Competition recipes...do you copy and tweak from here?

[01Ryan10]

When brewing a beer for competition, do you take a recipe from here and submit? Do you tweak it a little to "make it your own?"

I'm not sure of the etiquette, since I just started brewing, but I'm assuming the approach of plagiarism if you copy a recipe from the internet and submit it as your own even if you have some minor tweaks.

The only thing I can think of that would make it OK to submit a copied recipe is that a huge part in the quality and taste of the beer is the process of making it. Two people can make the same exact recipe with much greater differences.

What say you all?

 

[McGarnigle]

I don't know how many truly original recipes are out there. I suspect most of the ones in the database here are just tweaks of something else. You say "submit it as your own" but unless a competition explicitly says so, I don't think there's any rule about using only your own recipe.

You can buy a beer kit, brew it, and submit it. People do this often. I wouldn't have a problem with doing the same with a recipe, except that (a) I would find it more personally satisfying to add my own touches and (b) I would admit to it, maybe just by posting a reply that you brewed this for a comp and scored well.

If it were something like Sam Adams' Longshot competition, then I would only use my own recipe.

 

[JonGrafto]

Unless it is a clone recipe, I tend to take a recipe an tweak it to my liking. You do pose a good assessment that processes involved will create a different beer. Temperature, yeast quantity, and even the water contents will create differences.

 

[JR_Brewer]

a huge part in the quality and taste of the beer is the process of making it. Two people can make the same exact recipe with much greater differences.

This kind of sums it up, the skill of the brewer will have more impact on winning a competition than the recipe. Also, the whole point of posting recipes here is to share knowledge. If it's posted, it's fair game.

However, if you want to be a stand up guy, you could always PM the brewer who posted the recipe and ask.

 

[01Ryan10]

Ok...thanks for the replies.

 

[bob1852]

Give 10 people the same recipe and you'll wind up with 10 different tasting beers based on so many factors...

1) water chemistry
2) yeast management
3) fermentation temps
4) OG/FG
5) chilling methods
6) wort volume
7) ingredient age
8) hop age
9) IBU differences
10) crush
11) conversion efficiency
12) lauter efficiency
13) equipment loss/deadspace differences
14) pH
15) boil off rates


etc, etc, etc...

 

[Braufessor]

There are almost no really original recipes.... especially if you are "brewing to style" - Brewing a beer to style (which is exactly what you are doing in a competition for almost all categories) REQUIRES you to basically "copy" recipes. If you are brewing a lager, how exactly would anyone come up with a "new" way of doing it and still have it be a lager?

Also, if someone has posted their recipe on line, I think they are essentially giving permission for it to be used.

Brewing beer is 1 part starting out with a solid recipe and about 3 parts what you do with water, process, temperatures, etc. after that. (As AZ IPA pointed out above).

That said, I think that if you do use a recipe that someone posted and do well with it, they would appreciate hearing that you had success, or if you tweaked it, what you did. I enjoy hearing feedback on recipes I give out - especially if someone finds a way to make it better. So, giving credit, is a decent thing to do.

That said - I would say that 75% of my competition brews start out with a recipe from "Brewing Classic Styles." I often recommend this book as a starting point to others who are interested in "Brewing to style" for competitions. You know you will be in the ball park right away. From there, you can tweak them to suit the results you are looking for.

The only unique recipes I have really come up with in 400+ batches of beer were actually not particularly unique..... I just happened to think of them and put them together, only to see that others had arrived at basically the same thing as I had at other points in time.

Basically, I don't think you could actually come up with an "original" recipe and still actually brew a beer in any of the basic styles.

 

[C-Rider]

I pick a style and then go to "Designing Better Beer" and see what grains/hops people use and what % used but not amounts.
Then I open Beer Smith and start plugging in items until my recipe match the BJCP Guidelines. I also see from there what grains/hops people use.
Since my dad was born in Germany I've been making "German" brews of other styles. I'll take guidelines for an American IPA and use German grain/hops/yeast.
I've never "copied" a recipe and twiked it.
Like to think I'm a little original.

 

[greatschmaltez]

Agree with above... How many ways can you make a Munich Helles. I think competitions are really a measure of how good of a brewer you are with respect to technique and process control. Most of my deductions have come from a fault in the beer that could have been prevented by better technique, example: tannins... Things that can't really be helped or hurt by a different recipe.