Beer Style Competition Help

[djelemenohpee]

Hi all,
not sure if this is the right forum for this but I'm NEW to competitions.
Im trying to figure out which BJCP category my Russian River Consecration "clone" falls under. anyone have any insight on this?

Also......

when entering a clone (of any style beer) do you have to name it the original name or are you meant to come up with your own?

thanks for the help

 

[Yooper]

I'd be very cautious in entering any "clone" beers, unless you nail it perfectly. And even then............no. First, you don't name the beers- you enter the category, say, American pale ale (for a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale clone). You can if you want, but the judges will see "Entry #655, Style 10A, American Pale Ale".

But if you enter a specialty category, and say, 23 Specialty Beer and say, "Arrogant Bastard Clone" (that category requires additional information on why it's in there) and you don't nail it 100% exactly- it will score poorly.

I did an AB clone quite a few years ago, and it was very good. I entered it as category 23, specialty beers, as "Imperial American Amber" and placed in the competition. It probably would have not done as well as a clone, because judges expect it to be a perfect representation of THAT beer then, not just the style.

I hope that makes sense!

 

[djelemenohpee]

deleted

 

[djelemenohpee]

I'd be very cautious in entering any "clone" beers, unless you nail it perfectly. And even then............no. First, you don't name the beers- you enter the category, say, American pale ale (for a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale clone). You can if you want, but the judges will see "Entry #655, Style 10A, American Pale Ale".

But if you enter a specialty category, and say, 23 Specialty Beer and say, "Arrogant Bastard Clone" (that category requires additional information on why it's in there) and you don't nail it 100% exactly- it will score poorly.

I did an AB clone quite a few years ago, and it was very good. I entered it as category 23, specialty beers, as "Imperial American Amber" and placed in the competition. It probably would have not done as well as a clone, because judges expect it to be a perfect representation of THAT beer then, not just the style.

I hope that makes sense!

THANK YOU for the insight!!

so i will log back in and change the names.
as for the Consecration, which is a sour beer, i cannot figure out which category it falls under.....
im afraid putting in the Specialty Beer category because then i will be going up against a lot of different styles of specialty beers right?

 

[Yooper]

THANK YOU for the insight!!

so i will log back in and change the names.
as for the Consecration, which is a sour beer, i cannot figure out which category it falls under.....
im afraid putting in the Specialty Beer category because then i will be going up against a lot of different styles of specialty beers right?

Well, Consecration is a sour- but isn't it barrel aged as well? It really doesn't fit in the Belgian sour category. How you decide where it goes is to taste it. Would you pick out cherries, or wood, or oak, etc, if you didn't know it was in there? Brett? lacto? etc. If it doesn't fit perfectly anywhere else, it goes into the specialty category.

 

[beerme70]

I'd be very cautious in entering any "clone" beers, unless you nail it perfectly. And even then............no. First, you don't name the beers- you enter the category, say, American pale ale (for a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale clone). You can if you want, but the judges will see "Entry #655, Style 10A, American Pale Ale".

But if you enter a specialty category, and say, 23 Specialty Beer and say, "Arrogant Bastard Clone" (that category requires additional information on why it's in there) and you don't nail it 100% exactly- it will score poorly.

I did an AB clone quite a few years ago, and it was very good. I entered it as category 23, specialty beers, as "Imperial American Amber" and placed in the competition. It probably would have not done as well as a clone, because judges expect it to be a perfect representation of THAT beer then, not just the style.

I hope that makes sense!

Yooper, All-Knowing, All-Seeing, I too am seeking some insight. We here in Clarksville are having an AHA event in August, and I have a question. I have a killer Raspberry Hefe that I would like to enter. I've been to the AHA website, and couldn't really find anything there on this subject. Could I enter it in the German Wheat category (15A), or would it have to be entered under Specialty Beer (23)? I know that there are a lot of general guidelines that have to be strictly followed (as the Germans are concerned) when it comes to any German style, and I was wondering if that translates into brewing competitions as well.

