BJCP Releases 2021 Beer Style Guidelines

[dmtaylor]

And away we go.

https://www.bjcp.org/news/bjcp-rele...rus6n_6anxVMwrYE7xu__h0Yxwxdom6JKGrNmS-1RmVis

 

[Witherby]

The addition of Kellerbier to the 2015 guidelines was clumsy and confusing, but I don’t see how moving it to historical beer makes any more sense. And if you have ever been to Franconia it sure as hell isn’t correct that it had “all but died out.” I’m going to keep brewing Kellerbier (I’m brewing one tomorrow) but I feel like it would be a waste of time to enter it in competitions, especially when the description of amber Kellerbier seems to describe a bigger maltier beer than what I remember drinking. I’m aiming for drier and hoppier than a Märzen, not “richer and more robust.” Mahrs Ungespundet is a 1.052 beer which is lower gravity than the bottom of the Märzen range. The description makes no sense.

 

[MaxStout]

Looks like minor changes, compared to the big reorganization in the jump from 2008 to 2015. The addition of Hazy IPA, and the breakout subcategories of Specialty IPAs were obvious choices for updating the list. A few other tweaks, like adding a Straight Sour, Grape Ale, and combining the two previous Kellerbiers (pale and amber) into one and putting it into the Historical category.

(Note to self: I should brew a Kellerbier. Sounds intriguing.)

I haven't had time to do more than skim the category list; I'll have to dig in to see if they adjusted the parameters of any of the styles, like for gravity, color, IBUs, etc.

 

[dmtaylor]

In 2015, the color specs for Brown IPA and Red IPA were identical. Fortunately for the no one who enters either of these categories, this has finally been fixed.

I'm pleased to see they replaced "Trappist" with either "Monastic" or "Belgian". BJCP had no business throwing around the term "Trappist" willy-nilly.

 

[Bramling Cross]

The addition of Kellerbier to the 2015 guidelines was clumsy and confusing, but I don’t see how moving it to historical beer makes any more sense. And if you have ever been to Franconia it sure as hell isn’t correct that it had “all but died out.” I’m going to keep brewing Kellerbier (I’m brewing one tomorrow) but I feel like it would be a waste of time to enter it in competitions, especially when the description of amber Kellerbier seems to describe a bigger maltier beer than what I remember drinking. I’m aiming for drier and hoppier than a Märzen, not “richer and more robust.” Mahrs Ungespundet is a 1.052 beer which is lower gravity than the bottom of the Märzen range. The description makes no sense.

I agree. Why does Kellerbier even have to be a style? While I'm no expert on the subject, I have read the available literature with interest and it strikes me that a better argument could be made that Kellerbier is more of a method than a style.

 

[duelerx]

I would like to know what history sections have been updated and reviewed by Ron Pattinson.