NHC 2010, are you entering?

[Sedge]

Philly would be an amazing place for AHA to bring the conference to. Especially since the conference dates are 1 week after the new beer week period. Philly and the northeast in general has a lot of homebrewers. Hell they had to close registration.

 

[Sockmonkey]

Received my scoresheets today. Got 3rd place (35pts) with the 6B blond ale (BM's Centennial Blond recipe).
The same beer scored 42.5 in the Garage Brewer's Society Champion of the Pint competition a couple weeks ago.

East region, BTW.

 

[Oldsock]

The judges were remarkably consistent on my red wine barrel Flanders Red, 33 as a Flanders Red (both judges thought it was a bit too sour), and 33 aged on sour cherries as a Belgian Specialty (the only complaint one judge had was that it wasn't "spicy" enough). I'd badmouth them, but my Berliner took first in sours with a 40.5!

The rest were unremarkable:
Eisbock 32.5 (not old enough, despite being brewed 18 months ago)
Weizenbock 31.5 (too old, surprising since it was just brewed in October)
Sour Squash 27.5 (not enough spice/herb/vegetable, which wasn't a surprise)

 

[JayInJersey]

I vote for AC over Philly.

Well I vote for AC over pretty much anywhere...and yes I like it more than Vegas.
The air of the gamblers is more "desperate:

But Philly wouldn't be horrible either...if they ever got those two casinos built
I'm beginning to think I may have a problem...

 

[Bobby_M]

I wouldn't mind if Atlantic City washed off into the Atlantic. I'd rather hang out in Newark.

 

[SpanishCastleAle]

I vote for AC over Philly.

Well I vote for AC over pretty much anywhere...and yes I like it more than Vegas.
The air of the gamblers is more "desperate:

But Philly wouldn't be horrible either...if they ever got those two casinos built
I'm beginning to think I may have a problem...

Vegas would be ideal for me but may not be a good time of year for it. The reason I don't go to the NHC is because it's at the same time as the WSOP. Talk about degenerate.

 

[remilard]

I figure the requirements for an NHC are:

Evidence that the local committee can run a big competition smoothly (probably evidenced in regional NHC comps running smoothly in previous years). Similar but somewhat less important, a large source of BJCP judges.

There needs to be an interesting and robust local craft beer scene. I imagine this doesn't really bode well for AC. Vegas is probably better than AC but still not on anybody's list of top beer cities.

There definitely needs to be availability of cheap hotels with conference facilities. The NHC costs very little compared to other conference type things I attend and people still complain about it. They have to keep the costs very low.

I think Philly looks good except that I have heard that the Northeast regional was not that smooth last year (was that in Philly?) but it seems like they did fine this year.

California is going to get a disproportionate number of NHCs because they have a disproportionate number of homebrewers, BJCP judges, craft beer locations, and it is generally a cheap place (as places that are interesting to be go) in terms of flying in and hotels.

 

[Zen_Brew]

I wouldn't mind if Atlantic City washed off into the Atlantic. I'd rather hang out in Newark.

Wow! That's hardcore. I'm no big fan of Atlantic City. I mean the strip on the beach is nice, but you walk 3 blocks off the strip and you're in the ghetto and you better have your Smith and Wesson handy.

But Newark.....You better have a shotgun to back up the Smith and Wesson.

What's that old Rodney Dangerfield joke...My girlfriend said to kiss her where it smelled, so I took her to New Jersey LOL

 

[Sedge]

Newark has been getting a lot better in recent years with the Devils coming into town. That whole area around the arena and train station has been revitalized and nicer businesses are coming back. I'm with Bobby_M about Newark over AC, but I'm a Devils fan so there.

The H.O.P.S. competition in Philly this past year was a little slow on scores coming back. The winners were posted on the website fairly fast, but it took forever and a couple emails to get my scores sent to me in pdf form. That was my first (and only) comp so I was real anxious. But the convention center in Philly is huge and nice (and being expanded), is right next to Chinatown and the bars and brewpubs are dotted all over the city. There are several beer events every week in all seasons, and the turnouts are usually solid.

 

[Brew-boy]

Has anyone from the Midwest Region gotten their scoresheets yet. Im chompping at the bit as I have to in the first round that I'd have to rebrew...and need to do it as soon as possible.

Midwest here too and have not received anything yet.

 

[passedpawn]

FYI: South region (FL) still waiting for results.

 

[ShortSnoutBrewing]

Sounds like Janis at AHA is trying to get results posted today or tomorrow. So we should all know soon enough.

 

[ShortSnoutBrewing]

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

 

[adamjab19]

No luck this year. Interested in what they have to say.

 

[dwarven_stout]

For anyone who was unclear on how the "mini-BOS" and actual beer placement works (like I was), here's some good info from the AHA forum: http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/forum/index.php?topic=2084.0

It sounds like every year there are a few people who get the top score in a category but do not place.

 

[passedpawn]

Oh durn. My club sent a few through, but I did not help the cause. Dang. NEXT YEAR!

 

[midfielder5]

tough competition/category! Mike McDole only got 3rd place in the category I entered (cat 14 IPA had 43 entries). now I don't feel so bad.

 

[SpanishCastleAle]

I got 2 second rounders out of 6 entries. I don't know the scores, one was second and the other was first. The first has a high score of 41.5 so I guess that's mine. Look forward to the scoresheets.

 

[remilard]

3/8 in the South, I'll take it.

 

[carnevoodoo]

I got a second place in veg/spice/herb! Yes!

 

[remilard]

I got a second place in veg/spice/herb! Yes!

Rule # 1 of categories 20-23, you have to tell us what it was.

 

[carnevoodoo]

Rule # 1 of categories 20-23, you have to tell us what it was.

Imperial Breakfast stout. Oats, chocolate, coffee, and a bit of oak.

