Chances for a rauchbier in a competition?

[cactusgarrett]

Just curious as to anyone's experience:

I've got a local competition coming up in May, and it's open to BJCP categories 1-16 and 18-23. I've got a rauchbier that i, personally, REALLY love, but i don't know how suited it is for this competition. It seems that, being a very polarizing style, a rauchbier wouldn't have much chance to make it to the BoS round (which would be my ultimate goal).

The competition itself:
Two beers are to be chosen for the Best of Show round, where the entrants would get the opportunity to brew their recipe at a local brewpub. The ultimate winner, then, will be chosen based on sales at the brewpub. The only restrictions are that no sour beers can be entered, no maturation times >6months, nor the cost of specialty ingredients can be >$10/5gal batch.

Does anyone have any experience with entering a rauchbier, or other polarizing styles for that matter, into "popularity" driven competitions such as this? Is it worth entering ($5 fee)? Typically i just enter local competitions for the BJCP experienced judge feedback, but I'd love to brew in a local joint...

 

[pwndabear]

i say why not? it'll only cost you $5 to have your beer entered into a contest where the worst thing that can happen is them not choose your beer.

GO FOR IT!

as for "popularity," be aware that the general masses don't think of beer like us homebrewers so they may taste this smokey beer and be like "uhhhh, no." but if thats the case, just take solace in knowing that they can enjoy their bud all they want as long as you get to drink your good beer.

 

[cactusgarrett]

Yeah, i planned on entering it regardless, since i like the experienced feedback. I just didn't know what to expect with regards to THAT specific style moving through the competition part of the competition.

 

[rhoadsrage]

It depends if it is a rauchbier (22A) or an other smoked beer (22B). I love rauchbiers with the alder smoke characteristics, but the peat smoked beers always taste like band-aids and that is one of the few flavors I can't stand in beer.

best of luck.

 

[Misplaced_Canuck]

Takes a good set of judge, but obviously it's quite possible:

http://colonial.homebrewcomp.com/colonial/TCC2011Results.html

3rd BOS for our homebrew club!

M_C

 

[Dunerunner]

Had a great Rouchbier at AHA in Oakland three years ago. My smoked just won in a recent competition.

Go for it!

 

[driver8rws]

Just won 2nd place (missed 1st by 1point) in the BEST OF SHOW round in a local competition for a CLASSIC Rauchbier made with 50% Rauchmaltz !!

 

[driver8rws]

And with that SAME beer, won the whole damn BEST OF SHOW in the Milwaukee Beer Barons ALL GERMAN competition in August !!!

The Milwaukee Brewing Company is going to BREW THE BEER !!!

 

[driver8rws]

And with that SAME beer, won the whole damn BEST OF SHOW in the Milwaukee Beer Barons ALL GERMAN competition in August !!!

The Milwaukee Brewing Company is going to BREW THE BEER !!!

Went and brewed 400 gallons up in Milwaukee in late April.
The beer was released the last weekend of May.
People are loving it !!

https://plus.google.com/u/0/106612507429412633740/posts/Uu2DDEQsy9t

and

https://plus.google.com/u/0/106612507429412633740/posts/ZkPtDEejA7g

 

[passedpawn]

Went and brewed 400 gallons up in Milwaukee in late April.
The beer was released the last weekend of May.
People are loving it !!

https://plus.google.com/u/0/106612507429412633740/posts/Uu2DDEQsy9t

and

https://plus.google.com/u/0/106612507429412633740/posts/ZkPtDEejA7g

Nice work!

OK, where's the recipe?

 

[Misplaced_Canuck]

Nice work!

OK, where's the recipe?

X2!!! How about a recipe?

MC

 

[SpeedYellow]

Went and brewed 400 gallons up in Milwaukee in late April.
The beer was released the last weekend of May.
People are loving it !!

https://plus.google.com/u/0/106612507429412633740/posts/Uu2DDEQsy9t

and

https://plus.google.com/u/0/106612507429412633740/posts/ZkPtDEejA7g

So your write up says "all German malts" yet we see bags of Briess alongside your Weyermann malt. Someone's got some 'splainin to do!

Glad to hear some acceptance for my favorite home-brew style. But the reality is a LOT of folks, especially the BMC crowd, are highly turned off by the flavor and even the idea of it. So it simply doesn't have the broad appeal, even if it's amazing. (Which is part of the reason I love it, just as I love station wagons)

 

[passedpawn]

So your write up says "all German malts" yet we see bags of Briess alongside your Weyermann malt. Someone's got some 'splainin to do!

I can't exactly explain why it looks like hop pellets coming out of those Briess bags, but I guess it might explain the bags. Maybe.

Those are pellets, right? Or, camera/lighting trickery?

 

[SpeedYellow]

Lol, ok I can accept that!

Now let's see that recipe.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Does anyone have any experience with entering a rauchbier, or other polarizing styles for that matter, into "popularity" driven competitions such as this?

Depends how it's judged. If it's judged to find the "two favorite beers", you might not do as well. If it's judged like a typical BJCP competition, where each beer is judged specifically as a representation of its style, you could win cat 22 and advance to the BOS round based on that specifically. And if the judges are BJCP judges and understand the process, you could even win BOS. One of my homebrew club buddies just won BOS in a comp for a Schwarzbier, so "oddball" styles are certainly not impediments.

 

[driver8rws]

I can't exactly explain why it looks like hop pellets coming out of those Briess bags, but I guess it might explain the bags. Maybe.

Those are pellets, right? Or, camera/lighting trickery?

Yep. Those are DEFINITELY hop pellets...
And yes. That is what the two Briess bags are in the picture where I am showing off all the malts.

As far as the recipe it was pretty much Jamil's Rauchbier recipe from Brewing Classic Styles with the Rauchmaltz cranked up to 50%.
Fermentation temp is the IMPORTANT part...

 

[Cyclman]

A rauchbier is on my "to brew" list. I love smoking up my own pork shoulders, is rauchier as good with BBQ as it sounds?

How bout with a nice cigar?