thatjonguy
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750 entries across all the categories.
So if you have a so-so IPA, you probably won't advance; I assume the IPAs get pretty full.
If you have a less popular style, you would have better odds.
NHC 2014 - Limit of 6 Entries
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750 entries across all the categories.
So if you have a so-so IPA, you probably won't advance; I assume the IPAs get pretty full.
If you have a less popular style, you would have better odds.
I'm feeling confident about my Düsseldorf Alt, and I'm hopeful for my Weizenbock, but that one's very young and the malt character hasn't had time to fully develop. Hopefully by judging time it'll be ready.
thatjonguy
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My California Common turned out amazing, however it was the first time using a Beergun to bottle, so we will see what happens.
Darwin18
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Supposedly 750 across all centers but it's really unlikely that number will be reached given that some people who miss the entry deadline or not submit their entries, for whatever reason. It's a small thing to argue about though. At the end of the day, it's a 700+ entry competition where I really doubt a so-so entry would have a shot unless it's in an obscure category, and even those will have 20 - 30 entries each.
Mine are scheduled to arrive in KC today..... haven't had a chance to check tracking though.
Dortmunder
British Mild
Scottish 70
American Brown
Just wait and see now.
Dortmunder
British Mild
Scottish 70
American Brown
Just wait and see now.
thatjonguy
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I just said better odds. But you should bring your A game if you want to advance.
What do they send for placing in first round?
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thatjonguy
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Lol. More incentive to make it to round 2.
A cheap ribbon like you get for winning the 100 yard dash in third grade.
The first couple of NHC's I entered in the 90's didn't even have ribbons nor did they tell you where you place. Only if you advanced or not.
Darwin18
Well-Known Member
Don't you all know how expensive ribbons are? You're only paying $14 an entry. 
Got confirmation that my entries were delivered in Nashville. Expectations still low.
Got confirmation that my entries were delivered in Nashville. Expectations still low.
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Tasting my other three entries this weekend for the first time.
My expectations are high given all three recipes made it to mini-BOS last year. But, different batch:different time; so my expectations should really be lower, especially since I was late botting/carbing them and haven't tasted them.
Good luck, all!
Darwin18
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My feelings towards mini-BOS are not great. As a judge, I personally like it, but as an entrant I hate it.
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Yeah, they really should change the name of it, as it's my understanding there's nothing really "mini" about it. As an entrant, you always feel mini-BOS means there's 4 beers to try to place in 3 slots, and I'm fairly certain that's rarely the case.
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Why would you think that?
My impression has always been that it's just like the regular BOS, except the beers come from different tables within a single category/style instead of all the categories/styles.
So, it's a mini version of the BOS. No score sheets. Just judges deciding which beer is best.
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I hate mini-BOS. Too often you're tasting a beer that has been opened for over an hour and also warmed. Beers change under those conditions. The standard for placing ends up being how a beer tastes in less than ideal conditions. I really think competitions need to go back to getting three beers for each entry so a fresh bottle can be opened for mini-BOS.
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I believe that the second bottle we sent to the first round will be used for mini-BOS.
I was talking in generalities, although I thought the first round was just one beer. I didn't enter so I must be wrong. Are they requiring three beers for the Finals?
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Yeah, ~2-3 years ago first round was one bottle. Last year and this year it 2 for the first round and 3 for the final round.
NervousDad
BFM
Just dropped my entries off. When I got there I realized one bottle had a slightly low fill
thatjonguy
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Just dropped my entries off. When I got there I realized one bottle had a slightly low fill
I believe 10 oz is the minimum.
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It's enough beer and since you just bottled, three weeks isn't enough time for oxygenation to be a problem. The only trouble Id be worried about is that a low fill would set the beer up for low expectations and possibly influence the overall score.
NervousDad
BFM
yeah that's what I'm worrying about. I don't want them thinking that I'm lazy/sloppy brewer. It was a wee heavy and the foam was crazy think when I bottled I guess some stuck to the bottling gun and lowered the level.
Darwin18
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I wouldn't stress too much over a low fill. If you have a judge that is biased by the fill level, send the competition organizer an email.
I have never understood the purpose of that part of the scoresheet. I generally fill my bottles high...... why wouldn't you if you could? More beer, less oxygen. Seems simple to me. But some judges will comment with "Too high of a fill" or "Silver (gold) cap." There are no points for it - so why is it there..... and who cares what color the cap is? Just seems like a part of the sheet that could go away.
