Competition recipe question

[dsniegocki]

I've never been much interested in entering a competition, as I'm happy enough to just drink my beer and share with friends. However, I know that entering one (and receiving the feedback) would help me make better beer.

So, question: I've not really come up with my "own" recipes... I've usually either followed someone else's exactly, or perhaps modified it slightly. Is it considered bad form to enter a competition using someone else's recipe? What do folks usually do?

 

[dmtaylor]

A recipe doesn't make the beer; you and the yeast do. If 10 different brewers make the same beer, they will all taste slightly different.

Go ahead and enter the beer that you have brewed. Judges don't see the recipe, don't know the recipe, don't know who wrote the recipe. It's totally okay to enter a beer you brewed using someone else's recipe, nothing wrong with it at all.

 

[flars]

Competitions are based on the quality of the beer brewed for the style category the beer is entered into rather than the origin of the recipe. It would be good form to acknowledge to the recipe creator that you used their exact recipe and won gold.

 

[NTexBrewer]

I think it is a good thing to use a recipe that is tried and true, possibly even won awards. That way, you know the recipe is good and to style. If you score well then it is a reflection of your brewing, sanitation, yeast and fermentation management.

 

[dsniegocki]

Great feedback all, and was the answer I was hoping for. Thanks everyone!

 

[RM-MN]

Beer has been brewed for hundreds of years by thousands of brewers. If you think you have a recipe that nobody else has brewed, think again. Competition isn't about the freshness of the recipe, it's about how well you brew that style of beer.