Frustration with comps

I just got back some score sheets and have become pretty disenchanted with the entire concept of comps.

How come I can make a batch of beer which scores a 30 at one comp, and a 45 at another?

How come my beer that scored a 24 at one comp and was absolutely thrashed for diacetyl gets no mention of diacetyl at another comp from any judges?

Why did my beer fermented with wlp 002 and mashed at 154 with an FG of 1.015 get marked off for being "too dry?" There is NO ****ING WAY that beer is dry.

How come my all-brett Belgian specialty ale is marked off for not enough brett character? Anyone who has ever made a 100% brett beer knows you get less brett character than using it as a secondary strain.

Sorry to rant but this **** is ridiculous. I've consistently run into huge score discrepancies and conflicting commentary which tells me some people have no idea what the **** they are doing. I mean this last one was the last straw. If you're going to **** all over my beer for "excessive diacetyl" then other judges should notice it too. I've entered a lot of comps and I know it can be hit or miss, but at this point I can't help but notice some pretty glaring problems.

Perhaps you should get BJCP certified and just judge your own beer?

AZ_IPA said:

Perhaps you should get BJCP certified and just judge your own beer?

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There's an idea!

rexbanner said:

There's an idea!

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Believe me, I understand what you're saying though. I've had some extremely wide ranging scores from different comps with the same batch of beer that had me scratching my head.

I take the comments with a grain of salt and try to look for trends which can help improve my beer.

I think some judges try to hard to analyze unknowns (technique, etc.) and should just stick.to style guideline comments.

I'd rather hear "not enough body for style" than "mash higher" if I mashed at 158.

I quit because of how bad many competitions are administered. I'm tired of the excuse "well you should try it then". It's not that I think I can do it better, it's that I think someone who says they will do it should do it better. Also, in my experience, it's uncanny how many organizers or club members end up placing.

The HBT comp was the best competition I've ever been a part of, twice. BRING IT BACK!

Just 'cuz your porter won.

I kid, I kid.

I work in fundraising and I've decided that comps are the same way. They're all educated bets. All the things that you do matter, but you're only playing one hand of the game. Enter enough of them to get enough medals to sate your insecurities, then go back to brewing for brewing sake. At least that's my plan.

I just try to remember that when all is said and done, you are still just getting a few guys opinions...and those are like arse holes right? I actually put a lot more stock in the opinions if a few select drinking buddies than the judges...but if want the ribbons u gotta read their nonsense right?

manoaction said:

I work in fundraising and I've decided that comps are the same way. They're all educated bets. All the things that you do matter, but you're only playing one hand of the game. Enter enough of them to get enough medals to sate your insecurities, then go back to brewing for brewing sake. At least that's my plan.

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I guess that's my problem, I had a good streak and then struck out at the last three that I entered, so I'm insecure once again. I'm going to start my own nano soon so bad scores scare me a little bit. I know that judges are only human, though.

I really think some of it is pallet fatigue. My in-your-face beers have fared a lot better than my more restrained ones. I've been brewing for a while and I don't think it's due to more perceivable off-flavors. I just like to keep things subtle and this last comp someone said of my mild "a very boring beer."

rexbanner said:

I just got back some score sheets and have become pretty disenchanted with the entire concept of comps.

How come I can make a batch of beer which scores a 30 at one comp, and a 45 at another?

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A quick look at dorksratebeer.com or beersnobs.com should clue you in.

People with the sort of palate needed to give an accurate assesment, much less in the format of a competition, are few and far between. So few, that they are all probably busy getting paid to taste things and aren't judging homebrew.

I've experienced the same thing this past year, having entered 4 different comps, some with the same beer. Subjectivity of the individual judges counts for part of it, but I think a bigger problem is that homebrewing is taking off while BJCP certification is not. A good portion of my comp beers were judged by non-certified judges--including 3 of the beers I sent to Pittsburgh regionals. These are the score sheets that are usually the most frustrating because you have no idea whether this "volunteer" judge knew what they were talking about.

Airborneguy said:

The HBT comp was the best competition I've ever been a part of, twice. BRING IT BACK!

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Maybe. Maybe in the spring/summer of 2013. We don't want to compete with NHC, of course, but I think that maybe spring/summer might work if I can get enough volunteers.

It can be very easy to get frustrated with comps. There are probably lots of inexperienced judging working the tasting panels right now. And of course people taste things differently and have different levels of sensitivity to things. You really have to enter several comps and get a consensus, weeding out the oddballs.

And I highly recommend people give judging a try themselves, and get certified. There is a shortage of judges for the number of comps being put on, so there is the inevitable dearth of inexperienced judges out there.

If you are starting a Nano, then it might be a good idea to pass the comps for purposes of evaluating your beer. You might get better results from hiring a professional taster or judge with good experience to give you feedback on your beer.

Homercidal said:

It can be very easy to get frustrated with comps. There are probably lots of inexperienced judging working the tasting panels right now. And of course people taste things differently and have different levels of sensitivity to things. You really have to enter several comps and get a consensus, weeding out the oddballs.

And I highly recommend people give judging a try themselves, and get certified. There is a shortage of judges for the number of comps being put on, so there is the inevitable dearth of inexperienced judges out there.

If you are starting a Nano, then it might be a good idea to pass the comps for purposes of evaluating your beer. You might get better results from hiring a professional taster or judge with good experience to give you feedback on your beer.

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Yeah, my friend is a judge and nano-brewer so I think I'll just send my beers to him from now on.