NHC 2010, are you entering?

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I'm entering a North German Pilsner for sure. Possibly a Maibock and a Classic American Pilsner too depending on how they progress.
 
I'll be entering a single beer again this year. Going for the "specialty" category (23) this time with a honey raisin pale made with amarillo hops...
 
We've got 7, maybe 8 going into NE First Round...
  • Octoberfest
  • IPA
  • Vanilla Bourbon Porter
  • Irish Red
  • Pale Ale
  • Standard American Lager
  • Cider
 
I'll threadcrap and say that I don't see the point of paying to have other people who don't have any idea what my process is, nor what I was trying to achieve with a brew, taste my beer. I don't really care about brewing a Pale Ale that fits someone else's concept of what a Pale Ale should taste like. Instead, I use styles as a starting point based on which I keep tweaking the recipe until I come up with what *I* think is a great beer. That's all that matters to me.

Of course, for whatever reason you guys enter your beers, I wish you good luck!
 
I have a couple beers I wouldn't mind entering, but I'm on the fence in regards to which category to enter them under.

One is a high gravity chocolate/coffee stout, and the other is a Rye IPA.

What do you guys think?
 
It kind of slipped my mind. I might enter my RIS and a Hefeweizen I'll have ready by then. I haven't done much brewing since December since Im moving at the end of the month.

I have a couple beers I wouldn't mind entering, but I'm on the fence in regards to which category to enter them under.

One is a high gravity chocolate/coffee stout, and the other is a Rye IPA.

What do you guys think?

Category 23 with Russian Imperial Stout as the base beer for the first one

I'm pretty sure Rye IPAs have to be entered as 23 right now too. Since you can only enter one beer per category, I'd do 14B and not mention the rye.
 
I'll threadcrap and say that I don't see the point of paying to have other people who don't have any idea what my process is, nor what I was trying to achieve with a brew, taste my beer. I don't really care about brewing a Pale Ale that fits someone else's concept of what a Pale Ale should taste like. Instead, I use styles as a starting point based on which I keep tweaking the recipe until I come up with what *I* think is a great beer. That's all that matters to me.

Of course, for whatever reason you guys enter your beers, I wish you good luck!
Many of us do it to learn and to improve. Everybody 'thinks' their beer is good. But if you send in your Pale Ale for example, you may get some comments that identify a slight off flavor that you never really noticed or pinpointed. Last time I sent in a Pale Ale that I thought was good they noticed a slight vegetal note that I hadn't really noticed. But I tasted that beer after reading the scoresheet and there it was. I thought that slight vegetal note was 'supposed' to be there (I hadn't identified it as a vegetal flavor). We all want to make beer that *we* think is great, this can be a tool to help us do that better. The fact that they don't know your process is irrelevant, good beer is good beer no matter the process.

I'm sure I'll send in at least a few brews but it'll just depend on what's ready and fits into a style guideline.
 
+1 to what SpanishCastleAle said. Its also pretty cool to enter the NHC since its the biggest homebrew competition in the nation.
 
Hell yeah, I'm entering a Mild, American Brown Ale (might also enter it as an Imperial Brown), and an Amber. If I manage to brew again in the next week or two I'll enter another, and I've also got a porter that is ok bottled up...can't hurt to enter it (except the $9)

I love the spirit and idea of competitions and target brewing. Think of it as target shooting/skills comp in any sport. I think people get mad about competitions when they brew something just to drink and then enter it and get shot down. But if you are up for the challenge, read the guidelines and try to nail a style. It can be a lot of fun.
 
So who does this work?

There are a number of regional competitions that form the first round of the National Homebrew Competition (NHC). You can go to the AHA website and figure out what region you are in and how to enter.

The beers are grouped into the BJCP categories and the beers that place 1-3 with a minimum score of 30 advance to the second round that is held at the National Homebrewers Conference (NHC).
 
Just want to make sure I did this right, plus I'm not sure which style of Porter (Baltic or Robust) I should use for the base style: I have a Porter (1.067 OG; 1.014 FG; ~34 IBU, ~29 SRM) that I put in a 5 gal corn whiskey barrel for a few weeks. I want to enter it in category 22C; Wood-aged beer. Under the 'Special Ingredients/Base Beer Style' I intend to write 'Corn whiskey oak barrel aged ?????? Porter'.

I actually brewed this as a Robust Porter but after reading the BJCP style guidelines it actually looks like it may be closer to a Baltic in flavor. It attenuated more than I intended and has a little alcohol warmth...plus the whiskey flavor. It's not that bitter, it has a little sweetness but not cloying. Smooth/full mouthfeel. Some caramel but not much, some roast but not much (.75# Choc + .25# RB, that's it).

