Funny Score Sheet Comment

[TheBrewinator]

I had to laugh at a comment on a score sheet I got recently. It was a hoppy wheat ale which I knew would probably score poorly for being out of style. However I had a certified judge tell me it was massively under attenuated and way too sweet. It started at 1.042 and ended at 1.010, please tell me how that is massively under attenuated. The grain bill was 50% 2 row, 45% white wheat malt, and 5% C20 mashed at 151. I wonder how the judge got that the beer was so sweet that it was "massively under attenuated".

 

[SwampassJ]

When I drink beers dry hopped with centennial I always get a sweetness that is hard to describe, definately not malt sweetness though.

 

[Nateo]

I've had some massively wrong judges' comments before. It happens, pobody is nerfect. I've read about judges being given light lagers that were doused with black food coloring, and the judges described the beers in exactly the same words you'd use to describe a stout, roasted flavors and such.

 

[passedpawn]

I'm sure the sweetness from the crystal was assumed to be from poor attenuation. I don't think crystal belongs in a wheat beer bound for competition.

 

[Beerrific]

Problem with a lot of judges is they make assumptions about a beer that they have no way of knowing. Sometimes they are right and sometimes they are wrong.

If they had said "this beer has a sweetness that is distracting and seems out of place in the style." That would be a good comment. They said what they tasted and that is all you can ask of judges really. They could even go on to say "this could possibly come from underattuation." It would make the judge look like less of a dope.

Getting weird flavors in beers like this is more or less just one of the things you have to live with in judging. Assuming the judge knows what sweet tastes like, I would have to say when he/she tasted it, they tasted sweet. Was it because the beer is sweet? Well, maybe not. Might be b/c the beer before was super dry and bitter, maybe b/c they were wrongly picking up some heavy hop resin (as suggested above). I once judges a flight of beers and somehow by accident 2 of the same beer got in the flight. Gave 1 a 20 and one a score in the high 30s. Picked up strong off flavors in the lower one. Was it a bad bottle? Maybe. Maybe not.

 

[TheBrewinator]

I know it all comes down to what flavors they pick up, at this point I'm entering really just to get feedback from other people than my friends and family. I just felt like sharing that one though cause I found it amusing knowing it was fully attenuated and I wondered how they picked it up to be that sweet. I had never considered the hops but that was probably it.

 

[unionrdr]

I wonder if this judge realizes that wheat beers are cloudy & have a certain natural sweetness? I've seen some really no nothing judges that talked about doing it to sit around & drink free beer all day...

 

[TheBrewinator]

This one was not supposed to be cloudy and wasn't, it was fermented with Bells yeast. Like I said, it was way out of style but I already had a beer in 23 so I couldn't enter it there. The only sweetness I get is that little wheat sweetness I get from American wheat beers so maybe that is the sweetness they were attributing to under attenuation.

 

[stubbornman]

My favorite is when you get one for Appearance (comment on color, clarity, and head)

"Appropriate color, clarity, and head. 2/3"

LMAOWTF?!?

 

[unionrdr]

Especially when they may get about an inch in the bottom of a small glass. But it just strikes me the comments are coming from complete,no nothing greenhorns. No educated judge would say such things,imo...