Not sure if I'm to style. Is it worth entering in a competition?

[JCasey1992]

I'm planning on entering my first ever competition and was planning on entering my pale ale, Hefeweizen and Coffee Brown. However, I just realized that per recommendations from people on this forum as well as other sources I added a tiny amount of wheat malt to my brown ale. To my knowledge, this is not exactly to style for a Northern English Brown. The beer tastes great but considering how competitions are judged, should I bother entering it into the contest? Worst case scenario, I still have two solid beers I can enter.

Please let me know if you need any more information.

Cheers!
Casey

 

[MapleGroveAleworks]

Nobody is going to know, you're good.

 

[dmtaylor]

Always enter based on taste, never based on recipe. A tiny amount of wheat is totally undetectable. Soon I shall be brewing a rye stout but entering it into competitions as an oatmeal stout even without any oats at all. I'm positive I will receive feedback from judges telling me how wonderfully creamy it is "from the oats". They have no idea.

 

[madscientist451]

Should you bother entering it into the contest? Sure, if you want to spend money on that kind of activity, go ahead. Keep your expectations realistic though, contest judging is extremely variable, sometimes you get worthwhile feedback, sometimes you don't.

 

[hlmbrwng]

Look at all of the sub categories available if you feel like it's not a good fit. Besides, sometimes you have better luck placing in those categories. I know, I know. It's not all about the medals.

edit: I guess it doesn't get much more sub-category than Northern English Brown.