 

[Yooper]

Yooper, All-Knowing, All-Seeing, I too am seeking some insight. We here in Clarksville are having an AHA event in August, and I have a question. I have a killer Raspberry Hefe that I would like to enter. I've been to the AHA website, and couldn't really find anything there on this subject. Could I enter it in the German Wheat category (15A), or would it have to be entered under Specialty Beer (23)? I know that there are a lot of general guidelines that have to be strictly followed (as the Germans are concerned) when it comes to any German style, and I was wondering if that translates into brewing competitions as well.

If you have color or flavor from the raspberries, it needs to go into 20- Fruit beer.

In the regular hefeweizen category, it would score very poorly if the raspberries are noticeable.

In order to score well in BJCP competitions, you have to nail the style guidelines exactly. Read over the hefeweizen description, and then the fruit beer description, and see where it fits.

Fruit beer: http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style20.php
Hefeweizen: http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style15.php#1a

 

[lazarwolf]

Ok, Chiming in. Ive been reading the progress of the thread and yoopers fantastic advice. I have to give some advice of my own. After 20 plus years and many contests, some victories and some heartaches.

First, competition is for fun. It doesn't tell you how good your beer is, it tells you how well it represents a style. I have made some great beers, that I knew were great, that my local club guys thought were great... that stunk it up in competition. So if your goal is to win contests, work on perfectly representing that style with a delicious recipe.

Second, if your goal is winning, you must always question why you want to win, and what you can do to improve your beer. Seek out experienced brewers to try your beer. Listen not only to those who like your beer, but even more so to those who think it can be improved. If you're not in a club, join one.

Above all else remember that your tastebuds tell you if a beer is good, a contest tells you if it represents a recognized style well.

 

[beerme70]

Ok, Chiming in. Ive been reading the progress of the thread and yoopers fantastic advice. I have to give some advice of my own. After 20 plus years and many contests, some victories and some heartaches.

First, competition is for fun. It doesn't tell you how good your beer is, it tells you how well it represents a style. I have made some great beers, that I knew were great, that my local club guys thought were great... that stunk it up in competition. So if your goal is to win contests, work on perfectly representing that style with a delicious recipe.

Second, if your goal is winning, you must always question why you want to win, and what you can do to improve your beer. Seek out experienced brewers to try your beer. Listen not only to those who like your beer, but even more so to those who think it can be improved. If you're not in a club, join one.

Above all else remember that your tastebuds tell you if a beer is good, a contest tells you if it represents a recognized style well.

Well put. The main reason for me wanting to enter a competition is to get some good, unbiased feedback more than anything else. I always get positive feedback from family and friends, and they all would be the first to tell me if it stunk. I would like to see how mine might compare to others in a given category. Don't get me wrong...winning would be pretty cool too, but that's not the main reason.

 

[beerme70]

If you have color or flavor from the raspberries, it needs to go into 20- Fruit beer.

In the regular hefeweizen category, it would score very poorly if the raspberries are noticeable.

In order to score well in BJCP competitions, you have to nail the style guidelines exactly. Read over the hefeweizen description, and then the fruit beer description, and see where it fits.

Fruit beer: http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style20.php
Hefeweizen: http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style15.php#1a

My hefe maintains the traditional coloring, and the flavoring is provided by using extract (which I know is taboo in some circles). The flavor and aroma are present, but by no means in the forefront. There is still the distinct banana-esque characteristic, heady, medium body, and extremely refreshing.

 

[lazarwolf]

cool, have fun! make sure not to drink up all your contest beer.

 

[djelemenohpee]

thank you all for your help. i too and just trying to become a better brewer. i just want to know what category to enter the beers in so i can get judges who are experienced in tasting, judging, and ultimately giving great feedback on the style.

though i do agree........ winning or even placing would be so cool

 

[lazarwolf]

It's a great feeling. But, and I think others will echo this sentiment, the best feeling is after you really learn what you're doing and you can make exactly what you want how you want. That's when you're ready to experiment. My advice is brew your contest bet over and over. Till you've really got it down. Remember most contest guys are really advanced. They generally tailor their water to the beer they're brewing, and they source ridiculously fresh quality ingredients. Contests can get expensive. Good luck.