Competition Entry: Everything except the ABV

[NoIguanaForZ]

There's a local-ish Homebrew competition to be judged on March 12th, with entries accepted up until February 28th. I have never entered a competition before, but I have a few bottles of an oatmeal stout I made in November. This beer is delicious, it was the source of the "doesn't taste like homebrew" compliment I've cited before, and I believe it to be an excellent match to the BJCP style guidelines for category 16B, oatmeal stout....except that Beersmith pegs it at 6.9% ABV, a full 1% above the upper end of the style range (I believe I boiled it down to fit in a 5 gallon fermenter since my 6 gallon was occupied).

It doesn't taste particularly alcoholic. I'm tempted to crack a bottle tonight and, if it still tastes as good as I remember from a few weeks ago, enter it, but I don't want to give up three bottles of it if it's unlikely to score well (or be disqualified) due to being "out of style" on the ABV. I recall there were BJCP guidelines at one point for "unusually high alcoholic strength variants of recognized styles" but the 2015 guidelines don't seem to have them.

Am I overthinking this?

 

[ArkotRamathorn]

First off, no you really aren't over thinking it. Since its not a huge competition I wouldn't worry too much about it being perfectly within guidelines. I don't think most judges could detect a 1% +/- difference in ABV between two similar beers, as long as they are brewed/fermented well.

Drink your bottle on the warmer side. Take it out of the fridge, crack it open and pour it, try it. Then warm the glass up in your hands, hold it like a kid holds a sippy cup. The judges are gonna drink it probably closer to 45F rather than directly out of a chilly fridge. Then see if you can pick up alcohol warmth.

Rule of thumb seems to be that, enter a beer at the high end of a style's guidelines and you will have a better chance of scoring higher. Barleywine for example if you have an 8% and a 12% and they are both brewed well and fermented well and everything else being equal, the 12% will seem more "barleywine-ish" than the 8% simply because the alcohol warmth and flavors will be more robust.

 

[NoIguanaForZ]

Well, okay, I should correct that: the ABV is high because the OG is high.

Tasting it, reading through the BJCP description and going "check, check, check..." Tomorrow I'm gonna pick up 2-3 6-packs of commercial oatmeal stouts for a more direct comparison. I think this is a little "smoother" than I remember other brands being...and it doesn't exactly taste "like alcohol" but there's a sort of subtle "this is strong" sense. I don't know how obvious that is if one isn't already looking for it...

 

[k1ngl1ves]

You know, I've made a few batches before where my notes got a little wort on them and some numbers were a little smeared afterwards. Nothing wrong with that, but occasionally I misremember the numbers. If it's a good excuses for politicians, it's more than ok for you. Plus, there's always the possibility your OG reading was a bit off.


It's local. Be local. Enjoy your neighbors and share in the liquid wealth...

 

[NoIguanaForZ]

Sooooo, I had my girlfriend help me set up a blind taste test with mine, and five commercial Oatmeal Stouts, including two cited in the BJCP guidelines as good representatives of the style.

I couldn't pick mine out of the lineup (I did have it down to 3, but only on head persistence). But when she insisted I pick a favorite, it wound up being mine. I'm feeling pretty pumped right now. :3

(Also, it turns out that mine had the most persistent head of all. :3 SUCK IT, INDUSTRY!)

I've christened it Oatfeast. Because it's more than a Meal, you see...

[EDIT]...oh, and two of them were even higher ABV than mine.

 

[NoIguanaForZ]

Having registered and paid the entry fee...

...uh, when they say "no markings on the bottle including labels or embossing" I assume that doesn't include the dots and numbers around the bottom ring since literally every bottle seems to have those, right? o.o

 

[CJ-3]

You are correct. Numbers and rings on the bottom are ok, every bottle has those.

Permanent figures on rhe neck? That would be a no-no.