Beer judging question for those that participate.

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ewbish

ewbish

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I often read threads on here about some of you folks that enter these various competitions and such. It seems that for the most part, they bottle from kegs? Is this the norm? Is it not acceptable to enter naturally carb'd brew to be judged?

If one does send a naturally carb'd brew.....do the judges tend to score them lower? Do the the hosts of the competition make sure the brew is chilled beforehand, and the yeast settled prior to the judging? If they simply pull it out of the box it was shipped in, and throw it on the table....one would expect naturally carb'd brews to automatically take a hit on clarity?

I'm just wondering......I've never done such a thing, and am kind of curious as to how this works.
 
I keg because it's easier for me. I bottle off my coompetition entries. I think, in terms of competitions, I'm in the minority.

I think the general consensus is that most homebrew in a competition is bottle conditioned. The judges and stewards understand that and know how to handle, store, and pour properly.
 
People enter both kegged and bottle carbed beers. People send the beer they make. They will get scored on the proper carb for the style of your beer, so make sure you know what carb is appropriate.

They chill the beer to proper temp I imagine. It's different for some styles than others. As far as yeast sediment, I'm not sure, but I hope that anyone who is hosting a tasting and/or contest knows not to shake homebrew up that much. That said, if it's being shipped, it's out of your hands. I wouldn't worry about it.

Usually when the receive beer, someone takes the label (usually a white piece of paper with minimum info rubber banded to the bottle) and assigns the bottle a number. That way the judges dont' know who's beer is whose, but they can cross reference it back to the label later.
 
A good competition will have the bottles properly stored and handled. The stewards will be instructed how to pour, leaving the yeast in the bottle. A lot of people bottle condition and that should not be considered a detriment to the beer at all.
 
I've stewarded two years of AWOG (the WNY competition), and while I'm not sure if most of them are bottled or kegged, I generally only decant 1/2-2/3 of a bottle anyway to avoid sediment. If it goes to a mini best of show or the judges want more and they get the dregs, they know to compensate for that.

You might take a hit in clarity, but it wouldn't necessarily be because of mishandling; my beers never cleared up totally. Appearance is only 3 points though, so even if you get dinged by a Low Scoring Bastard it'd be one point, tops.
 
Interesting. So, how about one off beers.......beers that don't conform to a specific style? Is there a category for this?
 
Since the majority of homebrewers bottle, and the judges tend to be homebrewers, the judges know how to judge a beer.....bottle conditioned or otherwise...

Do you something think bottle conditioned beer is somehow "less than" bottled beers from a keg...Many would actually think otherwise...

You might find this useful https://www.homebrewtalk.com/979987-post2.html

Here's a whole discussion on competitions from yesterday.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/entering-competitions-some-qs-115105/

You will find many of your questions addressed.
 
ewbish said:
Interesting. So, how about one off beers.......beers that don't conform to a specific style? Is there a category for this?
Click to expand...

Category 23- Speciality :)

I've been entering a number of beers in this category because they are 'historic' formulations that don't fit into the benchmark of the style very neatly. For example, I'm brewing a historic porter that is off the charts for either a brown or robust poster.
 
http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/catdex.php

23. SPECIALTY BEER

This is explicitly a catch-all category for any beer that does not fit into an existing style category. No beer is ever “out of style” in this category, unless it fits elsewhere.
The category is intended for any type of beer, including the following techniques or ingredients:
  • Unusual techniques (e.g., steinbier, ice/eis beers)
  • Unusual fermentables (e.g., maple syrup, honey, molasses, sorghum)
  • Unusual adjuncts (e.g., oats, rye, buckwheat, potatoes)
  • Combinations of other style categories (e.g., India Brown Ale, fruit-and-spice beers, smoked spiced beers)
  • Out-of-style variations of existing styles (e.g., low alcohol versions of other styles, extra-hoppy beers, “imperial” strength beers)
  • Historical, traditional or indigenous beers (e.g., Louvain Peetermann, Sahti, vatted Porter with Brettanomyces, Colonial Spruce or Juniper beers, Kvass, Grätzer)
  • American-style interpretations of European styles (e.g., hoppier, stronger, or ale versions of lagers) or other variants of traditional styles
  • Clones of specific commercial beers that aren’t good representations of existing styles
  • Any experimental beer that a brewer creates, including any beer that simply does not evaluate well against existing style definitions
This category can also be used as an “incubator” for any minor world beer style (other than Belgians) for which there is currently no BJCP category. If sufficient interest exists, some of these minor styles might be promoted to full styles in the future. Some styles that fall into this grouping include:
  • Honey Beers (not Braggots)
  • Wiess (cloudy, young Kölsch)
  • Sticke Altbier
  • Münster Altbier
  • Imperial Porter
  • Classic American Cream Ale
  • Czech Dark Lager
  • English Pale Mild
  • Scottish 90/-
  • American Stock Ale
  • English Strong Ale
  • Non-alcoholic “Beer”
  • Kellerbier
  • Malt Liquor
  • Australian Sparkling Ale
  • Imperial/Double Red Ale
  • Imperial/Double Brown Ale
  • Rye IPA
  • Dark American Wheat/Rye
Note that certain other specialty categories exist in the guidelines. Belgian Specialties or clones of specific Belgian beers should be entered in Category 16E. Christmas-type beers should be entered in Category 21B (unless they are Belgian Christmas-type beers; these should be entered in 16E). Beers with only one type of fruit, spice, herbs, vegetables, or smoke should be entered in Categories 20-22. Specialty meads or ciders should be entered in their respective categories (26C for meads, 28D for ciders).
Click to expand...