The only Porter I've ever had was Deschutes Black Butte...this doesn't taste like that.;) Any help appreciated.
 
I had zero plan to enter, but I do have a barleywine that is pretty tasty and I aged it in one of those barrels as well. It was a good beer before, but now it just has one more little something extra.

What category is Black IPA/ CDA? It would be ready by then.
 
What category is Black IPA/ CDA? It would be ready by then.

Category 23. You can submit the proposed BJCP guideline along with it if you wish it to be judged accordingly.

Personally I think "IPA with some roasted malt" is enough to get it judged the way you would want but your call.
 
Whatever I have that is ready, no more than 4 or 5

I have a German Pils and Rauchbier that are/will be ready along with a Dopplebock thats almost ready.
Other than that whatever I have thats ready will go as well.

I might brew another Dunkelweizen just for this (an me) as its done well in local competitions twice now.

Had one make it to the finals last year and as was mentioned I was thrilled.
 
Just paid for my entries last night. I'm sending my APA, my Double Chocolate Oatmeal Snout and my saison. I honestly don't know if the saison is to style or not even though it's an amazingly tasty beer. For the most part, I'm just sending that one in to get the feedback on style.
 
I'm entering with my brew partner. This will be our first competition so I'm not expecting all that much but we're interested in what kind of feedback we'll get. We sent off an Imperial Brown Ale for category 23.
 
Not sure I have anything worthwhile that is ready. The Blonde is ok, but needs more time to condition, and I'm sure it has some slight faults. The IIPA got treated poorly after dry-hop and thus has a TON of crap in the bottom. The American Stout might be ok, but it just got bottled and I'm not stout expert.
 
Vienna Lager
IPA
IIPA
Imperial Stout

... not looking to win, just some feedback. I like them all, but would like another opinion.
 
3A Vienna Lager
6D American Wheat
21A Spice / Herb / Vegetable

Looking forward to critiques of all, but most interested in the 21A. I added cayenne pepper to a Mexican beer and have no idea what's acceptable so figured I'd let the judges decide if I went overboard. I like it, but my wife, not so much. Having a crowd over for Easter that will make good guinea pigs.
 
13b Sweet Stout for me. I am excited as this is my very first recipe from the ground up! I think it is ok but am looking forward to the critique more than anything.
Good luck to all!
 
Today is the first 'to-be-received-by' shipping date. Got my entries labeled, just gotta pack 'em up and ship 'em out.

Vienna Lager
ESB
Northern Brown Ale
Maibock
Dusseldorf Alt
Whiskey-barrel aged Robust Porter
 
I'll be shipping mine out tomorrow. I have the labels printed, just need to do the boxing and packaging.

I'm sending an American Barleywine, Mild, Irish Ale, and a Gruit Ale (category 23 naturally).

I'm looking forward to the feedback on the Irish Ale and the Gruit Ale. I have received good feedback on the Mild in a couple competitions recently.
 
Can you use "branded" 12oz bottles for submission?


I don't mean labels I mean the glass wording. I think all my 12oz ones are Samuel Smith and say as such via raised lettering.

Or if not...anyone know a commercial bottle that is "blank"?
 
Can you use "branded" 12oz bottles for submission?


I don't mean labels I mean the glass wording. I think all my 12oz ones are Samuel Smith and say as such via raised lettering.

Or if not...anyone know a commercial bottle that is "blank"?
My understanding is that the answer is 'no'. It has to be a plain bottle. But I just checked the 2010 AHA NHC document and it doesn't specifically say. From the 2010 AHA NHC rules document:
1. What kind of bottle is required?
BEER entries must be in bottles that are brown or green glass only, 10 to 14 ounces in volume.
MEAD and CIDER entries must be in bottles that are brown, green, or clear glass, 10 to 14
ounces in volume. All bottles must be free of ink, paint, or paper labeling other than competition
entry labels. Obliterate any lettering or graphics on the cap with a permanent black marker.
Bottles with Grölsch-type swing tops are not allowed.
Corked bottles are acceptable with the following conditions: the bottle must be 10 to 14 ounces;
flush corks must have a crown cap crimped over the cork; bottles corked with a stopper and wire
cage are also acceptable.
Odd-shaped bottles are acceptable if they meet the above requirements. Bottles not meeting the
above requirements will be disqualified.
 
That's what I took away from it too...although it doesn't explicitly state anything about raised lettering but it does state "paper labeling"

I'm probably just going to hit the store on the way home and "feel-up" bottles until I find a 4 pack of some smoothies :)
 

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