent, #6 I kept for this purpose) for each in the fridge today so I can taste them this weekend, which should be pretty close to how it will taste for the judges if they do it then.
Posted 34 days ago.
I saved myself a bottle of the IPA to try here in about a week and a half, the same with the Blonde. I want to see how they are around judging time as well.
Shipping is so hard to control, because you can't. I can pay for 2 day shipping and it's a window of 3 to 5, despite the insane prices that come along with it.
Here's a question, what temp are the beers judged at? I'm only curious because I enjoyed my IPA a lot more around a cellar temperature, than when I tried it at a significantly lower temperature.
Posted 34 days ago.
All competitions handle the beers very good. As soon as they get them they put them in a cooler to settle back down and chill to the proper temp. Most will serve to the judges at about 36 and the judges know if the style needs some warming by letting it sit on the table and/or warming in the glass with their hands. I always bottle 6 on the ones I send in so that when judging comes around I can have a few people over to taste what the judges are tasting.
Posted 34 days ago.
Sent mine in on tiesday. I'm stoked. Anyone know when the judging will be?
Posted 34 days ago.
Sent mine in on monday and according to tracking they arrived (hopefully in one piece) yesterday. Had an informal homebrew competition at work in which my entered beer won...so hopefully it can stand up in the BU comp!
Posted 34 days ago.
They're all delivered. I decided to taste my Porter tonight and as I feared, the heat wave in the first 5 days of fermentation easily bested my swamp cooler: banana esters galore.
Ah well.
Huh. Once warmed to a bit above 50F it tastes a bit like a chocolate covered banana and isn't half bad. Never made a dessert beer before.
Posted 34 days ago.
Edited 34 days ago by gruuk
It's crazy how the temp you drink your beer at can change how it tastes. My porter for this competition isn't good at any temp though!
Posted 34 days ago.
Yeah, I've found that all my porters and stouts are so much better above 50F.
Hey, don't worry about your porter, yours is probably closer to style than mine :)
Posted 34 days ago.
My three "Malty' category entries arrived at the shop yesterday: a Wee Heavy, a Northern English Brown, and a special "Porter".
Posted 34 days ago.
I have a feeling that my inexperience in the world of beer competitions has me a bit perplexed????
Is there a timeline for the final judging that I missed?
I'm horrible at navigating web sites, so I won't be offended if someone can point out the obvious to me. Doh!
My beers do well in the dark, but I don't.
Call me curious and Excited!
Posted 34 days ago.
