General question regards beer competition

Hello everybody,

So, here I am thinking of enrolling my brew in a beer competition - my first competition so far!. The thing is that the organisers require that we state the complete recipe with all the details of the brew. I am a bit hesitant because I am intending in the near future to actually start up with a colleague a microbrewery-distillery, in which I am scoping to include this particular beer to our brew list.

Is it common practice to include the full recipes in beer competitions? Or am I just a tad paranoid?

Thanks!
andreas

Do the rules definitely require the recipe? Some competition software programs have a recipe detail part of it, but they are not always required. However, if the comp is one where the Best of Show winner gets to brew on a pro system or something, then yes the recipe would definitely be required.

I mean it's your own call, but there are plenty of breweries out there who have given out their recipes in magazines, on shows like Can you Brew It on the Brewing Network, etc...and chances are your "secret" recipe has been brewed many times before by other brewers as each style may have base elements to it. Lastly, remember you homebrew recipe is not going to be the same on a profession brewery system as you may have to change some stuff around to get it just right on a new system.

Personally I would not start a professional brewery until I have entered many comps and have had the feedback and awards proving my beer is actually good, but that's just me.

jdauria said:

Personally I would not start a professional brewery until I have entered many comps and have had the feedback and awards proving my beer is actually good, but that's just me.

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I haven't had to provide a recipe in the competitions I've entered (although that hasn't been that many).

You may be a little paranoid. Do they plan to print the recipes for the winners? Maybe. Even so, I doubt other breweries are trying to steal anything. Recipes are all over the place. I'd also ask how unique your recipe is.

I am in the develpoement stages of opening a brewery and I can tell you....enter as many as you can! They are providing excellent(mostly) feedback. When a competition asks for recipe and process it usually is because they are either going to post them as a part of their process, i.e. Brew United Challenge recently or every year the NHC posts the gold medal winners recipe. Or it is because one of their prizes is a brewing of the BOS at a brewery and they have to ensure that it will translate to that brewery once a BOS is decided.

Hello Jdauria, thanks for your reply!

Yes the rules definitely state that the recipe is required. The competition is not carried out in the US and I was just wondering if it is normal practice to ask for recipes and so on. And yes you are right, the winning recipe gets to get brewed on a professional set-up. Actually I agree with you, no reason to be overprotective since similar recipes are almost certainly out there and a proven success rate in competitions and public proofings prior to a professional brewery would be the way to go!

Hello McGarnigle, you are right.. As I mentioned to jdauria, this is my first competition and it is outside the US and have no idea what their motive is. So I will lighten up especially in spirit of a nice competition. And you are right, my recipe started 8 years ago as a clone and then started to tweak parameter by parameter and added other ingredients over the years until it came to my taste.. So yes, nothing is truely original.

Hi madcowbrewing! I agree with you, I will try my best at participating in all possible competitions that come my way. And yes, they will brew the winning beer so I suppose it is all good, plus the feedback would be great! So recipe it is
Good luck on your brewery!