fastricky

Recipes 

2 initial questions:

1 - Does presentation matter? Like what bottle you use, what the label looks like, etc? For example, will a plastic PET bottle fair worse than a 16oz flip-top glass bottle? Is a flip-top glass bottle OK to use?

2 - How do you choose which shows to enter? I don't want to just do my local ones...

That might be more than 2 questions!

Revvy

Recipes 

Just about every contest I have entered wants NO presentation whatsoever, no labels, and nothing on the cap (they usually recommend you just use a black marker over your code on the cap.)

There may be a seperate contest for label art, but that is not a consideration in your brewing.

I only do local competitions, mailing/shipping beer is a bit of a pain...So I do the Michigan State Fair (which had over 800 beers last year) and the Renaissance Festival, and any local club competition I heare about...Next year I will probably do longshot. I had planned ot do it this year, but didn't know that as opposed to most competitions that want 2 bottles, they require four...and I didn't have enough of the beer I wanted to enter.

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The Open Heart Surgery Recovery "Dramedy" continues!

Revvy's one of the cool reverends. He has a Harley and a t-shirt that says on the back "If you can read this, the bitch was Raptured. - Madman

I gotta tell ya, just between us girls, that Revvy is HOT. Very tall, gorgeous grey hair and a terrific smile. He's very good looking in person, with a charismatic personality... he drives like a ****ing maniac! - YooperBrew

david_42

Recipes 

Most competitions require a plain brown bottle with no label, embossing, etc. This is to eliminate any chance of identifying who made the beer. Typically, the only label is rubber-banded to the bottle and it has your entry number and style category on it.

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Remember one unassailable statistic, as explained by the late, great George Carlin: "Just think of how stupid the average person is, and then realize half of them are even stupider!"

fastricky

Recipes 

Thanks guys... do the actual bottles matter? Can you enter flip-tops?

llazy_llama

Recipes 

Most of the time, no. They want plain ol' 12 oz capped bottles. Again, there shouldn't be anything special about your bottle to distinguish it from others.

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flyangler18

Recipes 

Flip-tops are a no-go for every competition that I've ever entered, but it pays to check the specifics of the comp you are planning on entering.

12 oz, no embossing, crown caps; usually 2 bottles per beer entered.

Good luck! Entering comps is an awesome way to get unbiased, objective feedback on your beers - but it can be a blow to the ego.

Jason

Revvy

Recipes 

Every contest is different, and they will have the rules someplace...nowadays just about every BJCP sponsored contest uses some sort of online registration/printed and rubberbanded labels. You would find the rules there.

I don't know about flips, but the ones I enter allow for all sizes of crown bottles though...but what I do, is if I bottle anything in bombers or my antique pint bottles, is to bottles a 6-er in 12 ounce bottles...that way I can enter contests, and not worry about not getting back any of the other bottles....I hate parting with my pints especially.

__________________

The Open Heart Surgery Recovery "Dramedy" continues!

Revvy's one of the cool reverends. He has a Harley and a t-shirt that says on the back "If you can read this, the bitch was Raptured. - Madman

I gotta tell ya, just between us girls, that Revvy is HOT. Very tall, gorgeous grey hair and a terrific smile. He's very good looking in person, with a charismatic personality... he drives like a ****ing maniac! - YooperBrew

fastricky

Recipes 

Thanks again! So how do you guys pick which you'll enter?

I worked in an industry where award shows are a huge part of promoting yourself, so I know all about the massive disappointment and groaning to come!

SpanishCastleAle

Recipes 

Here is an article I recently read that might help a little.

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Early brewers were primarily women, mostly because it was deemed a woman's job. Mesopotamian men, of some 3,800 years ago, were obviously complete assclowns and had yet to realize the pleasure of brewing beer.- Beer Advocate

Revvy

Recipes 

Well I don't brew specific for a contest, I got that advice last year from someone here....I choose my best beers at the time of the contest, but I also have set aside a sixer of any of the more interesting beers I brew, to re-evaluate at contest times....

I've got my Oaked Smoked version of my Brown Ale set aside since I brewed it late last year, as well as a few of the un oaked versions.

I also may enter my chocolate Mole Porter this season, as well as the swartzbier and vienna lager I ghetto lagered.

But it all depends a week before the contest deadline, what I will enter...I will taste them and evaluate them and then decide.

__________________

The Open Heart Surgery Recovery "Dramedy" continues!

Revvy's one of the cool reverends. He has a Harley and a t-shirt that says on the back "If you can read this, the bitch was Raptured. - Madman

I gotta tell ya, just between us girls, that Revvy is HOT. Very tall, gorgeous grey hair and a terrific smile. He's very good looking in person, with a charismatic personality... he drives like a ****ing maniac! - YooperBrew