First beer for a competition

[Jtk78]

Just wondering if you usually start a batch at the recipe level with the intent to enter it, or.....if after you've brewed it and tasted it thought "Well this is pretty good. I should see if there are any competitions open to enter this in."

I'm formulating a rye IPA for an all rye competition this fall. It would be my first, but I kinda feel like I'm putting the cart before the horse.

 

[cswis86]

Most of the time I try to prepare ahead of time and brew a specific beer for a competition but there have been times where I've had a beer lying around that turned out great and entered it last minute. There's no wrong way to do it!

 

[SlanginDueces]

I have done both and always received useful feedback. With some styles (like IPA) unless the competition just happens to line up perfectly with a beer you brewed you will do much better if you deliberately plan your brew day so the deadline is at your beers peak. If I brew a beer and am on the fence about it, I send it into a competition to get some honest feedback. You just have to realize that it's hit or miss with judging and look for trends. Either way, you can't go wrong!

 

[Jtk78]

Cswis - thanks for the feedback. At least I know I'm not too far off with my plan.

Slangin - I've pretty much come to the determination that I'm going to enter it either way. In some ways, I feel like it will make me brew a better beer. Pay attention to water chem, get it as clear as possible, etc. Step up my game to really focus from the foundation on what I'm doing.