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Nice job Derek!
Good luck in the second round.


Guess if I want to experiment with coffee, I have to do it on my own dime. :(




 
Things we'll probably never know:

How many entries at each location?
Styles of beers that won?
Where the beers from each store were judged?
Who judged the beer and their qualifications?
What was the criteria for choosing winners (to style, uniqueness, sessionability, . . .)


Philly Beer Scene in the rules: said:
We are looking for a well-brewed, flavorful interpretation of a session beer.
Click to expand...

It’s obvious that Derek crafted a great beer, but in what world is Chocolate Peanut Butter Stout a session beer?

Looks like the geniuses at Philly Beer Scene don’t know that low alcohol and session are not the same thing.
It follows that you could have entered a 12% abv Barleywine because, "f the rules, we're looking for good beer."

Gives an appreciation for what the BJCP attempts to do.

OK, time to move on . . . :p
 
Nice work Derek!

AnOldUR said:
Things we'll probably never know:

How many entries at each location?
Styles of beers that won?
Where the beers from each store were judged?
Who judged the beer and their qualifications?
What was the criteria for choosing winners (to style, uniqueness, sessionability, . . .)




It’s obvious that Derek crafted a great beer, but in what world is Chocolate Peanut Butter Stout a session beer?

Looks like the geniuses at Philly Beer Scene don’t know that low alcohol and session are not the same thing.
It follows that you could have entered a 12% abv Barleywine because, "f the rules, we're looking for good beer."

Gives an appreciation for what the BJCP attempts to do.

OK, time to move on . . . :p
Click to expand...

Well yea, this is why I dont get overly excited for competitions like this since there isnt much feedback to be gained. It is more a marketing thing then anything. Its a reason to get people to brew, then drop off the entries and say "oh while Im here I might as well pick up some ingredients".

I happen to always brew a 4.2% ESB anyway so I figured why not. But if youre looking for feedback these are not the type of events you want to enter. I usually go for Hops Bops or War of the worts (though I missed it this year).

Here is part of Barry's Homebrew newsletter.

We have the Winners of
Battle of the Homebrew Shops
*Round 1*


Have you ever typed a word so many times it looks misspelled?

That's what the word "Winner" is looking like to us right now, and no matter how many times we spell check, it just doesn't look right. So we're going to switch it up and use another word that we think is a bit more deserving of this accomplishment.

And The Champions Are!
*drum-roll*

Wait, before we announce our heros, we want to let you all know that we were told the judging wasn't easy because there were so many good beers. We also had the second largest entries in the entire region. That's 10 homebrew shops, extending as far as Delaware state to Bethlehem, PA. We want to thank you all for participating, and because of the support we have, we will be announcing a Brew-B-Q party this coming May 5th in the parking lot beside our store. Read on for more details, but for now, let's annouce our subjugators.

And The Vanquishers Are!
*yes, we used a thesaurus*

Tom Ballingall - Rye Pale Ale
Robert Skypala aka RJ - Berliner Weisse

Anyone that came to the last two homebrew meet-ups at our store were lucky enough to try both of these outstanding beers. Congratulations to both of these guys for putting in their best to represent our store. The two of you need to come in and pick up your pound of coffee, provided by One Village Coffee, and start thinking about what to brew for round 2.
Click to expand...
 
AnOldUR said:
Things we'll probably never know:

How many entries at each location?
Styles of beers that won?
Where the beers from each store were judged?
Who judged the beer and their qualifications?
What was the criteria for choosing winners (to style, uniqueness, sessionability, . . .)




It’s obvious that Derek crafted a great beer, but in what world is Chocolate Peanut Butter Stout a session beer?

Looks like the geniuses at Philly Beer Scene don’t know that low alcohol and session are not the same thing.
It follows that you could have entered a 12% abv Barleywine because, "f the rules, we're looking for good beer."

Gives an appreciation for what the BJCP attempts to do.

OK, time to move on . . . :p
Click to expand...

well, it was flavorful. ;)

I hear what you are saying. Again, this isn't a serious competition, more about getting Village One's name out there, along with Perch Pub, and Philly Beer Scene getting some advertising revenue. That said, my beer wasn't overpowering. Not "youngs double chocolate" choclaty, and not a "licking the Jif off the spoon" peanut butter either. They are both there, but not overpowering in anyway.
 
