Poll: Beer Competition Ethics

[pericles]

I think I'd like to give the author credit, even if it's just by way of an allegorical mention in the beer's name. There's a finite number of recipes, and an infinite variation of process.

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

Like the London Symphony Orchestra performing Beethoven. Nobody would knock them for not writing their own music, but one can still be impressed by their performance!

There are many ways to define and grok this argument-- no one person is right, and I appreciate the diverse opinions.

-Steve

Oh great! Now I'm the fookin' Sex Pistols of homebrew.....Thanks!

 

[CBBaron]

We could all brew the same recipe and we would end up with very different beers.

When I brew a recipe, no matter where it came from, it is my unique beer because I used my water, methods, equipment, time, temperatures, etc.

+1
The anniversary beer brews and swaps are good examples of this. I got to try 3 other Russian Imperial Stouts in addition to my own. They were all easily different beers despite using the same recipe. And the one from Brewpastor was far and away superior to my own.

Brewing is a craft and a recipe is just the starting point. So much else is required to make a good beer.

Craig

 

[CBBaron]

In my mind, I see a competition as 50% skill (how well I can master the process of brewing beer no matter what recipe) and 50% creativity (how well I can design a recipe that tastes "good").
-Steve

It may be 50/50 for all brewers, but i think the top places are decided much more strongly by brewing than recipe. If everyone brewed with the same recipe, the top beers would be no harder to determine than an open recipe competition. Ofcourse there would be fewer "what were they thinking" beers.

And BTW I nearly always create my own recipe as i find that to be a good portion of the fun in brewing.

Craig