Originally Posted by DarkBrood

Out of curiosity, does anyone out there want to compare notes?

My entry scored a 30.

Aroma: 7 averaged. Sounds like the spices were a little strong and the fruit was a little weak for what they wanted. (Although I wanted a spiced ale with a hint of fruit...)

Appearance: 2 averaged. Color, head, head retention all good. The only detraction noted was that both judges mentioned it was "cloudy" - need better fining, I guess.

Flavor: 11.5 averaged. Comments about the maltiness and spices being good. No notes to explain why not higher-scoring (out of 20!). Everyone else finds it remarkably delicious...maybe the flight just included tastier brews?

Mouthfeel: 3. Comments about body and carbonation being low "for the style". One comment that the oats didn't add much to the body, although the other judge noted the beer's creaminess. I guess more oats and maybe some wheat next time. I could up the carbonation a tiny bit, but am pretty happy where it is (for my own drinking) - it already pours with a 3+inch head that sticks around - I don't want to have to pour it like a hefe!

Overall: 6.5 averaged. Again, comments about it being light/sweet/not stout enough for a Foreign Extra Stout (well, duh....the substyle that I listed was a Porter). One said "interesting additions give interesting flavor" while the other concluded that "The stoutness is well hidden by the spices. A nice drinkable beverage (probably dangerous), but hard to say its still a robust porter."

Only one judge filled out the bottom-right scoring, giving me a 3/5 on Stylistic Accuracy, but 4/5 on both Technical Merit and Intangibles.

For the most part, good notes, but all skewed by their firm insistence on judging my Specialty Beer - Porter as though it were a straight-up Foreign Extra Stout. In the end, I think that I'm better off staying away from the confusion surrounding Category 23, at least as far as judging goes.

On another (but related) note, which upcoming competitions would y'all recommend entering (live in southern NH) for getting some good feedback? ...I entered two in the New England Homebrewers Jamboree only to find out that they don't even give out rankings or scores, let alone judging sheets (if you don't win, you don't hear ANYTHING back)....not interested in just tossing away my beer for random people to drink without any feedback. I'm more interested in improving my beers and process than winning a medal..

Originally Posted by motleybrews

Not to hijack but can someone please post a link to the competition? My Internet is down and my phone sucks with googling

Originally Posted by indianaroller

I had forgotten about the Longshot competition until a few days ago when I saw this thread. Mine showed up today. My hefe placed second in the first round.