I've thought about entering Comps before, but always worried if what I like would be what the judges like. I've read posts like this on several sites and the general thing I here is "needs more", whether it be hops, malt, spice, etc.
I now understand why some people do well at comps and others don't (IMO), after reading this on another site
QUOTE
" I am a very active judge and I agree that the tendency is to score the more flavorful beers higher, particularly with the less experienced judges. I sometimes have to "reel in" an enthusiastic but misguided judge who is blundering down this path, particularly as we get deeper into a flight or flights. I see the results of this trend in the Best of Show round somewhat frequently, too, with beers that have big flavor but are way out of balance and simply not a harmonious brew.
That said, there is a possibility (probability?) that your beer is not going to be judged by an experienced team, and you may (will) be faced with this situation often. So, you can fret about it, or you can adapt your competition recipes to compensate.
One strategy that addresses your specific issue of "needs more" is to deliberately brew a caricature of the style. Let's say, for example, you were attempting to brew an American Amber, of which a typical commercial example might be reddish in color, have lots of caramel malt, and be moderately hoppy (less so than a Pale Ale). You might design a beer with LOTS of caramel malt (on the order of 15%), mash it cooler (~148F) or step mash it with a longer rest in the beta amylase range to compensate for the reduced fermentability, select a typical and easily-identifiable American hop (like Cascade) that any judge will recognize and then use it judiciously, and ferment it with a very clean yeast (WLP001, WY1056, Fermentis US05) so as not to generate a lot of fruity esters that might interfere with your malt and hop profile.
Another example might be a Bock. "You want Munich malt? "I'll give you Munich malt!" Two-thirds light Munich, one-third dark Munich, then an extra pound of Melanoidin malt. One charge of German hops for bittering only, preferably something like Tradition that is a little higher alpha to reduce the hop bulk and the possible vegetal flavors you get from that. Ferment with the cleanest possible lager yeast you can find, like WLP833 or 838. Now you have a true malt showcase with the appropriate German character with nothing to interfere or to detract.
I don't disagree with Bill's suggestion to brew towards the upper end of the style guidelines, but I would caution you to always keep balance and cleanness first and foremost in your brewing. I am reminded of the advice I received from my primary flight instructor lo, these many years ago: "Basic airwork is key. If you've got decent basic airwork, and you're smooth, you can goon it up to a certain degree and you'll still be OK." What he meant, parenthetically, is that nobody would notice you gooning it up a bit as long as you were smooth about it and trending towards a correction for the deviation. Same thing with brewing: As long as you are keeping harmony and balance in mind, while still featuring those characteristics that need to be featured in a particular style, you'll do well.
Bottom line? Clean, clean, clean. Avoid muddling up your recipe by throwing the kitchen sink in there. Select those features of the style that need to be featured, choose a few ingredients (
traditional or not) that will do it, and brew away. Good luck and God bless."
End quote
This guy sent
9 beers on to the next round brewing on his stovetop in the kitchen. It's all in appealling to what the judges are looking for, and I like to brew for my own tastes.
So I guess no one will ever know my name like they know Jamil(22 beers to rd 2), but I like what I make.
