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You are here: Home --> Forum Home --> Brewing Forum --> Brewing Discussion --> Q&A for the 2016 BrewUnited Challenge

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homebrewdad
Charter Member
Birmingham, AL
2480 Posts


Yep, 100% Amarillo or Cluster is perfectly fine.




Posted 34 days ago.

CShepherd
Bakersfield, CA
3 Posts


Entering under the oatmeal stout category and had a quick question; the rules state seven ingredients so I wanted to make sure I was understanding correctly:
1) Base Malt as required by guidelines
2) Second Base Malt as required by guidelines
3) Crystal as required by guidelines
4) Hop from guidelines
5) Yeast from guidelines
6) Brewer's Choice
7) Brewer's Choice

This leaves the last two ingredients up to the brewers correct? But in an Oatmeal Stout we have to use oatmeal. So in reality the Oatmeal stout brewers only have one choice of ingredient correct? So essentially the oatmeal stout category becomes:
1) Base Malt as required by guidelines
2) Second Base Malt as required by guidelines
3) Crystal as required by guidelines
4) Hop from guidelines
5) Yeast from guidelines
6) Oats
7) Brewer's Choice




Posted 34 days ago.

CShepherd
Bakersfield, CA
3 Posts


Entering under the oatmeal stout category and had a quick question; the rules state seven ingredients so I wanted to make sure I was understanding correctly:
1) Base Malt as required by guidelines
2) Second Base Malt as required by guidelines
3) Crystal as required by guidelines
4) Hop from guidelines
5) Yeast from guidelines
6) Brewer's Choice
7) Brewer's Choice

This leaves the last two ingredients up to the brewers correct? But in an Oatmeal Stout we have to use oatmeal. So in reality the Oatmeal stout brewers only have one choice of ingredient correct? So essentially the oatmeal stout category becomes:
1) Base Malt as required by guidelines
2) Second Base Malt as required by guidelines
3) Crystal as required by guidelines
4) Hop from guidelines
5) Yeast from guidelines
6) Oats
7) Brewer's Choice




Posted 34 days ago.

KidMoxie
Charter Member
San Elijo Hills, CA
405 Posts


Technically, the judges don't know if you used oats or not. You *maybe* could get away with no oats and a 2nd choice.




Posted 34 days ago.

homebrewdad
Charter Member
Birmingham, AL
2480 Posts


KidMoxie is correct. But otherwise, yes - you are correct. Seven ingredients, and you understand the limitation (and the challenge).




Posted 34 days ago.

CShepherd
Bakersfield, CA
3 Posts


If we roast one of the mandatory base malts and use both the plain malt and the roasted malt would it count as one or two ingredients? For example, pale Maris otter and Maris otter that I roast. 



Posted 34 days ago.

homebrewdad
Charter Member
Birmingham, AL
2480 Posts


That would be two ingredients, yes.




Posted 34 days ago.

testingapril
Charter Member
Atlanta, GA
595 Posts


I want to get clarity on the ruling on strains available for American Lager.

You said that Mexican Lager WLP940 is available, but the rules state "Must use a single U.S. strain of yeast".

WLP940 is not a "U.S. strain" but you said it would be OK to use. This is unclear to me.

I'm pretty stuck because I have to brew this this weekend, and 940 is the only yeast that I could possibly use unless you do allow 34/70 (which you should).

If you decided to keep 940 as a legitimate yeast, you may want to update the rules to say "American strain" instead of US.

If 940 is not available, then 34/70 should be as that restricts yeast choices to strains that are not readily available at homebrew shops. I'll have to withdraw from the competition if neither are available.




Posted 34 days ago.
Edited 34 days ago by testingapril

vinpaysdoc
Charter Member
High Point, NC
321 Posts


Got something against 'Murican yeast Dan?.....;-)




Posted 34 days ago.

chino_brews
Charter Member
Eden Prairie, MN
301 Posts


While it displeases me to side with someone who resorts to appealing on the grounds of personal hardship, I agree with @testingapril's points:

- WLP940 is an 'American' lager strain, and it looks like @homebrewdad said 15 days ago that it was mentioned as an available "American" strain that could be used in the comp, so perhaps the rules need to be updated to read American strain
- As far as dry yeast, W34/70 maybe should have been made an exception to give brewers one readily available dry yeast choice, given that it's a common yeast used in American lagers. However, we should note that Mangrove Jack offers M54 (Cal, lager) and M10 "Workhorse" (seems like same or similar origin as Cry Havoc).

I'll note that besides the dry strains I mentioned above, and 2007 (Bud) and 2035 (Schell's, which is not "aromatic and complex" in Schell's yellow fizzy water), you've got the Anchor Steam/California lager strains, WLP862 (given to Papazian by Coors brewers who cultured it from an A-B keg), and one of those versatile lager or hybrid strains that ferments cold or warm - ferment at 55-58°F for lager-like ferm), and US-05 fermented cool. BRY-97 and 1272 will also ferment slowly at 59-60°F too, and give you a clean fermentation.





Posted 34 days ago.
Edited 34 days ago by chino_brews

homebrewdad
Charter Member
Birmingham, AL
2480 Posts


I've reached out to the judges again, though I will say - we made this ruling weeks ago. Arguing the semantics of the label would have been more appropriate at that point, I would think.




Posted 34 days ago.

testingapril
Charter Member
Atlanta, GA
595 Posts


appealing on the grounds of personal hardship

I did not mean for that to be the case. If I have to drop out, I have to drop out. Oh well, sucks for me. I can take it.

But, I advocated for 34/70 in my original post. I have a very hard time believing that there will be zero 34/70 beers submitted to Am Lager or Cream Ale. Those entries MUST be disqualified after the ruling @homebrewdad gave. I would like for those beers to be able to compete. And in particular, I would like for those beers to be able to compete against my entry that is also fermented with 34/70, which, honestly, I'm not even a fan of, but will use RE: the challenge.

There is no American top fermenting strain that will make an acceptable (to my palate) American Lager. I'd rather not brew it. I do have to drink the rest of the keg. Again, woe is me. It's not a big deal if I have to withdraw.




Posted 34 days ago.

homebrewdad
Charter Member
Birmingham, AL
2480 Posts


I have a unanimous response (with one voter abstaining, claiming not enough knowledge specific to lager yeasts):

This has already been clearly ruled on. Despite the widespread use, 34/70 is very clearly NOT American in any sense. Virtually every online homebrew shop starts their description with:

"This famous yeast strain from Weihenstephan in Germany..."

The point regarding 940 is taken; the rules have been updated to state "American" yeast, not "US". This falls directly in line with other rulings we have made, namely, to allow the use of Canadian Malting products in the American Division due to use of the word "American" in that area.






Posted 34 days ago.

homebrewdad
Charter Member
Birmingham, AL
2480 Posts


You can freely swap your American lager entry with anything else in the American Division, and still have the exact same shipping costs. Let me know - we can move you to Cream Ale, Kentucky Common, American Amber, American IPA, etc.

Also, both of the other Divisions (Continental, Commonwealth) still have openings - you can literally swap out for any other style.

I don't want anyone to be DQed, but entries that do not follow the guidelines will, in fact, be DQed.




Posted 34 days ago.

testingapril
Charter Member
Atlanta, GA
595 Posts


@homebrewdad

I do not intend to argue semantics.

Your rulings on ingredients are very strict. I expect for your disqualifications to follow suit, therefore, I want to be clear on what I can and cannot use. There is a clear contradiction between "Mexican Lager is OK" and "U.S. strain only". So I'm asking for a clarification, as the rules state "ask before you brew".




Posted 34 days ago.

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