Pilsner Urquell has announced it's 2nd annual homebrewer competetion
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-rele...master-home-brewer-competition-147913525.html
Open to the the first 75 folks who sign up for NYC, Chicago, or this year San Francisco (75 per city). You must be there in person to have your beer judged. The winner in each city gets a trip for two to Prague and Pilzen.
Get your brews on! I'll be back in NYC to try and make it back to back wins! We want to go back - it was way too short a trip. We had flight troubles and lost a day to that and my wife had a cold at the time. It was still a blast!
I will admit I was a bit lucky. No, not that I had a good brew, but that my tweaks made my beer more like what they serve in Europe. They have changed the guidleines for this year. They do want you to make something very much like PU. Last year they said 15% of the judging was artistic interpretation. So my thinking last year was that they wanted something similar but different. So I played around. This year that is out - they want PU-like beer
Now I can't vouch for what happened in DC or Chicago, but at Hospoda, where the NYC comp. was held, they serve PU specially shipped to them in refrigerated containers. This beer is phenomenal, and different from what I'm used to in PU on tap. Well, my "tweaks" made my beer taste more like the stuff they pour at Hospoda (and what we drank in Prague and Pilzen), which all of the judges were drinking before things got started. The "European" version is a little fuller bodied, and the bitterness was smoother - still quite bitter, just smoother.
My recommendations:
If you are entering in NYC, get yourself to Hospoda (upper East side) and try the beer - they only serve PU. The food is a bit pricey - but very good - perhaps go for appetizers - and tell them why you are there. I don't know if that is where this years comp. will be held, but the beer is worth the trip.
You do not need to do a decoction. I did not. I messed with the grain bill instead.
If you are registered and are not happy with how your beer turned out. Bring it anyway. The event itself was a blast. Free food and beer and great people!
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-rele...master-home-brewer-competition-147913525.html
Open to the the first 75 folks who sign up for NYC, Chicago, or this year San Francisco (75 per city). You must be there in person to have your beer judged. The winner in each city gets a trip for two to Prague and Pilzen.
Get your brews on! I'll be back in NYC to try and make it back to back wins! We want to go back - it was way too short a trip. We had flight troubles and lost a day to that and my wife had a cold at the time. It was still a blast!
I will admit I was a bit lucky. No, not that I had a good brew, but that my tweaks made my beer more like what they serve in Europe. They have changed the guidleines for this year. They do want you to make something very much like PU. Last year they said 15% of the judging was artistic interpretation. So my thinking last year was that they wanted something similar but different. So I played around. This year that is out - they want PU-like beer
Now I can't vouch for what happened in DC or Chicago, but at Hospoda, where the NYC comp. was held, they serve PU specially shipped to them in refrigerated containers. This beer is phenomenal, and different from what I'm used to in PU on tap. Well, my "tweaks" made my beer taste more like the stuff they pour at Hospoda (and what we drank in Prague and Pilzen), which all of the judges were drinking before things got started. The "European" version is a little fuller bodied, and the bitterness was smoother - still quite bitter, just smoother.
My recommendations:
If you are entering in NYC, get yourself to Hospoda (upper East side) and try the beer - they only serve PU. The food is a bit pricey - but very good - perhaps go for appetizers - and tell them why you are there. I don't know if that is where this years comp. will be held, but the beer is worth the trip.
You do not need to do a decoction. I did not. I messed with the grain bill instead.
If you are registered and are not happy with how your beer turned out. Bring it anyway. The event itself was a blast. Free food and beer and great people!