First Competition Results

I have only been brewing for about 10 months, but I decided to enter a local homebrew competition and they just posted the results (I was not able to attend due to a conflict). I entered 4 beers and I placed in 2 categories!

I placed 3rd out of 8 with my brown porter (which was an extract w/steeping grains) and 1st out of 9 with my blond ale (PM). I also entered a 3 month old Belgian Wit and a 3 week old Ordinary Bitter which did not place, but I was not surprised about either.

My only questions are: Is this a good start to competition? Are these typical results? How do people decide when it is time to enter bigger competitions?

Congrats my man!

Just remember, you beat 8 other beers for that gold. All of those brewers deemed their beer competition worthy, so it's a nice accomplishment. I've heard it said that a mediocre beer may get lucky and place, but rarely a mediocre beer gets a gold. Enjoy it!

I placed second out of 21 in my first competition. I was so stoked, I wanted to brew everyday for the rest of my life after that, I made beer that was objectively judged and deemed quite good!

Hey man that's great! My first competition entry was a huge one with lots of talent and I got a rude awakening. Though I have come a LONG way since then!

I love competitions because they make you really look at your beer objectively. For me, it's no longer about throwing ingredients together and hoping for the best or brewing something for just the sake of drinking - but rather taking the time and effort to purposefully and intricately craft a beer that is as close to perfect as you imagined.

I would suggest reading everything beer related you can get your hands on and enter every comp that comes your way no matter the size. Bigger the better, really! Also, research, brew, re-brew, and then enter and use any feedback to your advantage.

What a great hobby!

WickedLB said:

... and 1st out of 9 with my blond ale (PM).

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Do post the recipe, if it is not a big secret. Since PM seems to be a stepping stone I bet ALOT of people would love to at least attempt to make a gold medal beer for their PM brews...A pic of the ribbon/medal would be cool as well...

BTW GRATS on a 1st place!

WickedLB said:

I have only been brewing for about 10 months, but I decided to enter a local homebrew competition and they just posted the results (I was not able to attend due to a conflict). I entered 4 beers and I placed in 2 categories!

I placed 3rd out of 8 with my brown porter (which was an extract w/steeping grains) and 1st out of 9 with my blond ale (PM). I also entered a 3 month old Belgian Wit and a 3 week old Ordinary Bitter which did not place, but I was not surprised about either.

My only questions are: Is this a good start to competition? Are these typical results? How do people decide when it is time to enter bigger competitions?

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Is it good? Yeah

How good? Depends on the competition.

Typical? No, better than typical.

When to enter bigger competitions? Now. The best judging is at the biggest competitions. Enter those for the best feedback and the best measuring stick.

remilard said:

When to enter bigger competitions? Now. The best judging is at the biggest competitions. Enter those for the best feedback and the best measuring stick.

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This. I entered the NHC for the first time this year with my RIS that I thought was excellent. It scored 35 (respectable), but I got a lot of great feedback that has helped me indetify flaws that I didn't know I had. I now plan to enter comps every chance I get.

If competition is your thing, enter as much and as big as you can!

Zamial said:

Do post the recipe, if it is not a big secret. Since PM seems to be a stepping stone I bet ALOT of people would love to at least attempt to make a gold medal beer for their PM brews...A pic of the ribbon/medal would be cool as well...

BTW GRATS on a 1st place!

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Here is the recipe:

Sunny Side Blonde
3# American 2-Row
1# Cara-pils/Dextrine
3# Extra light DME
.25 oz Cascade 45 min
.25 oz Citra 20 min
.25 oz Cascade 10 min
.25 oz Citra 5 min
WLP001 Cal Ale Yeast (used a starter ~20 hours)

Mash 2-row & Cara-pils @ 154 F for 1 hour
Added DME (plus Yeast Nutrient & Irish Moss) last 15 min of boil

Fermented @ 65 F for 10 days (temps rose to 70 by the end of fermentation)
5.5 Gallon Batch
OG 1.045
FG 1.005

My score was a 37.5 with one Judge gave me a 39 with great comments and the other gave me a 36 with less than 10 words total comments. Both judges gave me a 15/20 on Flavor saying it was a bit hoppy ("but pleasant"). The rest of the comments and scores seem like they were drinking different beers even when the scores were close. No off colors were noted by either judge.

Either these judges were tough or the category was weak because I actually averaged a 39 on my porter but only finished 3rd in that flight.

Hope the recipe is useful to some others. I don't drink a lot of this style, but a lot of my friends loved this beer. I think next spring I will figure out an AG version so this will be my light summer beer at my house.

WickedLB said:

Either these judges were tough or the category was weak because I actually averaged a 39 on my porter but only finished 3rd in that flight.

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Depends, could be either.

The first beer I entered, also my first all-grain, was an in between Amber and Pale color-wise, and also in between IPA and APA in terms of hop character. I smacked that beer out of the park though, it was phenomenal, still brew the same recipe every year. The judges dinged it for style, it was entered as an APA, but they loved the beer. It scored a 29 and just squeaked into the mini-best of show. Then scores go out the window because the beers are judged head to head at that point. It ended up placing second out of 21 entries.

It's weird in competitions sometimes, especially with lots of entries. Had there been only 10 entries, with no mini-best of show, I probably wouldn't have placed. I got lucky with my flight.