Please help to compete in right category

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

paraordnance

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 23, 2010
Messages
863
Reaction score
27
Location
Red Deer, Alberta
I have awesome stout I would like to enter in upcoming competition. My first one ever. Doing it more for feedback.
I brewed this RIS on December 10, 2011 and its aged well. Just tapped the keg and think this would be nice candidate to enter in Homebrewing comp in August. The only problem I don't think it falls under RIS category since my efficency suffered, I undershoot my OG and its some kind of hybrid because of choice of hops I had available. Here the recipe (6 gal):

19 lbs Pilsner
1 lb Roasted Barley
1 lb Special B
0.75 lb Chocolate Malt
0.5 lb Carafoam
1.0 oz Northern Brewer - 60 min
0.8 oz Summit - 60 min
1.0 oz Amarillo - 60 min

OG - 1.080
FG - 1.022

Mash @ 151F for 60 min
Gallon starter of Wyeast 1272 used.

Its well balanced I think at 73 IBUs. I can't say it is sweet and aroma mostly chocolate/coffe/prune/plum/burnt with some American hops on background. It is very smooth, with no alcohol burn being 7.2% ABV
I'm looking at both 13E American Stout and 13F Russian Imperial Stout and cannot decide where I should enter. Its too weak for RIS where ABV should be between 8-12+% as well as hops I used do not really fit the style. On the other hand it has all characteristics of RIS, jet-black color, rich, deep and complex. Im leaning towards 13F (since thats what I brewed initially) but will it be judged it that category?
 
Sounds a bit heavy for 13E. So it's slightly below the range for 13F, that isn't a bad thing and it won't cost you any points. Judges will not be given the ABV. Since you only used bittering hops, you're fine on that score.
 
I would actually argue the opposite since a lot if judges tend to favor the bolder tastes of the beer style. In with the 13f crowd it may seem on the light side. Really only one way to tell and that's by taste. Can't do that through a forum. Sit down with your beer and print outs of 13e and 13f and slowly see what flavors you can identify.
 
Back
Top