NHC 2012 First Round Scoresheets

[eppo]

got my results back from Pittsburgh today.

 

[smokinghole]

Well I got mine from Pittsburgh today. None of my beers had done very well. In fact the one that was probably the best got the lowest score I think. The one that had a pedio contamination got no flaws mentioned. So I don't know who was judging their Belgians but......

Funny thing one of the beers was HEAVILY inspired by Orval. My scoresheet says "over carbonated". I wonder how they'd score Orval if it was entered as homebrew based on carbonation alone. I don't expect second round consideration but I figured I'd give it a shot as my last legal homebrew comp.

 

[smokinghole]

Me too. My friends are still raving about it. I think I'll be heartbroken if it doesn't advance. I hope they got a good bottle...

If your experience is anything like mine don't expect much. I had friends that love belgians rant and rave about my saison. It didn't fare well and I think it's a pretty kick ass saison. If they're looking for saison dupont this is not that, but it's a kick ass beer. My dubbel faired just as well as the saison and it had a pedio contamination. I know it was contaminated, I tested with WLD media. Yet it got no mention. I'm not heart broken as I expected this sort of thing though.

 

[roxbob]

Got my sheets back from Pittsburgh today as well. First time ever entering a competition, maybe I should have entered a lower-level one to start - my American Amber scored low enough that I don't even want to mention the score.

Drinking one now, tastes pretty darn good to me, so I guess I have a lot to learn!

 

[max129]

Just got my Pittsburgh results too. Entered a Baltic Porter and Cali Common that placed in a local comp. Neither did well here at all and the Cali Common supposedly got infected along the way.

Congrats to other folks that placed though. Quite an accomplishment.

 

[bumstigedy]

I feel like it has got to the point that judges are picking up on things at the parts per trillion level

Maybe there is just so much good homebrew out there now that they have to be this sensitive to differentiate the winners from the losers.

 

[smokinghole]

I feel like it has got to the point that judges are picking up on things at the parts per trillion level

Maybe there is just so much good homebrew out there now that they have to be this sensitive to differentiate the winners from the losers.

Dude they're not sensitive. I sent (though I didn't know it at the time) a dubbel with a pedio contamination. They gave it a 26 overall. At best based on the BJCP guidelines it could have scored a 20, if the judges knew their crap. I'll let that speak for itself in Pittsburgh. I almost called to have the dubbel pulled upon my on personal discovery of contamination. I decided to let it ride to see IF the judges would spot it, and they did not. It's sad actually because I feel it's very very obvious.

This of course is all assuming they didn't mess up people's entries. So if anyone here entered a dubbel in Pittsburgh and they got a "yuck ropy pedio contamination" on their score sheet, it's probably mine.

 

[CastleHollow]

Dude they're not sensitive. I sent (though I didn't know it at the time) a dubbel with a pedio contamination. They gave it a 26 overall. At best based on the BJCP guidelines it could have scored a 20, if they judges knew their crap. I'll let that speak for itself in Pittsburgh.

I'm not pleased with the Pittsburgh scoring at all. I posted in another thread about my experience. Somehow I ended up getting the same two judges on both beers, neither were very seasoned judges. Their scoring did not match their comments (only positive remarks on flavor in the brown ale, including "true to style" but they scored that category 11/20 and 9/20? seriously?) Their comments on both the brown ale & pale ale were almost exactly the same. Not worth the $20 I spent.

This is my 5th year of entering NHC, going back as far as 1997, and I received some of the lowest scores I've ever had in any competition. I know it's not my beer.

 

[Brutus Brewer]

Can't wait to see what feedback you get on the Dunkel.

If you'd like to share I'd love the Dunkel recipe. Been wanting to brew one for awhile now.

 

[KurtB]

Anyone have any insight as to what's going on with Chi-town? They seem to be the only site left still judging.

Don't hold me to it, but I think they just finished their judging on the 25th (probably about 8 hours after you posted your question).

If that was the case, I would imagine you should have your score sheets by now, or will within the next day or two or five.

 

[BigfootCounty]

I received my sheets today and got a 37.5 with my American IPA. I feel like it did pretty well but I am confident it could have done better had there not a been a sizable gap between shipping deadlines and judging. Not trying to complain just my 2 cents.( I suppose everyone had to deal with this too)

In the place awarded section It had a "2" written and then erased.

I'm guessing that I didn't place but feel decent getting a score like that in Portland.

 

[ReverseApacheMaster]

Sucks the results from Pittsburgh didn't turn out well.