Now - I could see if it was something like "There was a layer of white crust around the surface of the beer in the bottle" or " could see chunks of stuff floating on the top." But cap color and fill level??? I don't get it.
Now - I could see if it was something like "There was a layer of white crust around the surface of the beer in the bottle" or " could see chunks of stuff floating on the top." But cap color and fill level??? I don't get it.
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CadillacAndy
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I agree. I usually fill mine to the very top as well and use those oxygen absorbing caps - mine are always silver. If they comment that the cap is anything other than silver, I know there was a bottle mix up. It's happened before...
I think having that checkbox and line on the scoresheet was when way more people bottle conditioned beers. It was important to have some headspace to properly carbonate. If it was too high, the judges would have made a note of it in that description area and could have referenced it if the beer was flat or undercarbed, etc.
Darwin18
Well-Known Member
If I see a distinguishing feature like a colored cap, I'll note it. I think it helps because it lets the entrant know that is what we observed with his entry. If he sent an entry in without a colored cap then he should be a bit concerned! In all honesty though, I think it's that section is stupid. Unless I see something funky growing, I don't usually mark that down. I've judged with people who will examine the bottle to determine if it's bottle conditioned or keg conditioned - I also think that's a stupid bias as well.
It's more an exercise in inspection so you know what you might be up against, IMO. Or to quote a discussion from the BJCP forums...
The color of the cap and type of bottle is probably more to let the entrant know it was actually their beer. If I get a scoresheet mentioning a brown stubby with a black cap, I know the competition mixed up my beer. That being said, fill level should never be more than a quick note. It shouldn't affect score or be any more than that. To quote Gordon Strong from that same discussion:
Hmmmmm... I had never really considered the cap as an "identifying mark" for the brewer. I have had one or two beers over the years where I really, really felt like it was a mix up - if there was a note about the cap that differed from what I use, that would be a nice tool for recognizing it. I think most do use silver or gold - but, could be a hint none-the-less. Learn something new everyday. Probably gonna go back and look at a certain scoresheet tonight, just to check for that.
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I thought beer judging was supposed to be "blind".
If wild caps are being used/accepted it brings up a whole host of other issues...
Hell, it was just recently they started accepting nonstandard long necks.
Unique bottles/caps open up comps to unneeded scrunity for potential cheating. "Hey Bob, when you're judging Belgian strongs, keep an eye out for a Sam Adams bottle with a USA flag cap. That one is mine..."
If wild caps are being used/accepted it brings up a whole host of other issues...
Hell, it was just recently they started accepting nonstandard long necks.
Unique bottles/caps open up comps to unneeded scrunity for potential cheating. "Hey Bob, when you're judging Belgian strongs, keep an eye out for a Sam Adams bottle with a USA flag cap. That one is mine..."
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CadillacAndy
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Yeah, that's a valid concern. Most comps specify that any marks on caps need to be blacked out - but that still doesn't really do much if you're using bright red caps. I've personally recused myself from judging beers when it was obvious that I knew who the brewer was.
Darwin18
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It's unfortunately not uncommon. A lot of homebrewers don't bother to read the competition details that closely and most competition organizers don't want to toss an entry unless it's really egregious.
Usually the rules require a cap with any differentiations to be completely blacked out. I'll generally make a note of that and the type of bottle used (short stubby's for example).
I've only seen one entry where it was close to being tossed. That was a stout that I judged that was entered in a Heineken bottle with the label still on it. It was our call to judge it, and we did, but obviously didn't store well in the green bottle. I made to wrote on the scoresheet why that was a bad idea and to not enter an entry like that in other competitions.
That's definitely a valid concern. You're supposed to only use plain unmarked caps (or have them blacked out), but most comps are fairly lax and don't want to exclude anybody unless it's egregious. At the last one I judged, we actually had a discussion at the table about a couple bottles used (Sam Adams and Fuller's). In most cases, you're not going to know what categories you're judging in advance to have that sort of 'conspiracy'. The organizer in some cases will try to avoid potential trouble spots. For example, at that same competition, there was only 1 entry in a certain substyle, so it was assigned to a specific judging pair that wouldn't know who it was to avoid having the brewer's father be the judge who scored it.
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