16E. Belgian Specialty Ale
This is a catch-all category for any Belgian-style beer not fitting any other Belgian style category. The category can be used for clones of specific beers (e.g., Orval, La Chouffe); to produce a beer fitting a broader style that doesn’t have its own category; or to create an artisanal or experimental beer of the brewer’s own choosing (e.g., strong Belgian golden ale with spices, something unique). Creativity is the only limit in brewing but the entrants must identify what is special about their entry. This category may be used as an “incubator” for recognized styles for which there is not yet a formal BJCP category. Some styles falling into this classification include:
  • Blond Trappist table beer
  • Artisanal Blond
  • Artisanal Amber
  • Artisanal Brown
  • Belgian-style Barleywines
  • Trappist Quadrupels
  • Belgian Spiced Christmas Beers
  • Belgian Stout
  • Belgian IPA
  • Strong and/or Dark Saison
  • Fruit-based Flanders Red/Brown
The judges must understand the brewer’s intent in order to properly judge an entry in this category. THE BREWER MUST SPECIFY EITHER THE BEER BEING CLONED, THE NEW STYLE BEING PRODUCED OR THE SPECIAL INGREDIENTS OR PROCESSES USED. Additional background information on the style and/or beer may be provided to judges to assist in the judging, including style parameters or detailed descriptions of the beer. Beers fitting other Belgian categories should not be entered in this category.
Click to expand...
Might also check these as well.
 
carnevoodoo said:
Depends. There is a belgian specialty category and then a specialty beer category that will cover both.
Click to expand...

Ahhhh, ok. I got to wondering about this today........mostly the naturally carb'd beer thing. Mostly because I was thinking after reading another thread her today......if I was going to enter a competition........I'd rather naturally carb/bottle condition the beer instead of bottling from a keg. Just because.....it seems to me (and no offense intended to kegging guys), that then it becomes kind of an "unknown" on how your brew tastes after being in a bottle for a while. Anyhoo, interesting topic of discussion.
 
You should certainly never be marked off because your beer was bottle conditioned. Natural carbonation is just as valid of a way as force carbonation so long as either one ends up at the right level for the style.

I typically keg my beers, but I have won a gold medal with a bottle conditioned beer as well.
 
Ha, I saw the question and thought '23A!'

It'd be better as 23E, but there are no Discordians in the BJCP upper echelon...

When entering, make sure you have the right style. A great beer in the wrong category will do poorly (a judge told me my cider was pretty good, but it was a New England and not a standard and so he had to score me low)
 
Sigafoos said:
Ha, I saw the question and thought '23A!'

It'd be better as 23E, but there are no Discordians in the BJCP upper echelon...
Click to expand...

Don't forget 23 skiddoo....

pope-card.jpg


My copy of Principia is so old it is this version...I got it in 85 I think....

126163_f260.jpg
 
6360312-bbc05504353d9fbae189fe26f7d18655.49ef72d2-scaled.jpg


Been in my wallet for years!

Back on topic, slightly, as of last night I have a kegging setup (woo, and <3 HBT chat for helping) and while last year I saved a bottle of everything for AWOG, this year it seems like if I toss something into a bottle from a keg it won't last as long. Maybe. Of course I have no equipment, but I might look into BM's doohicky (it was BM, right?)
 

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