AnOldUR said:
Who judged the beer and their qualifications?
What was the criteria for choosing winners (to style, uniqueness, sessionability, . . .)
Click to expand...

If you want style guidelines, feedback and registered judges, just stick to entering BJCP comps. This contest was more or less a marketing opportunity that was free to enter. If you are really that opposed to comps like this, just either don't enter or drop some infected revenge beer on the judges :D
 
So I'm trying to figure out a way to either take Friday off, or be working out of my garage while I brew. I have a few beers that need to get brewed:

  • Olde English Ale for an AHA comp in December
  • This coffee beer (still undecided)
  • Some beer with Raspberry in it for our homebrew club comp in June (though I should probably brew that with my wife)
  • Stones 02.02.02 for our Vertical Epic Tasting party in December
  • More house pale ale (yes, it goes quickly)
  • Our first sour
  • Another batch of this Stone 15th Anniversary Clone (assuming I can find some Pacific Jade)

Man, looking at that list also reminds me of how much I have to keg this week too!

Anyone else looking to brew this week in the beautiful weather? I can always throw something on the smoker if you're interested in stopping over/brewing with me...
 
Any area competitions open for submissions now or in the near future? I'm pretty damn happy with my last few brews and would like to get some judges' feedback.
 
SixFoFalcon said:
Any area competitions open for submissions now or in the near future? I'm pretty damn happy with my last few brews and would like to get some judges' feedback.
Click to expand...

There's usually 4 or 5 major local ones - next one is BUZZ OFF on June 2nd (entries due May 19th).

After that, you'll see Malt Madness, SCH ABC and HOPS BOPS.

If that's too long of a wait, you can always ship your entries to other comps:

http://www.bjcp.org/apps/comp_schedule/competition_schedule.php
 
till the end of the month to get your beer in. Registration was open and closed in a day!
 
well, not really. The day for registration was late feb/early march (I forget when). 1st round entries are due starting today through a week or so from now. If you make it past the 1st round, you'll most likely re-brew (depending on the style of course) to get fresh beer for round 2 in June. There are plenty of comps out there where you may need to plan ahead of time.

The difference here is that the NHC only had 8-10 locations for taking homebrews from all over the country. Philly had 750 slots, not all of the neccesarily from Philly. Once a city filled up, people just picked the next closest.
 
I totally understand the necessity of deadlines, registering ahead of time etc., I just get annoyed at the notion that someone beat me to registration and might not even end up having a half-decent beer to present. You aren't registering a beer so much as you are registering yourself (as a brewer) and your intention to produce a quality beer.
 
SixFoFalcon said:
So people are registering long before they even have finished beer to submit? That's... annoying.
Click to expand...

Possible, but not likely in most cases. Registration opened on March 2nd and the entries are due no later than March 28th. That's less than 4 week and even less for most people who have to allow for shipping time. Pretty hard to get a beer finished that quick.

Like dfess1 said. It’s safe to say that most of the beers entered were already brewed before entry opened. It’s just a matter of supply and demand. Lots of brewers and a limited number of spots.
 
So it's official, I'm going to try to brew 1 barrel of beer , split among 5 recipes, on friday. I'll be throwing some ribs, and other tasty treats in the smoker. If you want to stop on by, pm me and I'll send you the address. All are welcome, and if you want to brew, that's even better!

Derek
 
so my last 5 gal batch is completely dependent on whether Fedex gets me my Pacific Jade in time or not. Either way 25 gal will be a pretty long day, no matter how you slice it!
 
dfess1 said:
So it's official, I'm going to try to brew 1 barrel of beer , split among 5 recipes, on friday. I'll be throwing some ribs, and other tasty treats in the smoker. If you want to stop on by, pm me and I'll send you the address. All are welcome, and if you want to brew, that's even better!

Derek
Click to expand...

Assuming you're brewing into the evening, maybe I'll swing by with some brew. I thought I entered my Chicory Stout into the AHC but I didn't pay right away and just found out my spot was taken.