 

[remilard]

Imperial Breakfast stout. Oats, chocolate, coffee, and a bit of oak.

That sounds good. You get some weird stuff in that category. Thank you for not making weird stuff.

 

[carnevoodoo]

That sounds good. You get some weird stuff in that category. Thank you for not making weird stuff.

Yup! A perfectly normal 11% breakfast beer.

 

[MarsColonist]

2/5 will move on. 1st Northern English Brown and 3rd (VSH) for Coconut Porter in Old West. Woo hoo!

 

[remilard]

Yup! A perfectly normal 11% breakfast beer.

Normal is relative, I pretty much always have KBS on hand.

Beats an asafoetida porter.

 

[adamjab19]

Imperial Breakfast stout. Oats, chocolate, coffee, and a bit of oak.

Just curious, why not put that in cat.23 or the wood-aged one?

 

[carnevoodoo]

Just curious, why not put that in cat.23 or the wood-aged one?

The wood was super subtle and only added vanilla notes to it. 23 is too broad and weird. I thought it fit well in 21.

 

[adamjab19]

The wood was super subtle and only added vanilla notes to it. 23 is too broad and weird. I thought it fit well in 21.

Gotcha! Thanks for the reply!

 

[stageseven]

Well all I can tell so far is that I didn't place and scored at least a 22. I've never entered a competition before, so can anyone tell me if they tell you what # you placed if you weren't in the top 3? I'm mostly in it for the feedback, but it would be cool to know how well I did in the category.

 

[ChshreCat]

Mine just had my score and that I didn't go on to the BOS round.

So jealous here! Better planning next year and I should do better than I did. Good luck to everyone moving on!

 

[remilard]

Well all I can tell so far is that I didn't place and scored at least a 22. I've never entered a competition before, so can anyone tell me if they tell you what # you placed if you weren't in the top 3? I'm mostly in it for the feedback, but it would be cool to know how well I did in the category.

Nope, just a score.

There might be an HM (or maybe a 4) on there if they thought it was a really nice beer but they couldn't place it (3 nicer beers).

 

[ShortSnoutBrewing]

Looking at these a little deeper...My Cascadian Dark Ale in cat 23 scored .3 pts lower than the top score in the cat. Must have been a tight race!

 

[babalu87]

Only got one beer entered before the Northeast registration closed

Dopplebock is going to Minneapolis.

Kicking myself in the ass for not registering earlier

 

[Bobby_M]

Category 22 Smoke-Flavored and Wood-Aged Beer - Sponsored by Alaskan Brewing Co
Max Score: 44.5
Min Score: 25.5
Avg Score: 32.8
# of Entries: 25
1 22c Bobby Mierzejwski of Piscataway, NJ, Woodbridge Homebrewers Ale and Lager Enthusiasts Society

WoooHOOOOOO. So far my biggest win yet though it was only out of 25 entries.

 

[babalu87]

FWIW
How the hell can The Brewing Network be a homebrew club?

Where do they meet?
Do they hold club competitions?

 

[SpanishCastleAle]

Category 22 Smoke-Flavored and Wood-Aged Beer - Sponsored by Alaskan Brewing Co
Max Score: 44.5
Min Score: 25.5
Avg Score: 32.8
# of Entries: 25
1 22c Bobby Mierzejwski of Piscataway, NJ, Woodbridge Homebrewers Ale and Lager Enthusiasts Society

WoooHOOOOOO. So far my biggest win yet though it was only out of 25 entries.

That's a really good score. My Vienna was second out of only like 13 entries.

One of my entries was a whiskey-barrel aged Porter that (I think) was waayyy oxidized and was cardboard hell. I just wanted them to tell me it's really oxidation and that I'm not mistaking 'wood' for cardboard. Now that I've had the second Porter from that same barrel it's gotta be oxidation, the second brew doesn't have it. That was my one sacrificial/bad brew that I was pretty certain was really flawed. I'll bet the low score of 22 in that category in the south was mine.

 

[pjj2ba]

Category 2 Pilsner - Sponsored by Beer & Wine Makers Warehouse
Max Score: 37
Min Score: 23
Avg Score: 29.0
# of Entries: 15

3 2c Philip Jensen of State College, PA, HomeBrewTalk Brewers

CAP - with some of the hops homegrown!

Last year I advanced in the light lager category. I must be doing something right with my lagers.

It looks like I'm only 1 of 2 Nationwide who listed HBT as their club. Obviously we have others winners on here but I guess their loyalties are elsewhere, ............sigh

 

[SpanishCastleAle]

Category 2 Pilsner - Sponsored by Beer & Wine Makers Warehouse
Max Score: 37
Min Score: 23
Avg Score: 29.0
# of Entries: 15

3 2c Philip Jensen of State College, PA, HomeBrewTalk Brewers

CAP - with some of the hops homegrown!

Last year I advanced in the light lager category. I must be doing something right with my lagers.

It looks like I'm only 1 of 2 Nationwide who listed HBT as their club. Obviously we have others winners on here but I guess their loyalties are elsewhere, ............sigh

Congrats. You and remilard need to help the rest of us brew light lagers. I can't be sure but I think remilard took 1st and 2nd in the same category. Nothing to hide behind in those light lagers.

I'm a new member in my homebrew club, felt obligated.

 

[remilard]

FWIW
How the hell can The Brewing Network be a homebrew club?

Where do they meet?
Do they hold club competitions?

How? They registered with the AHA

Where? On the internet

Do they hold club competitions? No, but lots of local clubs don't either.

Nobody complained (at least not loudly) for ten years when Jamil Z brewed for QUAFF and when Gordon Strong brewed for St. Paul. If we are okay with effectively national clubs that have a local base, why are we not okay with a national club with no local base?