Contests

[MrBIP]

Sooo, I entered four beers in the Michigan Beer Cup this year. Didn't place with any of them .. but
Average score across all four 36.2 (tightly grouped -- 34.5 to 37.3).
Average scores of top 10 brewers over the past two years ranged from 37-41 (3 to 9 beers).
So seems I'm close? Seems by that, I'm making some good beer.
Not that it matters in the end, I brew what I like, and I like what I brew... and the people I share with like it, but it's nice to get good scores from these occasional contests.

 

[Hogarthe]

I like to enter a couple beers in a contest every year, just to get the feedback from the judges. However I think sometimes the beer doesn't travel well, as I've gotten some feedback that just didn't seem to match the beer I sent. Maybe I just grabbed the 2 bad bottles of the batch to send in, which would be my luck, but then again, who knows how it's handled on the way there.

 

[Nosybear]

Just got my results from the Colorado State Fair - one bronze and the beer scored a 44! It was a Schwarzbier, probably my signature brew. I figure given all the variables in competitions, finishing in the medals is good enough to state the beer is good.

 

[MrBIP]

Just got my results from the Colorado State Fair - one bronze and the beer scored a 44! It was a Schwarzbier, probably my signature brew. I figure given all the variables in competitions, finishing in the medals is good enough to state the beer is good.

Congrats on that bronze.....

Yes, variables, I always wonder ..... I may volunteer to help judge next year if they are advertising for that help again. They put "novices" with BJCP certified judges, so maybe get a feel for what they are getting, looking for .. and the variables.

 

[Nosybear]

I've done a couple of contests and intend to pursue BJCP certification. The thing I notice is that after tasting enough beers, you really begin to lose your palate. Particularly if you're judging the IPAs. So what happens is you notice and disqualify the off-flavored beer and trust me, if you want to learn to taste off flavors, beer judging is the place to do so. Then, your palate nuked by all those off-flavored beers, the strongly flavored beer tends to be the one that shines through, even if the style is a subtle one like blonde ales and pilsners. And I do brew subtly flavored, clean beers so I'm at a disadvantage if mine shows up later in the flight. Sometimes the judge has a distorted picture of the styles: You drink a Kolsch in Germany and it's fruity, yet some judges here seem to want a pseudo-lager. There are many, many variables and having been one, I sympathize with the judges. It's a hard job.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

for the novice a good way to tell off flavors is let it get warm to room temperature then drink it, the cold can mask all flavors especially subtle off flavors

 

[MrBIP]

...the cold can mask all flavors ...

Yessir, which is why the fizzy yellow add-junks advertise/sell cold cold cold. Don't want to have anyone actually taste that stuff. :shock:

I keep the beer fridge at 47.. seems to be a good middle ground for multiple styles.

One more variable I suppose in contests. No idea how beers submitted are stored before hand and handled during.