Sorry Scott for your loss of awesomeness. I really thought that was going to happen to my brew. I didnt use a blow off tube, kinda just watched it like a sick child for a few hours. Replaced the airlock a few dozen times to keep it from exploding.
Today in the mail I received my scoresheet from the Consumers Beverage Homebrew Competition. Its pretty much exactly what I expected. Ive only been brewing for a year when I brewed this recipe. I was entry number 133. I entered it in 14C Imperial IPA catergory. The judges wrote in pencil and the font is too small to photo. So this is what each said.
Judge 1
BJCP rank: Certified
Bottle Inspection: Ok. Bottle began to slowly gush after 2 mins.
Aroma: 5/12
Low hop aroma, some low bready malts and moderate nutyness. A slight sour-cherry aroma which may be indicative of oxidation. No esters, diacetyl or DMS.
Appearance: 3/3
Golden color with good clarity. Thick off-white head with good stand persists. And is creamy.
Flavor: 10/20
High malt flavor up front, honey-like, some caramel sweetness. Hop flavor is low and piney and citrusy. high bitterness follows and dries out finish. No esters, diacetyl or DMS. Sour cherry note from aroma not present here. Balanced to bitterness. Very slightly nutty.
Mouthfeel: 4/5
Medium-full body and slightly astringent from bitterness and alcohol. Lightly creamy texture and high alcohol warmth but not hot or solventy.
Overall Impression: 6/10
Overall this is a decent Imperial IPA! It could benefit from lower overall bitterness and more hop aroma/flavor. Cherry aroma and nuttiness suggest oxidation from age. Thanks for this entry, cheers!
Total 28/50
Judge 2
BJCP rank: Recognized
Aroma: 6/12
Low caramel maltiness and low fruit. Not much hops, looking for that!
Appearance: 3/3
Amber-orange, clear pour with full white head of firm bubbles that lasts. Bottle was slight gusher.
Flavor: 9/20
Caramel malt, not much hop flavor, middle of flavor is hijacked by a soapy taste, very bitter, midly astrigent at finish.
Mouthfeel: 2/5
Low-medium body, med-high carbonation. Some alcohol warming, a little creamy with soapy finish.
Overall Impression: 5/10
Major flaw is soapy taste-may have gotten oxidized somewhere along the way. Hop aroma and flavor was low for this style, or too old. Good effort- Keep at it!
Total: 25/50
So my final score was 26.5 (good). I didnt give the judges any info on my beer. I dont know if that would have hurt/helped me. I wanted them to judge it from just the experience. What I think I have learned from this is when I bottle I have to pay attention to my final racked beer yield. I've noticed im actually bottling with the amount of priming sugar I would use for 5 gallons but actually having less in the end. Ive enjoyed every taste that I have cracked open since its been brewed. I can see that the beer is old for the style since I really enjoyed it young but I do appreciate it more now as its aged. I think the first judge was more informative compared to the second judge. I dont understand what soapy means. Is it my StarSan? Im also curious how to get less bitterness and more flavor and aroma out of my beer since both judges commented on this. If I were to do it again with continuosly hopping my wort would I just add less high alpha hops later in the boil and bumping up the lower ones? Plus using less lower alpha acid hops in the early stages? Just some thoughts.
Either way its my first competition and finally some input from people other than my friends. Im happy with the results and leaves me with some knowledge of what to work on my future brewing.
Cheers.
