NHC. Ugh.

[Evan!]

Well, I got my results in the mail. What a disappointment. I entered my chocolate coffee stout, at the behest of my friends who love the stuff (as do I). It got a 26.5. I also entered my Smoked Porter, which I think is a wonderful beer, and it got a 26.

I'm not bitter because I got low scores. I can deal with that. But now I see why so many people here tell you not to bother. All the judge's writeups seem obsessed with the damned style guidelines, no matter whether the beer is actually good or not. Case in point: I entered my smoked porter in the robust porter category, and the judges tell me that I need to lose the smokey character to be more in line with "the style". What? What the hell is that about? It's a smoked porter, ferchrissakes!

So it's clear now that it's more about making beer that is as close to the BJCP style guidelines as possible, and not as much about how good the beer is. Is that a correct assessment? Again, I'm not bitter about low scores---my beer is good, and that's what matters---but why the obsession with replicating style guidelines?

 

[clayof2day]

Well they are obsessed with the style guidelines because that's how they're judged. Those aren't bad scores either. Finding the right category to enter in is the toughest part. Smoked porter should have probably been in the smoked beer category with robust porter as the base beer. Don't want to sound like a dick or a jerk, but that's what the guidelines are developed for. A frame a reference to fairly judge one beer vs. another. I agree that the judges can get really thrown about small details and that your scores might not tell you how good or bad your beer is, but they do have to be based on the style guidelines.

 

[the_bird]

I really liked your smoked porter, but you killed yourself by entering it in the wrong category. I thought it was pretty well-known that any smoked beer - unless it is just the SLIGHTEST hint of smoke, and then appropriate for the style - belongs in the "smoked beer" category. Otherwise, why have a smoked beer category at all?

The guidelines aren't a perfect way of judging beer, but I haven't heard too many realistic proposals about how to make the system better.

 

[david_42]

I've seen several cases where people enter a beer in more than one style and get slammed in one category because it's off-style and win awards in the other. What is really a kick, the one beer of this sort that I've tasted got clobbered in the style the homebrewer was shooting for and won in another style!

 

[Bugeaterbrewing]

Two clubs in our area have a competition every year. We pick four BJCP styles to be eligible plus a style we simply call "best damn beer". The BDB beer can be anything you want regardless of whether it fits a style or not. The judging criteria for the BDB is simply "out of the beers entered, which would you most like to have a couple of six pack of in your fridge?" This is always the most fun one to judge.

A couple major regional comps have a category like this too. I Believe the Dixie Cup an possibly the Bluebonnet both do this. Check out the style categories for various comps and you can usually find a spot for you out of style beers.

I have a rye cream ale that was dinged for being out of style in two different categories (got a 34 both times) and thus didn't advance. I am going to enter it in a smaller brewpub competition where their focus is a good drinkable, refreshing summer beer. This beer should do just fine there since they will be brewing the winning recipe to put on sale to the public. Being able to sell it is more important than being to style for this one.

Wayne
Bugeater Brewing Company

 

[Evan!]

I really liked your smoked porter, but you killed yourself by entering it in the wrong category. I thought it was pretty well-known that any smoked beer - unless it is just the SLIGHTEST hint of smoke, and then appropriate for the style - belongs in the "smoked beer" category. Otherwise, why have a smoked beer category at all?

The guidelines aren't a perfect way of judging beer, but I haven't heard too many realistic proposals about how to make the system better.

Makes sense. Well known, perhaps, but not to me...oh well

 

[RichBrewer]

I agree with you Even. I entered my pumpkin beer and I had to select a base beer style for it. The problem is, I didn't design the beer to a style. I designed it around the pumpkin. I ended up choosing Irish Red for the base style because nothing else matched. I was docked points because the beer wasn't roasty enough. I got a 35.5 on it and some of the judges comments were:
"This is a well made beer."
"Nice aroma and appearance"
"Excellent example"
The question I have is should I make this again to the style guidelines or keep it as is and to hell with it?
Style guidelines are one thing but can't it be a great beer even if it doesn't fit???
I guess bottom line is if you want to enter contests you have to brew to style.

 

[the_bird]

I agree with you Even. I entered my pumpkin beer and I had to select a base beer style for it. The problem is, I didn't design the beer to a style. I designed it around the pumpkin. I ended up choosing Irish Red for the base style because nothing else matched. I was docked points because the beer wasn't roasty enough. I got a 35.5 on it and some of the judges comments were:
"This is a well made beer."
"Nice aroma and appearance"
"Excellent example"
The question I have is should I make this again to the style guidelines or keep it as is and to hell with it?
Style guidelines are one thing but can't it be a great beer even if it doesn't fit???
I guess bottom line is if you want to enter contests you have to brew to style.

You entered it as a fruit/vegetable beer though, right? You didn't enter it against non-pumpkined Irish Red Ale, did you? That's a different issue than what happened with Evan!

I have another bottle of that porter I need to sample soon...

 

[FlyingHorse]

Never entered a comp, but maybe if you want the judges to evaluate whether you made a "good beer" vs. a "stylistically correct beer" you could use the specialty beer category ?