 

[Holter]

Received my Pittsburgh results today. Lower than expected for everything except my pale ale. I try not to get caught up in the actual scores for beers, but my APA has very positive comments yet the score it received was a cumulative 33. It did get sent to mini best of show and my scoresheet says first place on it, but I'm a little suspicious of that because of the score. No idea if it is advancing.

 

[bob1852]

Sucks the results from Philly didn't turn out well.

750 entries in that region, and you're basing this on a couple comments from brewers who think their beer is better than the BJCP judges thought? Face it, us homebrewers have ugly baby syndrome when it comes to our creations.

 

[wonderbread23]

Got my scoresheets today from Portland. Had 10 with placements written on the coversheets. 6 firsts, 2 seconds, 2 thirds. Should have a number of them at my club's booth during club night and our hospitality suite shift.

 

[bob1852]

Got my scoresheets today from Portland. Had 10 with placements written on the coversheets. 6 firsts, 2 seconds, 2 thirds. Should have a number of them at my club's booth during club night and our hospitality suite shift.

Well done!

 

[dwarven_stout]

750 entries in that region, and you're basing this on a couple comments from brewers who think their beer is better than the BJCP judges thought? Face it, us homebrewers have ugly baby syndrome when it comes to our creations.

Well, and the guy who thought his beer was worse (i.e. infected) than the judges thought:

Well I got mine from Pittsburgh today. None of my beers had done very well. In fact the one that was probably the best got the lowest score I think. The one that had a pedio contamination got no flaws mentioned. So I don't know who was judging their Belgians but......

I just started reading this thread tonight, but when you mentioned this beer one page 2 or whatever, I totally would have predicted that the judges wouldn't notice.

I have had poor experience with the NHC in the past. I figure I'll give it this one more year, but... I'm prepared to start ranting once I get my scoresheets back. The first year I entered I had my saison judged as a wit (and one judge said it was too dry for style). I should have quit then before I fell further behind.

 

[CastleHollow]

Received my Pittsburgh results today. Lower than expected for everything except my pale ale. I try not to get caught up in the actual scores for beers, but my APA has very positive comments yet the score it received was a cumulative 33. It did get sent to mini best of show and my scoresheet says first place on it, but I'm a little suspicious of that because of the score. No idea if it is advancing.

Well done on the finish! Your experience is similar to mine, so perhaps that is indicative of how Pittsburgh judges were scoring their beers as a whole. I'm okay if judging across the site is consistent. My complaint above was based on the fact that the same 2 judges (apprentice and non-ranked) scored 2 different style beers, their remarks on both were very similar (like they had a playbook of comments,) and their remarks didn't sync with the score. If AHA hadn't jacked the entry fee up this year, I might not be complaining. But I expected better feedback from a national comp.

 

[Coog_Brew]

Got my scoresheets today from Portland. Had 10 with placements written on the coversheets. 6 firsts, 2 seconds, 2 thirds. Should have a number of them at my club's booth during club night and our hospitality suite shift.

Congrats and well done! I will definitely be stopping by your club's booth at NHC.

 

[Oldsock]

Received my Pittsburgh results today. Lower than expected for everything except my pale ale. I try not to get caught up in the actual scores for beers, but my APA has very positive comments yet the score it received was a cumulative 33. It did get sent to mini best of show and my scoresheet says first place on it, but I'm a little suspicious of that because of the score. No idea if it is advancing.

Congrats! I entered Pittsburgh, and my scores were generally lower than expected, but I still had 3 beers advance. My Cabernet Lambic scored a 34, but it still managed to win sours (on the other hand my Berliner scored a 38 and didn’t advance). A sour porter aged in a bourbon barrel on cherries scored a 32 and got a 3rd in fruit beer. I also got a 2nd in Belgian Ale with a table beer finished with Brett B in the bottle, at a 39.5 that was more what I would expect to place.

Sadly my lowest score (26.5) was the one I put the most effort into, a gueuze that I blended from four different pale sour beers.

 

[bwinnie]

All 4 of my entries to Pittsburgh scored much lower than expected, including one beer that just took a silver medal in the Great Az HBC with 42 points. I know it's the nationals but they only gave it a 28. Looks like Pittsburgh judges were tough this year.

 

[eppo]

Congrats to all of you who advanced. Hopefully one day my beers will get scores into or close to the 40's. That is quite an achievement in my eyes.

 

[bob1852]

All 4 of my entries to Pittsburgh scored much lower than expected, including one beer that just took a silver medal in the Great Az HBC with 42 points. I know it's the nationals but they only gave it a 28. Looks like Pittsburgh judges were tough this year.

Or maybe the AZ judges were favorable??????

 

[Irrenarzt]

You never know with competitions. You just don't ever know....

 

[bob1852]

You never know with competitions. You just don't ever know....

