competition help

[Faseel]

So,
I've gone all grain for a few years now and in the competitions my sheets are starting to come back with zero advice, and generally 41 to 44 pts but zero metals. My main question is how long should I age a beer before entering it in competition? I have to think they maybe just too young and that keeps my recipes from standing out. Just lost again and feel directionless for how to improve.

 

[Nanobru]

Competitions are not what you think. The winner does not necessarily have the best beer, which is completely subjective, and adds to the confusion. Beers are judged by how close they resemble the standard. Did you enter the baddest ass Pale ale ever? If it wasnt indistinguishable from Sierra Nevada (the standard) you simply wont win. Think of it like a dog show. That yoked out chihuahua wont win, because theyre supposed to be slender (even though a yoked out chihuahua would be pretty bad ass). Did you enter a fizzy yellow beer with corn making up almost half the grain bill (supposedly what the California common really was)? You wouldnt win with that either, because the standard is Anchor Steam, which is more of an amber fermented with lager yeast if you ask me. So what to do about it? Enter category 23 (other) like everyone else, or brew to the standards, which perhaps may not be what you like. Do all your beer tasters say "aw yeah, thats great, I wouldnt change a thing!", like they always do with free beer? Instead, take it to an actually brewery, and ask the brewer to taste it for you. He will, and his trained pallet will tell you whats up. There are very subtle differences between a few degrees of fermentation temperature, old tired yeast (thats usually regenerated from a bottle), 2 parts and 2.5 parts of carbonation, diacetyl from fermentaion, and other off flavors. Then there are the judges, and small time local ones, including bjcp certified, couldnt find there ass with both hands. I know of at least one for sure, because I was at his house, had his IPA, and it was oxidized. Even some brewers dont have a developed pallet, its not their fault, but if some in particular tasted what they put on tap, I wouldnt stop going to several in the area. For these reasons, I dont enter. But like everyone else is going to say.... send me a bottle and Ill tell you what I really think.

 

[ayoungrad]

If you are scoring 41-44, you are doing a great job of brewing close to the standards. That's what the high numbers mean. Congrats on your skills.

IMHO, it is the things that make a high scoring beer stand out from other high scoring beers, while keeping within the standards, that makes it a winning beer. Tweaking a specialty malt, etc.

I have had mixed results in contests. But the times I place, I have usually done something a little different while still kept things within style guidelines.

As far a beer being too young, that can certainly make a difference. But that is style dependent. You do not want to age an IPA. But you do want to age a barleywine.

 

[Yooper]

A score of 41-44 is HIGH, and in some competitions the highest scores are not that high. If you didn't win your category with a score of 44, I'd call the competition a bit suspect.

Most beers score in the 22-35 range, with the best ones hitting maybe 42 (a couple out of a hundred, if they are excellent beers). We had a HBT BJCP competition and took hundreds of beers in (I forget how many exactly now- 600?) and I think you could count the number of 40+ scores on one hand.

It's odd to have just a score sheet with no comments on it. Which BJCP competition did you enter? I'd make sure to contact the organizers and ask for the complete scoresheets.

If you scored in the 40s, as few brewers ever do, there is no way your beer was gigged for being too young!

 

[Faseel]

Thank you all for the kind input. The actual score I was concerned about was 42, both score sheets had no input and it was indicated I made it to the second round. Again, it seems like the score sheets I received were from the first round flight. I have never been given a second round score sheet on this circuit, that I can tell. I participate in the Florida circuit competitions. In all honestly, I'm not bragging or complaining, I just want to improve my ability to create better and better beer. I'm sure I'm not alone in this. I brew and brew, taking in every comment, reading every article. I suppose, I use the competition to validate more than anything, I'm on the right track. Hey, friends opinion's are great, but are not always honest. Perhaps I'm being arrogant, I've only been at all grain for a few years now and I've gotten a few metals in that time.
I just feel like when the score sheets start to leave no advice and the points are high, I hit a dead end. Yooper, I might do that, but of course, I've already caused a wave or two and don't want to be know in this circuit as "that guy". =).

I have started to try and "start" to stay in style guidelines while setting myself a part. In truth, I've pushed really hard to get to style first, just to make sure I meet what is expected. Setting myself apart, much like Nanobru and ayoungrad suggest will be my next steps.

Thanks guys, I got this Oatmeal stout ready for honest judging, just tell me where to send it =).

 

[bob1852]

Thank you all for the kind input. The actual score I was concerned about was 42, both score sheets had no input and it was indicated I made it to the second round. Again, it seems like the score sheets I received were from the first round flight. I have never been given a second round score sheet on this circuit, that I can tell. I participate in the Florida circuit competitions. In all honestly, I'm not bragging or complaining, I just want to improve my ability to create better and better beer. I'm sure I'm not alone in this. I brew and brew, taking in every comment, reading every article. I suppose, I use the competition to validate more than anything, I'm on the right track. Hey, friends opinion's are great, but are not always honest. Perhaps I'm being arrogant, I've only been at all grain for a few years now and I've gotten a few metals in that time.
I just feel like when the score sheets start to leave no advice and the points are high, I hit a dead end. Yooper, I might do that, but of course, I've already caused a wave or two and don't want to be know in this circuit as "that guy". =).

I have started to try and "start" to stay in style guidelines while setting myself a part. In truth, I've pushed really hard to get to style first, just to make sure I meet what is expected. Setting myself apart, much like Nanobru and ayoungrad suggest will be my next steps.

Thanks guys, I got this Oatmeal stout ready for honest judging, just tell me where to send it =).

http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/pages/competitions/national-homebrew-competition

Registration opens friday.

 

[Yooper]

If they are BJCP competitions, you should get completed BJCP scoresheets. I don't know what a Florida circuit is (as I've never heard of such a thing), but here is a list of upcoming BJCP competitions;

http://www.bjcp.org/apps/comp_schedule/competition_schedule.php

The better competitions give complete scoresheets, along with feedback on what could be done to improve the beer such as yeast health, water issues, and off-flavors.

 

[Faseel]

Yopper all I ment was I only participate in sanction competitions in Florida. Its a great idea to look at competitions all over and I will do so.