BJCP Help Please - Using Alcohol in 22C

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Teromous

Teromous

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I noticed in the BJCP guidelines for 22C that an entrant can use wood that was previously used to store whiskey, bourbon, etc. My questions are:

-If I'm allowed to use oak cubes and alcohol to mimic this, must the oak cubes be soaked, or can the alcohol be added separately? They probably wouldn't know either way, but I wasn't sure how prominent I could make the alcohol spirit flavor, which leads to...

-Is there a limit on the quantity of alcohol spirit that I can add, or is there an unspoken rule of thumb?

-Rum was not mentioned in the guidelines. I expect it would be alright, but I wanted to make sure.

-Would the title look something like [type of wood/toast][type of alcohol][porter/stout]?

Every year I read about people having problems with their entries, and I really don't want to waste my time and money on entering a beer and having it tossed or mis-categorized.
 
Did you read the "Comments" portion of the BJCP guide on 22C? It lays it out fairly well. Base beer style should be apparent. Additional alcoholic products should be evident but not dominant. It also goes into naming.
 
jeepinjeepin said:
Did you read the "Comments" portion of the BJCP guide on 22C? It lays it out fairly well. Base beer style should be apparent. Additional alcoholic products should be evident but not dominant. It also goes into naming.
Click to expand...

Yes, I read through it which is why I am seeing if anyone else has amplifying information or experience to draw from. I really just want to start a dialog on this style.

I can add it to taste, but I wanted to see if other members who have experience with entering this style, encountered issues with a judge saying that there was too much/little flavor from the alcohol spirit. Then they could say "yes soaking the oak was enough to impart enough flavor" or "I added 16oz and got negative feedback" or "too much of this whiskey killed the oak flavor" etc.

I've been reading a lot of commentary on what does and does not work well with this style outside of the judging circuit, but I wanted to see how closely it parallels with what a judge is looking for. I'm looking to use more flavor from the alcohol spirit and less from the wood. I would think that the style being listed as "Smoke-Flavored/Wood-Aged Beer" that they would be looking for more wood flavor than spirit flavor. Thoughts?

...or is the general consensus that if it tastes good and has some wood flavor...screw it...enter it as 22C? :cross:
 
Judging isn't based on process; it's all about what's in the glass.

So you shouldn't get comments about the process you used to create the beer. (less experienced judges often write things like "if you used oak cubes, next time do xxxx, but judges should never make assumptions about how the beer is brewed.)

You'll certainly get comments regarding balance and amount of aromas/flavors detected.

The trick here is to give a short, accurate description of the beer. If it's in the description, the judge will be looking for it. If it's not there, you'll get dinged. Do your own taste evaluation and write the description of what you perceive, not what you wanted the beer to be. If you perceive an oak character, but the bourbon didn't come through, don't mention it.

This is a difficult style to get right. Common faults in this category are low/no wood character/overpowering wood character and not matching the description. The key, as with most styles, is balance.

Good luck!
Michael
BJCP National


Teromous said:
Yes, I read through it which is why I am seeing if anyone else has amplifying information or experience to draw from. I really just want to start a dialog on this style.

I can add it to taste, but I wanted to see if other members who have experience with entering this style, encountered issues with a judge saying that there was too much/little flavor from the alcohol spirit. Then they could say "yes soaking the oak was enough to impart enough flavor" or "I added 16oz and got negative feedback" or "too much of this whiskey killed the oak flavor" etc.

I've been reading a lot of commentary on what does and does not work well with this style outside of the judging circuit, but I wanted to see how closely it parallels with what a judge is looking for. I'm looking to use more flavor from the alcohol spirit and less from the wood. I would think that the style being listed as "Smoke-Flavored/Wood-Aged Beer" that they would be looking for more wood flavor than spirit flavor. Thoughts?

...or is the general consensus that if it tastes good and has some wood flavor...screw it...enter it as 22C? :cross:
Click to expand...
 
Wow thanks for the information Michael! You hit the nail on the head; that's exactly what I was looking for. I thought the description was just for style placement, and hadn't considered that the judge would use it as a foundation to judge the beer from! I'm hoping I can perfect oaking, because I've had a few beers that have done it well and it adds a great flavor. Cheers!!
 
Sorry, I wasn't trying to come across as being harsh. I haven't entered in any comps and only have limited experience with oaking 1 batch. What I gather from BJCP and info gleaned from brewing podcasts, books, and mags is that #1 is a good base beer #2 is the caramel, vanilla, etc flavors from the wood #3 are the bourbon/rum/sherry/wine flavors
 

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