Do you guys fill out EVERYTHING on a competition entry form?

[BudzAndSudz]

General
Dates
Specific Gravities
Fermentables: Malt Extracts
Fermentables: Grain
Fermentables: Adjuncts
Hops
Mash Schedule
Water Treatment
Yeast Culture
Yeast Nutrients
Carbonation
Boil
Fermentation
Finings
Brewer's Specifics


Is all that necessary? It says " the more information you provide about your entry, the more complete the required entry documentation will be." But does that actually have anything to do with how your beer is judged?

 

[sudbuster]

General
Dates
Specific Gravities
Fermentables: Malt Extracts
Fermentables: Grain
Fermentables: Adjuncts
Hops
Mash Schedule
Water Treatment
Yeast Culture
Yeast Nutrients
Carbonation
Boil
Fermentation
Finings
Brewer's Specifics


Is all that necessary? It says " the more information you provide about your entry, the more complete the required entry documentation will be." But does that actually have anything to do with how your beer is judged?

All of that is to help the judges evaluate your beer. They are doing more than taking a sip and saying MMMmmm pretty fair brew..

 

[Seedly]

Getting ready for Big Beers, Belgians, and Barleywines? If so, dont bother with Specialty Ale or Belgian Golden Ale categories. I got those tied up

And the extra info is to give the judge a better idea of what they are drinking. As an example, I did an English Style Barleywine with lactose and honey. Called it "A Brew of Milk and Honey". I also put some wheat in there to both cloud it a bit and give it a little bit of a creamier head (for all the good it did for the head of the beer...) along with not using finings (again...i was going for a creamy look as well as mouth feel)

Anyway, putting that info in the forum lets the judge know the brewer's intentions. This is extra important for beers that are not true to style (like my barleywine). I also keep really detailed notes, and filling out forms like this is easier if you do!

 

[moti_mo]

It was my understanding that none of that has to do with how your beer is judged, unless you're in a specialty category where you have to delineate special ingredients, base style, etc.

But I thought that nothing was put on your sheet that the judge sees besides a number tying your beer to your entry sheet and special ingredients if you choose to list them (required for specialty beers). People who have judged could correct me if I'm wrong.

I've only included extra information a couple of times, and I haven't worried about it for a few years now.

 

[Revvy]

If it's there, it's there for a reason. And in some contests, if you don't follow the rules EXPLICITLY your beer might be immediately disqualified and not even judged. If it's a big contest with a lot of flights and only a few judges (we have big contests in Michigan, one of them I heard may be capped at 400 or 800 beers this year) so if the stewards are told to look for things in the preliminary setting up like not blacked out caps or incorrectly filled out labels or not fully filled out forms, bottles that don't fit the size/shape requirements in the rules, then they may be directed to cull the herd....just to trim the amount for the judges to have to deal with.

It may not happen often, but you really don't want to give them a reason to disqualify you.

 

[Johnnyhitch1]

I have never judged but do tasting notes for many buddies and homebrews.

It can give them an idea of what there tasting. 2 beers can be brewed with most of the same malts or "intentions" and taste completely different. Like said above it gives you an opportunity to explain your brew process or final product ideas and let them "judge" you on that. Not completely on what there thought process is on the brew.

If you tried a rye brew from a local brewery and said hmm that tastes good i like the spicy rye. The brewer could tell you he used flaked rye for the head and also added coriander to add to the spiciness. You would take your next sip recognizing the coriander and then judge even further upon that taste.

My .02

EDIT: Disqualification is a pretty good reason also ^^^^^^^^^

 

[Pilgarlic]

I give name and style, period, unless it's something that requires explanation, i.e. fruit beer (you are required to specify the base beer), or a specialty beer. The rest is not required and will not cost you points if missing.

 

[Revvy]

Not every contest has those sorts of forms to fill out. Sometimes things like that are for contests where the prize is to have a brewpub brew the beer and serve at their pub...or even like a Longshot type comp, where they'll distribute it. They often want that info so that they can make sure to re-create the beer as accurately as possible.

 

[moti_mo]

I give name and style, period, unless it's something that requires explanation, i.e. fruit beer (you are required to specify the base beer), or a specialty beer. The rest is not required and will not cost you points if missing.

This is exactly what I've heard from most judges I've spoken to about it.

 

[moti_mo]

Not every contest has those sorts of forms to fill out. Sometimes things like that are for contests where the prize is to have a brewpub brew the beer and serve at their pub...or even like a Longshot type comp, where they'll distribute it. They often want that info so that they can make sure to re-create the beer as accurately as possible.

