What category is my beer?

I just learned there's a homebrew competition in my area and I thought I'd drop an entry. Had I known earlier, I would have brewed something specifically to enter but I just found out about this today and the entry date is in 2 weeks.
The only beer I have ready now is a variation of a recipe I found here. I basically took the recipe and super sized it.
The beer is a pale ale, ABV 8.5% with coriander and sweet orange peel.
The comp has a fruit category, a spice category and pale ale category. Which one is mine?

I would stay away from pale ale. I would look at either the spice or fruit depending on what is more pronounced. But I have a horrid record at these events so do the pale ale.

Does this competition have a misc category (ie bjcp 23), because that is the first thing that came to me. Otherwise, which is stronger the fruit or the spice? http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style23.php

You could argue for either spice or pale, depending on how much coriander and orange peel it has. It's not a fruit beer.

Best bet is to contact the organizers and get their input on whether or not coriander and orange peel DQ it for the pale ale category. Otherwise it's probably your decision.

jerryboy said:

Does this competition have a misc category (ie bjcp 23), because that is the first thing that came to me. Otherwise, which is stronger the fruit or the spice? http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style23.php

Click to expand...

No misc category. Both the orange peel and the coriander a pretty subtle. Here's the spice category:

Division 621 – Spice/Herb/ Vegetable Beer
Class A: Spice, Herb or Vegetable
• You must specify the underlying beer style as well as the type of spices, herbs, or vegetables used. You must specify the beer style, whether it is a classic style (e.g. American Wheat) or a general style (e.g. “wheat ale”). The type of spices, herbs, or vegetables must also be specified.

FatDragon said:

You could argue for either spice or pale, depending on how much coriander and orange peel it has. It's not a fruit beer.

Best bet is to contact the organizers and get their input on whether or not coriander and orange peel DQ it for the pale ale category. Otherwise it's probably your decision.

Click to expand...

Yeah, it says DQ if you enter in the wrong category. They're also discouraging any contact.

I guess I'll go with the spice category and hope for the best.

mwiggi1 said:

I would stay away from pale ale. I would look at either the spice or fruit depending on what is more pronounced. But I have a horrid record at these events so do the pale ale.

Click to expand...

Both are pretty subtle. But really, i just want to see the scorecard in hopes of getting some constructive criticism.

Michael311 said:

Yeah, it says DQ if you enter in the wrong category. They're also discouraging any contact.

I guess I'll go with the spice category and hope for the best.

Click to expand...

Are they following a published set of guidelines like BJCP or have they at least published their own? If they're DQ'ing for improper categorization and they're not answering questions, one would expect that their categories ought to be clearly laid out somewhere.

Either way, "spiced" is the safest bet - coriander and orange peel are spices, so if they're in the beer it's a spiced beer. Depending on the categorization, a competition might allow a lightly spiced pale in the pale category if the spices are not a major feature of the beer, but if they're being sticklers, they shouldn't be able to justify a DQ if you enter it in the spiced beer category.

FatDragon said:

Are they following a published set of guidelines like BJCP or have they at least published their own? If they're DQ'ing for improper categorization and they're not answering questions, one would expect that their categories ought to be clearly laid out somewhere.

Either way, "spiced" is the safest bet - coriander and orange peel are spices, so if they're in the beer it's a spiced beer. Depending on the categorization, a competition might allow a lightly spiced pale in the pale category if the spices are not a major feature of the beer, but if they're being sticklers, they shouldn't be able to justify a DQ if you enter it in the spiced beer category.

Click to expand...

I'm actually thinking I'm going to enter it the pale ale category. The spiced category clearly states the spices should be prominent in the aroma and hops should be in the back seat. My beer is not that. It's Casacde heavy and the coriander and orange peel is subtle at best.

Is the the OC Fair?

You want Division 623 Specialty Beer.

This competition uses BJCP guidelines, just names the categories strangely, and given what you're describing that is where I would go. You could also go for the Spice/Herb/Vegetable category. Given the strength alone, I wouldn't enter as a Pale Ale.

Qhrumphf said:

Is the the OC Fair?

You want Division 623 Specialty Beer.

This competition uses BJCP guidelines, just names the categories strangely, and given what you're describing that is where I would go. You could also go for the Spice/Herb/Vegetable category. Given the strength alone, I wouldn't enter as a Pale Ale.

Click to expand...

Yep, OC Fair.

Okay then. 623. The whole thing is making me wonder if I should even do it. As a brewer, I simply want to make a great tasting beer not necessarily something that conforms to a particular style. I was hoping for some constructive criticism, being a new brewer, like "you should add more gypsum or try a mash out on that one" but maybe I'm hoping for too much.

Thanks though.

Yeah, your feedback will be related to the style you enter it in.

If the beer doesn't fit well into a style that is being judged, you likely won't get much helpful feedback overall.

In this case, I think the spice category is most appropriate, but maybe consider mentioning the base style is IPA (given the ABV%).

Michael311 said:

Yep, OC Fair.

Okay then. 623. The whole thing is making me wonder if I should even do it. As a brewer, I simply want to make a great tasting beer not necessarily something that conforms to a particular style. I was hoping for some constructive criticism, being a new brewer, like "you should add more gypsum or try a mash out on that one" but maybe I'm hoping for too much.

Click to expand...

You might as well enter it; category 23 seems like the best fit. Say that it's an "imperial pale ale, with coriander and orange peel", or something like that. The description is almost as important as the beer itself. 8.5% ABV is way too high to enter as a pale ale, which leaves you with entering it as a DIPA, an old ale, a barleywine, or something like a Belgian tripel or golden strong ale. I don't think there are any other categories for a pale beer with that kind of ABV, and the styles I just mentioned probably are inappropriate for your beer. The description for category 23 says to enter either low or high abv of other beer styles there, so it seems like your category.