Bad score, really bad score

[Miraculix]

This thread is why I've hesitated to enter any competitions. I think my Berliner Weisse is excellent. Like really excellent. Top-notch. It's the only beer I brew that I think is better than many commercial examples. But what if I put it in a competition and it gets a crappy score? Would it change how I drink it? Would it make me less proud of my accomplishments? Would I start taking less joy in my hobby? Knowing the kind of person I am, I think I would.

I agree 100%. In addition, I think that it is simply impossible to judge something like a beer objectively, so at the end the result reflects the mood /preferences of the person judging, rather than the beer itself.

So why bother about that?

 

[Mainer]

I agree 100%. In addition, I think that it is simply impossible to judge something like a beer objectively, so at the end the result reflects the mood /preferences of the person judging, rather than the beer itself.

So why bother about that?

I can see why other people do it, if they really want constructive criticism and continuous improvement. But I'm not that thick-skinned. Sometimes I just want to be proud of my good-enough beer.

 

[Yesfan]

I can see why other people do it, if they really want constructive criticism and continuous improvement. But I'm not that thick-skinned. Sometimes I just want to be proud of my good-enough beer.

Competitions are a 2 way street too. I had a brown ale that I knew had some flaws. IMO, the best way to get an honest opinion was to enter it in a comp so the judges wouldn't know who brewed it and give an unbiased (good or bad) of your beer.

I don't enter every beer I brew, but if I think it's a winner, I'll enter it. If I have hit some sort of road block, I'll do the same if I'm looking for a possible answer.

 

[trav77]

the worst score I've ever received, 14.5, came on what I consider the best beer I've ever made. Sometimes (stuff) happens and sometimes the judges are wrong. *shrug*

I also don't really agree with some of the terms that go along with the BJCP score ranges.
"Good (21 - 29): Misses the mark on style and/or minor flaws.
Fair (14 - 20): Off flavors/aromas or major style deficiencies. Unpleasant.

...is 14 really "fair"? I don't think so. That's a very bad score IMO. I wouldn't call 21 "good" either.

when I think about how good a beer is, just pulling some numbers out of the air, I think 0-10 is pretty much undrinkable, 11-18 is highly Problematic, 19-26 is Fair, 27-32 Good, 33-38 Very Good, 39-44 Excellent, and 45+ is whatever amazing deliciously-awesome incredible superlative you prefer.

not that it matters; the best will win mini-BOS regardless of score.
cheers--
--Michael

+1 on that. It really leaves a very coarse resolution at the top end. Especially since it's very rare to use the full scale. Guidelines are to not score anything < 13 and it's pretty rare to get anything >45... even so I would challenge most judges to repeatably distinguish a 40 from a 50. So really the "50" point range is effectively about 30-35 points wide.

 

[billl]

I don't think it's been noted yet, but the style range is pretty wide here. If you put up a 6% 33IBU fullers clone against a bunch of other entries at 8% and 60IBU, it wouldn't be shocking to have many judges say it feels thin and/or underwhelming in comparison. That's doesn't mean the beer isn't good/great on it's own though.