So I just got a score sheet back from a homebrew competition and. . .

[rjschroed]

I got a 29 on a christmas ale brewed with ginger, cinnamon, and honey which isn't bad but isn't great. The thing is, the judges marked me down for
1) "young fermented honey character"
and
2) "Honey selection (wildflower?) clashes with spice aroma - clover or orange blossom would work better."

So, here is why I think these two things are certifiably insane:
1) I used just 1lb of honey (7% of total fermentables) and this was brewed 6 months ago. Is it even possible that this "young fermented honey character" ever existed?

2) I actually used the orange blossom honey he referred to. I appreciate the feedback but that kind of left me scratching my head as to what I should try using next time.

I will tell you that this beer has picked up a slight oxidation sitting in the bottle for 5 months but it isn't anything over the top. The judge who suggested I use orange blossom or clover honey actually noticed this. Is it possible that the first judge was mistaking young fermented honey for oxidation?

I'm not disappointed in the score by any means just confused as to what to make of the feedback I got.

 

[bob1852]

Judges taste your beer and compare it to a known style. They often need to make assumptions about your ingredients and processes bases on what they are perceiving and tasting, and attempt to provide feedback based on that.

Don't read too much, or too little, into judging comments.

 

[KraphtBier]

I'm friends with a cicerone and aspiring bjcp judge. I will tell you now that my palette is better than his when it comes to beer (he is also a chef so he crushes me on food stuff). Not all those judges have the best grasp of what they are actually experiencing on the tongue. Remember that we are all just people and therefore prone to error and have different preferences for flavor profiles. I'm sure that your beer was good (send me a sample and I will tell you for sure ). Best of luck next time mate!

 

[rjschroed]

the beer wasn't perfect and I know that. No problem with any of the judges opinions at all. . . just confused as to how to translate that feedback into better beer and was hoping maybe someone could translate it for me or see it from a different perspective. Thanks for the support guys.

 

[barrooze]

It's not the judges place to assume they know your recipe. Their job is to record what they taste, not what ingredients they think they're tasting. I'm by no means an expert, but I've listened to enough ranting from people I'd call Experts (Jamil, Tasty, etc.).

Try submitting the beer to a couple other comps, see if those judges give similar feedback. If the general consensus is the "wrong" honey selection and young fermentation character, then yes, the beer has those qualities, but if the next batch of sheets is completely different, then you may want to disregard the sheets you just got back. Best of luck!

 

[rjschroed]

It's not the judges place to assume they know your recipe. Their job is to record what they taste, not what ingredients they think they're tasting. I'm by no means an expert, but I've listened to enough ranting from people I'd call Experts (Jamil, Tasty, etc.).

Try submitting the beer to a couple other comps, see if those judges give similar feedback. If the general consensus is the "wrong" honey selection and young fermentation character, then yes, the beer has those qualities, but if the next batch of sheets is completely different, then you may want to disregard the sheets you just got back. Best of luck!

I actually felt the same way after listening to plenty of ranting on the BN. I was satisfied with the feedback I got on the other beers I'd enter, except for the one where there was sediment on a cap? how the hell did that happen? I don't know but it makes me wonder how my beers were handled. I don't know if I want to enter this particular beer in any more competitions, I'm drinking one tonight and it is certainly passed prime. Generally, it seems like I should maybe just chalk both of those score sheets up to a large grain of salt. I'll brew it again sometime and send it in again and see what the hell happens I guess.

 

[adamreef]

barrooze is right on the money. It is a cardinal sin of judging (I used to be a national BJCP judge) to make assumptions about the recipe (extract vs. all grain, hop varieties, honey variety, etc.). That judge justifiably wrecked his or her own credibility by making a comment like that.

Moreover, it takes some brass cajones for anyone think that they could tell the difference between varieties of honey in a spiced ale which makes that comment all the more absurd.

While I believe that entering competitions is a valuable source of feedback, the caveat is the occasional silly comment like this one.

Adam

 

[ReDim]

The only true judge to what you brew is you !

If you like it, who cares what some idiot says?

 

[rjschroed]

The only true judge to what you brew is you !

If you like it, who cares what some idiot says?

For me, it's about recipe formulation and technical ability. I like almost everything I brew but the truth is I'm too involved to be completely objective. I think most people can relate to that. Thanks for the kind words though, that much I do appreciate.

 

[teucer]

The only true judge to what you brew is you !

If you like it, who cares what some idiot says?

A beer judge's job is to give you feedback that lets you take the things you like to make, and make them even better.

This judge failed to provide useful feedback for this purpose. But a good judge is invaluable.

 

[weirdboy]

barrooze is right on the money. It is a cardinal sin of judging (I used to be a national BJCP judge) to make assumptions about the recipe (extract vs. all grain, hop varieties, honey variety, etc.). That judge justifiably wrecked his or her own credibility by making a comment like that.

Moreover, it takes some brass cajones for anyone think that they could tell the difference between varieties of honey in a spiced ale which makes that comment all the more absurd.

While I believe that entering competitions is a valuable source of feedback, the caveat is the occasional silly comment like this one.

Adam

This is a good point. I think that the fact the judge commented on the variety of honey, etc. would make me suspect they are not actually certified BJCP, where this kind of thing is sorta hammered into you. What were the ranks of the judges on the scoresheets?

 

[rjschroed]

This guy is a BJCP national judge. . .