Exactly, BJCP judging is more art than science.

There are so many factors that go into it - how was your bottle handled during shipping? How was it stored before the comp? When was it opened? How was the pour? How long did it sit in the glass? What temp was it stored at? What temp was it poured at? What temp was it tasted at? What place was it in the flight? What are the judges experience levels? What are the judges tasting preferences? Etc. Etc. Etc.

Remember, BJCP comps are there to tell you that you're beer is great. They're there, in part, to tell you the finer points of how your beer doesn't meet the style. We've gone soft as a society when it comes to criticism.

I entered several beers, meads, and ciders in the AZ, NHC, and Mazer Cup comps because they are all held around the same time (multiple judging on the same batches). The variety of scores and comments were......shall I say, interesting.

That's part of the fun of competitions, in my opinion.

 

[BMan1029]

Palate fatigue and mental exhaustion. It happens to judges. Its also why the mini BOS is supposed to be the great equalizer. Ive certainly had scoresheets come back and I had to honestly wonder what beer they were tasting. But after going through judging class and judging myself, I have a deeper understanding of the process and dont get nearly as worked up as I used to. Unless you tell me my beer is not fermented....at all....cause Im definitely certain I didnt bottle up wort and send it in.

 

[farbecker]

Anyone enter Atlanta? I can't remember when it said judging would take place but it says, "Database Received." I haven't received anything via snail mail or e-mail yet for any of my 5 entries.

I entered Atlanta as well. Just checked the mail today and, like Ralphie Parker waiting for his Little Orphan Annie decoder pin...skunked again.

 

[smokinghole]

Exactly, BJCP judging is more art than science.

There are so many factors that go into it - how was your bottle handled during shipping? How was it stored before the comp? When was it opened? How was the pour? How long did it sit in the glass? What temp was it stored at? What temp was it poured at? What temp was it tasted at? What place was it in the flight? What are the judges experience levels? What are the judges tasting preferences? Etc. Etc. Etc.

Remember, BJCP comps are there to tell you that you're beer is great. They're there, in part, to tell you the finer points of how your beer doesn't meet the style. We've gone soft as a society when it comes to criticism.

I entered several beers, meads, and ciders in the AZ, NHC, and Mazer Cup comps because they are all held around the same time (multiple judging on the same batches). The variety of scores and comments were......shall I say, interesting.

That's part of the fun of competitions, in my opinion.

I have no opposition to criticism. I do have opposition to a professional brewer that cannot recognize a pedio contamination, or a serious contamination issue at all. So unless they totally screwed up the entries and screwed up who's was who's then I don't know what was going on. The beer has a very detectable lactic sourness and a viscosity of motor oil. Yet it scored better than the non f-ed up beers. So either that says my non f-ed up beers suck worse than a dubbel that pours like psuedo jello, or the judges are idiots.

I can say I fully expected this, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to criticize their judging abilities. Snot strings reach from the glass to the bottle, seriously. In a comp I helped judge if the steward noticed something like that we would give it a 10-13 smell it, then a brave judge would taste it, and note the probable contamination issue.

The Pittsburgh judges make me really wish I wasn't sleeping at the wheel so I could have entered at Philadelphia.

 

[bob1852]

Yet it scored better than the non f-ed up beers. So either that says my non f-ed up beers suck worse than a dubbel that pours like psuedo jello, or the judges are idiots.

I'm sure you know comparing scores from beers in different categories doesn't say that one is "better" than the other.

Any chance that bottle had a more subdued contamination?

Have you contacted the judges?

 

[smokinghole]

It was 100% bottled.

I will admit one of the beer was brewed as a beer heavily inspired by Orval. It had near 4 vol of carbonation and appropriate body. In fact I think it tastes eerily like Orval, and I got dinged for high carbonation. There was mention of "difficult to judge do to lack of base style". In this case I felt the base style was a belgian specialty. There is no category for a beer that I entered. So they knocked it for being not to any style I guess.

This is only my third ever comp. The other two my beers did stellar at took BOS at both. So either the judges where I won were SUPER easy at the last two comps or there is something up with theses Pittsburgh judges.

In full disclosure, as of Monday, I am a brewery QA lab tech. I feel I know my contamination issues. I finished up classes on Friday and started working on Monday. It's not like I'm paranoid. I verified through differential testing media and with a microscope there's a bacterial issue with this beer. Short of genetic testing through PCR or something like that I've done it to make sure while still able to use the university lab equipment.

I know I brewed non-traditional beers so they were going to be judged harshly. Heck there were less than 15 entrants in each category out of 750 total entrants. I just can't get over the "high" score of the contaminated beer. I don't want to beat the dead horse any further though.