1st Time Pro-Am Experiences????

Been brewing for 2 years hard-core all grain and am going to enter my IPA 7.65% into a competition. It's a $6 entry supply three bottles. My IPA is balanced, malty, hoppy, bitter and w/ pacman yeast overall in my opinion and alot of my buddies it GOOOOOOD! 15 oz of hops for 10 gal. But anyway. You guys got any crazy stories about these events? My friend said he entered an all-grain and a extract, in reality they were the same all-grain beer. But the beer snob judges ranked the extract lower. Look, I'm not into giving away my $100 plus batch of IPA for nothing. I would like to see them taste it and get their feedback on it . just seems like a fun new experience ya know? not looking for acceptance cause I like my beer but Is it worth the while to enter these things? I can win the chance to have my beer commercially brewed even though I doubt the would b/c of cost.

What is the competition? That might allow people to give more insight.

I mean, if you love the beer, that is all that matters, but it is definitely fun to get awards, too...

the competition is @ www.bewbc.org/pro-am . btw I like your avatar I have a year old golden my first dog. love the **** out of her. she likes the water and lives for tennis balls !!!!!

I found my Seattle Brews Fall '92 results the other night in which I placed 56 out of a grand total of 56 entries.... LOL.

Competitions are fun, and winning an award for something you created is a really great feeling. But the feedback from the judging can also be great help. Especially for a 22 year old punk with no idea how to brew that thought he was making awesome beer.

The Puget Sound Pro-Am is an excellent competition to enter. A number of breweries will pick beers to brew to enter into the GABF Pro-Am competition. The cost to brew your beer isn't usually a factor (at least with everyone). Last year at that comp someone picked up a IIPA and someone picked up my barleywine, both expensive beers to brew.

IPA is one of the toughest categories to enter in any competition, due to the number of entries.

Regarding your extract vs all-grain comment, in any good competition the judges should only know the category entered (and any special info if required). They should never know if its extra or all grain.