I thought the same thing until I was selected to brew a pro-am beer 2 years ago. I met the brewer after the awards ceremony, and the first thing he said was "So we should get in touch soon so you can give me your recipe and talk about dates to brew." to which I said of course he must have looked over the recipe in order to decide if they wanted to brew my beer for the pro-am. He said they didn't, and that none of the pro-am selections were based on looking at that sheet, only based on tasting.

That was the last BJCP recipe sheet I ever filled out.

And its absolutely false that you'll ever get disqualified from a BJCP comp if you don't fill in anything past beer, name, and style (unless you're in a specialty category that requires special ingredients, base style, etc.). They specifically say on the sheet that you don't have to fill any of that information in.

Edit: unless you're entering a non-BJCP comp that has different entry forms.

 

[BudzAndSudz]

Getting ready for Big Beers, Belgians, and Barleywines? If so, dont bother with Specialty Ale or Belgian Golden Ale categories. I got those tied up

Haha that's exactly what I'm preparing for, but not either of those two categories, so you're safe. I'd love to talk with you about the BGSA recipe you're using though, I've been researching for a month now before I brew mine and I'd like to hear the approach you took. It's supposed to be a super simple beer recipe wise, but it's the holy grail of beer IMO so I'm reading all I can.

If it's there, it's there for a reason. And in some contests, if you don't follow the rules EXPLICITLY your beer might be immediately disqualified and not even judged

Well it does specifically say that the information isn't required, but "the more information you provide about your entry, the more complete the required entry documentation will be." But it DOES say that it's no required.

I thought the same thing until I was selected to brew a pro-am beer 2 years ago. I met the brewer after the awards ceremony, and the first thing he said was "So we should get in touch soon so you can give me your recipe and talk about dates to brew." to which I said of course he must have looked over the recipe in order to decide if they wanted to brew my beer for the pro-am. He said they didn't, and that none of the pro-am selections were based on looking at that sheet, only based on tasting.

That was the last BJCP recipe sheet I ever filled out.

And its absolutely false that you'll ever get disqualified from a BJCP comp if you don't fill in anything past beer, name, and style (unless you're in a specialty category that requires special ingredients, base style, etc.). They specifically say on the sheet that you don't have to fill any of that information in.

Edit: unless you're entering a non-BJCP comp that has different entry forms.

Great info, thank you! How'd your Pro-Am beer do at GABF?

 

[Seedly]

Haha that's exactly what I'm preparing for, but not either of those two categories, so you're safe. I'd love to talk with you about the BGSA recipe you're using though, I've been researching for a month now before I brew mine and I'd like to hear the approach you took. It's supposed to be a super simple beer recipe wise, but it's the holy grail of beer IMO so I'm reading all I can.

Safe?!?! SAFE? Ha! I think you mean that YOUR safe!

As to my BGSA, I guess I dont mind sharing it since the entry deadline is 3 days away:

Peechy Keen

10# Belgian Pilsner
2# Munich
3# Clear Candi Syrup (at flameout)
4oz Hallertau Mittlefruch (2@60 and 2@20)
3# Peaches from my back yard, peeled and sliced
White Labs WLP570 Belgian Golden Ale yeast

Mash-in at 110F and rest at 105 for 15min. Ramp up to 135 and slowly increase to 145 over 30 min (note: I intended to hold at 140 for 30 min, but this is what actually ended up happening and I cant say Im disappointed in the results). Ramp up to 155 and hold for 30min more. Also, give this beer time to ferment (at least 2 weeks) but dont expect the yeast I mentioned to drop out and the beer to clear before bottling. When they say low flocculation, they mean it.

Most people dont do a multi-step mash, but especially for this style it is really important. The low-temp step helps break down some of those long-chain sugars and will cause the beer to go much lower on the FG than normal. I had an OG of 1.071 and an FG of 1.010 for 85% attenuation on a yeast that was supposed to be 75.5%. This beer was an office favorite. Everyone thought it was extremely drinkable, especially for an 8.4% ABV beer!

Of course, the beer didnt turn out perfectly. In fact, that brew day was and epic disaster. And Im still disappointed that the peach didnt really come through. I did leave the burnt window curtain off the ingredients list...but it came through even less than the peach, so I think Im safe

 

[moti_mo]

Great info, thank you! How'd your Pro-Am beer do at GABF?

It didn't win, but it got good reviews on Ratebeer and Beer Advocate, so that was cool. And most importantly, it was a great experience brewing on a professional setup, tasting my beer in a few different tap rooms in CO and at the GABF amongst a lot of other pro-am entrants and some pro brewers.

Good luck in the BBB&B competition. I was going to enter a few of mine, but for the 3 I wanted to enter, I'm not 100% happy with where they're at. Looks like a great event though, I might try to make it up there to get some riding in and taste some beers.