Would you enter an untested beer in a home brew contest?

I am learning as I go about all the cool events and fun things that go with home brewing. I just learned about a local competition that I may want to enter, but here's the kicker. Entry deadline is in a week. Bottles must be dropped off by the 9th and judging is on the 12th of may. The first 2 beers that I made are kits (so I wouldn't want to enter them), I have a finished (if not young) cider, and my first attempt at formulating a recipe and all grain ended up a little funky (might be from the fact I didn't get spring water, and used tap instead).

All that being said I have two beers in the secondary, that are coming along VERY nicely. The soonest I could/would bottle is the 1st. Would you do it?

mcbethenstein said:

I am learning as I go about all the cool events and fun things that go with home brewing. I just learned about a local competition that I may want to enter, but here's the kicker. Entry deadline is in a week. Bottles must be dropped off by the 9th and judging is on the 12th of may. The first 2 beers that I made are kits (so I wouldn't want to enter them), I have a finished (if not young) cider, and my first attempt at formulating a recipe and all grain ended up a little funky (might be from the fact I didn't get spring water, and used tap instead).

All that being said I have two beers in the secondary, that are coming along VERY nicely. The soonest I could/would bottle is the 1st. Would you do it?

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Probably not, they would be in the bottle for less than 2 weeks, and still be green.

Why not enter? What's the worst that could happen, you're out a couple of bucks and a sixer? If you made a good beer, you'll get some feedback, and maybe some advice to tweak it and make it even better. Contests aren't only for winning awards but to help you in your brewing process.

I would. What is it going to hurt. You'll get some feedback and then a month later send it to a couple more events and see if you get the same feedback.

GeauxBrew said:

Why not enter? What's the worst that could happen, you're out a couple of bucks and a sixer? If you made a good beer, you'll get some feedback, and maybe some advice to tweak it and make it even better. Contests aren't only for winning awards but to help you in your brewing process.

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This is true, but my concern is that the green beer taste will overshadow the true nature of the beer, and greatly skew the judges ratings.

Does it make any difference as to the style? I'm thinking that my cider (which would be 5 months old at judging) would be other speciality cider since I added honey at the beginning.
In the secondaries are a sweet stout, and a gluten free blueberry (Weiss?) (base of millet, oats, cornmeal, sorghum syrup and rice syrup solids) currently over 8 lbs of blueberry purée. Would those two styles taste green?

GeauxBrew said:

Why not enter? What's the worst that could happen, you're out a couple of bucks and a sixer? If you made a good beer, you'll get some feedback, and maybe some advice to tweak it and make it even better. Contests aren't only for winning awards but to help you in your brewing process.

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I would run with this. also If you sample your beer the same day as the judging you will taste the same thing the judges are tasting, make notes, when you get your feedback/results, you'll be able to compare your notes against what the judges say. then sample agian a few weeks later and make more notes, then go back and compare your notes from the slightly aged beer to the first notes and the judges notes and see what has changed. This can add an indefinable amount of experience.

Ok, another question should I rack the blueberry to a tertiary for a few days to help filter out any suspended bits of fruit. And how long would I need to let it sit given my time crunch? Ex. Leave on fruit as long as possible, tertiary for 2 or 3 days then bottle?

o4_srt said:

This is true, but my concern is that the green beer taste will overshadow the true nature of the beer, and greatly skew the judges ratings.

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If the comment was good beer but green, will mature out well, surely that would be a win?

EoinMag said:

If the comment was good beer but green, will mature out well, surely that would be a win?

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Any judge that uses a non-specific term like "green" should be shot.

Must be for entering in the state fair? I'm entering four beers, one of which I'm bottling this saturday, it's been on the yeast cake in the primary for 3 weeks (blonde ale) I'm hoping it will be ready. Good luck!

remilard said:

Any judge that uses a non-specific term like "green" should be shot.

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so sue me.

richbrew99 said:

Must be for entering in the state fair? I'm entering four beers, one of which I'm bottling this saturday, it's been on the yeast cake in the primary for 3 weeks (blonde ale) I'm hoping it will be ready. Good luck!

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Yep, are you in WI too?
Hopefully we'll be in different categories!

I'd do it. Keep in mind that your beers are young and may be dinged for that. But otherwise you can still get a good amount of information from entering.

mcbethenstein said:

Yep, are you in WI too?
Hopefully we'll be in different categories!

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Ya, I'm in Milwaukee. I'm entering APA, IPA, IIPA and Blonde Ale. Should be fun.

remilard said:

Any judge that uses a non-specific term like "green" should be shot.

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Agreed. Any and all comments should relate to the style guidelines.

I really appreciate your posts about "contests" remilard. You put a lot of perspective into what people should expect, while still adding in lots of technical knowledge.

I'm guessing your BCJP certified (or whatever the high rankings are...no disrespect, not sure how the BJCP judges are ranked).

For what it's worth three of my entries in the HBT comp were untested. I picked categories I wanted to brew and then wrote recipes for those styles, brewed them, and sent them in.