PM me your address.
 
jwible204 said:
Assuming you're brewing into the evening, maybe I'll swing by with some brew. I thought I entered my Chicory Stout into the AHC but I didn't pay right away and just found out my spot was taken.

PM me your address.
Click to expand...

Oh, i sincerly doubt i will be finished anytime before 10pm. I am hoping to be doughed in on the first beer by 6:30am, 7 at the latest.

And Artisan Homebrew to the rescue! They had Pacific Jade in stock!! Full barrel brew back on!
 
Ok, so off to a later start than I wanted. Our hockey team finally won a game last night, so there were a few more libations consumed than originally planned.

Just got the rig out and have the water coming up to temp on Beer #1, a Cream Ale. From here, I'm off to an Olde English for Beer #2, a Stone 15th Anniv beer for #3, House Pale ale (10 gal) for Beer #4, and finally a Rodenbach clone for Beer #5. I'll start a new thread shortly so I don't much this one up any more, and post pics throughout the day!
 
Anybody brewing today? We have a Belgian Pale Ale in the works, looking to get brewing by 11 or so, hoping it warms up a bit by then. If you're around, stop on by.
 
Brewed yesterday, citra pale ale. Nasty day yesterday. Luckily I brew with electric in my garage. Nice and warm and dry.
 
I'm brewing a Rye IPA, kinda. A buddy and I are doing a 10 gallon batch, it's about 25% Rye and we're going to hop it up pretty good. He's lagering 5 with a German Lager strain, I'm fermenting the other 5 as an Ale with the new White Labs 090. We'll be doing a blind taste test in a few months.
 
No brewing this weekend. Down in VA visiting our Son and his family.
Going to help him bottle his first batch of Apfelwein.
:mug:
 
Well, just got our Belgian Pale Ale done, and everything cleaned and put away. Soooo much easier doing 1 five gallon batch!! ;) Thinking about hitting Earth Bread and Brewery for dinner...
 
Brewed up my first 11-gallon batch on my stovetop, all went well. The stovetop performed better than I could have hoped and it maintained a solid boil strength throughout. Wound up with about 10.5 gallons of 1.068 Rye IPA (6 oz at flameout), can't wait to try this one!
 
jwible204 said:
Brewed up my first 11-gallon batch on my stovetop, all went well. The stovetop performed better than I could have hoped and it maintained a solid boil strength throughout. Wound up with about 10.5 gallons of 1.068 Rye IPA (6 oz at flameout), can't wait to try this one!
Click to expand...

WOW! what the hell kinda stove do you have that can boil...what 13 or 12 gallons?? Or did you do spilt batch?
 
BoundForBeer said:
WOW! what the hell kinda stove do you have that can boil...what 13 or 12 gallons?? Or did you do spilt batch?
Click to expand...

I'm in an apartment and it's a Kenmore Elite, 5 burner setup. I started at 12.5 gallons, I missed my volume by .5 gallons. I brought it up to a boil with the lid on and then removed it entirely once it got going. The boil strength was plenty throughout. I have the advantage of being able to place the pot over the large burner on the corner and the smaller one in the middle generating a lot more heat. Here's a picture link to the exact stove I have.

02277552000
 
granted its a bit early, but we're going to be hosting a group brew day at our place on 5/5 (National Homebrew Day). Any and all are welcome to come on up. We'll have stuff in the smoker.. Haven't quite decided if we're going to do the AHA brown ale recipe or not, but people together brewing is better than none!
 
New in Philly, just wanted to say hi. I'm in Narberth so I'm guessing my water is also from Pickering Creek?
 
Most likely!

Welcome to the area!

You should go to Flip and Bailey's in Rosemont on Thursday for the Main Line Brewers meeting! They are a good group of guys, and usually have some interesting beers to try. I always seem to learn something when I head up there!

Also, check out John Reynold's store (Brew your own beer) in Havertown. It's not a big store, but he has all the basic ingredients you would need and he is a great guy!

Again, welcome to the neighborhood!
 
alien said:
New in Philly, just wanted to say hi. I'm in Narberth so I'm guessing my water is also from Pickering Creek?
Click to expand...