Thanks guys. I'm gonna do it. So I'll be entering a speciality cider, sweet stout, and fruit beer. Should be fun!
Any insights on if I should transfer the blueberry beer off the fruit prior to bottling?

I never thought about entering just for feedback I have a bar near me that holds homebrewing contest but I never thought about entering because I'd have no chance.

Also, upon searching BJCP I found a great app for android. BJCP for android. Basically tells the characteristics of each style and what the judges are looking for. Surfing through out for a few minutes I can already tell I'm going to be using this app a lot.

AZ_IPA said:

I'm guessing your BCJP certified (or whatever the high rankings are...no disrespect, not sure how the BJCP judges are ranked).

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I'm National which is one higher than Certified. I need a handful of points (which I will probably have by the time NHC judging and CEP points hit my record) to be Master.

Scruffy1207 said:

I never thought about entering just for feedback I have a bar near me that holds homebrewing contest but I never thought about entering because I'd have no chance.

Also, upon searching BJCP I found a great app for android. BJCP for android. Basically tells the characteristics of each style and what the judges are looking for. Surfing through out for a few minutes I can already tell I'm going to be using this app a lot.

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You should enter for more than the feedback, if you like your beer I'm sure it's good.

Scruffy1207 said:

Also, upon searching BJCP I found a great app for android. BJCP for android. Basically tells the characteristics of each style and what the judges are looking for. Surfing through out for a few minutes I can already tell I'm going to be using this app a lot.

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As an FYI there is a similar iPhone/iPad app and as of very recently a Blackberry App.

In all cases searching the appropriate market for "BJCP" should do it. These are just smartphone/tablet friendly presentations of the guidelines which are available in several electronic and hard formats.

mcbethenstein said:

I am learning as I go about all the cool events and fun things that go with home brewing. I just learned about a local competition that I may want to enter, but here's the kicker. Entry deadline is in a week. Bottles must be dropped off by the 9th and judging is on the 12th of may. The first 2 beers that I made are kits (so I wouldn't want to enter them), I have a finished (if not young) cider, and my first attempt at formulating a recipe and all grain ended up a little funky (might be from the fact I didn't get spring water, and used tap instead).

All that being said I have two beers in the secondary, that are coming along VERY nicely. The soonest I could/would bottle is the 1st. Would you do it?

Click to expand...

How did your beers do in competition? I entered 4 and none of mine placed, just waiting for my scoresheets to be mailed out.

richbrew99 said:

How did your beers do in competition? I entered 4 and none of mine placed, just waiting for my scoresheets to be mailed out.

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Ditto for me. I dropped them off at northern brewer and found out later that they stored the contest entries in their basement until they went to the fair grounds... So it was way too cool for two of my beers to finish bottle conditioning. I'm almost cringing at what the sheets are going to say!

I turned mine into Northern Brewer also...

mcbethenstein said:

Ditto for me. I dropped them off at northern brewer and found out later that they stored the contest entries in their basement until they went to the fair grounds... So it was way too cool for two of my beers to finish bottle conditioning. I'm almost cringing at what the sheets are going to say!

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Did you get your scoresheets yet? I haven't, they said 2 weeks after the judging.

I have not. Each day I come home from work and anxiously look in the mail and am disappointed.

mcbethenstein said:

Ditto for me. I dropped them off at northern brewer and found out later that they stored the contest entries in their basement until they went to the fair grounds... So it was way too cool for two of my beers to finish bottle conditioning. I'm almost cringing at what the sheets are going to say!

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Sounds like they did things properly. All beers in a contest should be kept cold or at least cool until judging takes place.

Got scoresheets back last week from my first entry: 19. Phenolic flavors really drug my score down. I was afraid of this, but wanted confirmation that this was, indeed, what I was detecting.

RichBrew- did you get your sheets back yet? I was able to pick mine up at the last beer barons meeting. My sweet stout did fairly well, but didn't place. Score of 37. My Gluten Free Blueberry Weiss tanked. Score of 14. My skunky beer got a 27 and my cider a 24. Sadly there wasn't much insight on the sheets to help me improve any of the beers. I think I got one comment that would help, but I can't remember it now. Oh well, onto the German beer competition. My hefe is perfected and hopefully will do well. Its currently in the primary. will be bottled mid week or by next weekend.

Some people are really into competitions and some, like me, are not. I am entering a non-tested brew in a comp that will be judged in October, this will be my 1st comp as well. My thread: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/claymore-252741/ It is for my homebrew club and that is the ONLY reason I am entering. I do not need a ribbon, trophy or piece of paper to enhance the beers flavor. I do however like honest, helpful and technical criticisms and a contest is the best way to get that.

The only advise I can give you on the "young beer" issue is do not bottle carb/condition it, Force carb it! You can use one of these: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/miller-lite-home-draft-dissected-181602/ to force carb half the batch and then bottle it as late as possible. It takes 2 cartridge to do it, 1 to carb it and 1 to serve, so it is not a super cheap way to do constantly but it does work just fine. You could also bottle condition the other 1/2 of the batch and see which one you like best before dropping off the entry.

I wish you the best of luck either way!