If you are looking for a good spot, teresas next door in malvern has a great selection and good food. Also check out pinochios in media. Pizza place with a amazing bottle shop in the back.

Off to brew!
 
I'm out in West Philly, ( a block from dock street),. By and large, I brew "farmhousey" ales and sours, but I'm a sucker for a really good porter. I strive to experiment as much as possible. I grow three varieties of hops, ( goldings, magnums, mt hoods), raspberries, black currants, and many various herbs, all of which I use from time to time in brewing. I take a very lo-fi approach to what I do and I must say, at least for me, it works quite well. I use city water mainly, ( campden tabs a must),. Currently have a triple decocted all Bohemian Pils saison bubbling away in the next room. Used 3724 and 575 on it. If anyone here grows hops in the area, I'd totally be down for a trade.
 
dfess1 said:
granted its a bit early, but we're going to be hosting a group brew day at our place on 5/5 (National Homebrew Day). Any and all are welcome to come on up. We'll have stuff in the smoker.. Haven't quite decided if we're going to do the AHA brown ale recipe or not, but people together brewing is better than none!
Click to expand...

DFess, I saw you on the email list for the Q Homebrew competition. Are you planning on entering a beer? I cognized your real name from earlier itt from the battle of the homebrew shop results.

I'll be there, and actually I will be one of the judges. :tank: Do you plan on attending?

Im entering a 100% Brett C fermented ESB, should be a good time.
 
BootsyFlanootsy said:
I'm out in West Philly, ( a block from dock street),. By and large, I brew "farmhousey" ales and sours, but I'm a sucker for a really good porter. I strive to experiment as much as possible. I grow three varieties of hops, ( goldings, magnums, mt hoods), raspberries, black currants, and many various herbs, all of which I use from time to time in brewing. I take a very lo-fi approach to what I do and I must say, at least for me, it works quite well. I use city water mainly, ( campden tabs a must),. Currently have a triple decocted all Bohemian Pils saison bubbling away in the next room. Used 3724 and 575 on it. If anyone here grows hops in the area, I'd totally be down for a trade.
Click to expand...

I just planted rhizomes for the first time this year. I have Zeus, Centennial, chinook, and cascades. Everything has sprouted except for the Cascades. I'm hoping they start sprouting once it gets a bit warmer? Again, these are first year hops, so I'm not sure how much I'll get this year. If I get a good crop, I would trade with you if you are interested!
 
stblindtiger said:
I just planted rhizomes for the first time this year. I have Zeus, Centennial, chinook, and cascades. Everything has sprouted except for the Cascades. I'm hoping they start sprouting once it gets a bit warmer? Again, these are first year hops, so I'm not sure how much I'll get this year. If I get a good crop, I would trade with you if you are interested!
Click to expand...



I'm not so much a fan of the high alpha american hops. I'm probably one of the few people in the world that could care less if I ever encountered another IPA in my life. So sick of going into local bars and finding half of the draft offerings to be IPA's. To me, they are the equivalent of overly salty foods, they just ruin my tastebuds. That being said, I've used centennial as the bittering addition in some porters with great success. So I might be willing to trade some Magnums for those... say; a couple ounces or so?


Also, yeah, first year can be real hit or miss. My first year mount hoods did excellent. but the goldings and magnums ......not so much.
 
Coff said:
DFess, I saw you on the email list for the Q Homebrew competition. Are you planning on entering a beer? I cognized your real name from earlier itt from the battle of the homebrew shop results.

I'll be there, and actually I will be one of the judges. :tank: Do you plan on attending?

Im entering a 100% Brett C fermented ESB, should be a good time.
Click to expand...

Yeah, bottling my beer tonight! Mine will be the slightly carbonated one! ;) I figured it was free, then just lost track of time (honestly thought I had another week).

I will also be participating in the BBQ contest. I asked if it was kosher to bring down my jockey box and have my beer for myself and "helpers". Understandably, it is not. :(


I know this is late/last minute. But I throw the invite out there again for anyone in the area looking to participate in a group brew tomorrow. We're hosting one for our club at our place. The more the merrier. Plus, you might get to try out some of what I have planned for next weekends BBQ comp! ;) PM if you're interested and would like an address.
 

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