The 2014 NHC First Round - Results/Speculation Thread

[OleMissAMS]

Do you only have the 3 bottles left of the older bo pils? If not I would say try them side by side just before submitting for the final round... If you are down to your last three then I guess I would go with my gut. If the new batch is tasting like a really good bo pils go with it, if you think it's off here and there.. so with the older ones maybe.

Yeah, I only have 3 of the old batch. I could try them side-by-side, but I'd be DQing myself from BOS if the old batch is better since I'd only have 2 bottles left. Let's face it, though... BOS is a LONG shot.



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[mors]

Yeah, I only have 3 of the old batch. I could try them side-by-side, but I'd be DQing myself from BOS if the old batch is better since I'd only have 2 bottles left. Let's face it, though... BOS is a LONG shot.



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haha I guess you could always try them side by side and roll the dice... 2 old bottles and a new bottle... Though that could be the difference between a medal and no medal ;-)

 

[TobyG]

TobyG, wow. I have seen some interesting things before. I am in the process of preparing myself for the tasting exam, so I judge as much as I can. I have come to the realization that no matter what a person's rank is he/she can have holes in their pallet and be wrong. What style was it?

9E Strong Scotch. Yeah, the score sheet just reminded me of a comp last year where one of the judges smelled diacetyl and/or DMS in _everything_. To me, those are monsters under the bed for some people. I admit that mine is slightly out of style, but it's in a way that is not going to be detected by the average judge (it's just above the Guidelines for ABV, i.e. a touch over 11% as opposed to 10%). That was one of the other things that was odd is that it was 'underattenuated' to one of the judges palates (this is a beer that went from 1.105 to 1.019).

Since you're in the process of preparing for the tasting, one of the 'tricks' I always use to help differentiate between diacetyl and kettle caramelization (on the styles where the latter is appropriate or even expected) is the mouthfeel. Diacetyl is often accompanied by a slickness or oiliness on the palate (or even soapiness). Best of luck on your exam.

 

[AnOldUR]

Oh, and what do I do with this extra score sheet from Seattle?

Anyone missing a Blonde Ale, entry# 298? You scored a 32. Sounds like a nice beer.

Must have been because they were rushing to get'em out.




Yeah, I'll send it back to the AHA.

 

[FarmerTed]

Yeah, I only have 3 of the old batch. I could try them side-by-side, but I'd be DQing myself from BOS if the old batch is better since I'd only have 2 bottles left. Let's face it, though... BOS is a LONG shot.

Take 3 new bottles and 3 old bottles, put them in a six pack, and then have someone randomly pick out 3 bottles and pack them for you.

 

[XPLSV]

Hey guys, I need some input on what to do for the 2nd round.Here’s my dilemma:

I brewed my Bohemian Pilsener that advanced in Mid-December. It was ready to drink around February 1. The bottles for the NHC and the 2nd local comp were filled with a BeerGun in March, just before the NHC submission deadline.

Its competition history is:
41.5 in a local comp, Mid-February (2 non-certified judges)
45.5 in the NHC first round, late March (1 national, 1 certified judge)
33 in another local comp, last weekend (2 certified judges)

I re-brewed the beer a few weeks ago. It should have about a month of lagering time on it by the time the 2nd round entries are due. It seems good, maybe a touch thin for the style (finished at 1.009). I'd say the jury's out until it's fully carbed and lagered.

I also have three bottles set aside from the first batch, but considering the drop in scores last weekend, I'm worried that it's past its prime. Which bottles would you submit in this situation? Keep in mind that I can't really compare the two batches since I only have 3 bottles left.

Similar quandery here...had tapped out of my kegerator in February from a December brewed batch and have two bottles left. A new batch is lagering and I was thinking about whether to just add the 3rd bottle, pop one of the two remaining and sample, etc. Probably first need to sample the current batch once I carbonate it. Brewed this one stronger than that last...

 

[jaydog2314]

got my Chicago scoresheets yesterday as a FYI to those who are waiting. got some good remarks/comments on almost all of them.

 

[mwilcox]

my friend's beer that had only two bottles DID make the BOS round, just fyi. the judges are told if there is a bottle shortage. We had one at the amber lager table and we poured a little less and made sure the team of two judges judged that one rather than one of the teams of three judges. It didn't advance so no biggie.
I would assume a reasonable effort will again be made to save a bottle for the final table if at all possible.

good luck--
--Michael

 

[mors]

Sounds like the best route to me... try both send the best one. Even if it's the older one with only 2 bottles left.

 

[OleMissAMS]

Take 3 new bottles and 3 old bottles, put them in a six pack, and then have someone randomly pick out 3 bottles and pack them for you.

Sooooo... you had a pils advance, too?


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[TobyG]

I also have three bottles set aside from the first batch, but considering the drop in scores last weekend, I'm worried that it's past its prime. Which bottles would you submit in this situation? Keep in mind that I can't really compare the two batches since I only have 3 bottles left.

If you force carb, you have the option of using Gordon Strong's blending method from Brewing Better Beer. You could only sacrifice one bottle of the December batch to taste and blend with the new batch (5 or 6 2 oz samples to blend with varying amounts of the other) until you've got it where you want it and then blend the others at that ratio in a 2 liter bottle with a carbonator cap and pressurize accordingly. Then sanitize your bottles and bring everything down to near freezing, purge with CO2, pour and cap. I've never tried it, but he seems to swear by it.

 

[mors]

Got my Chicago results back today. Pretty much agree with all the judges comments. Though I didn't perceive my IIPA's dankness as an issue... It's basically what I was shooting for. Still it was scored appropriately I think.

 

[biereblanche]

Judges don't get the dank!

There was a discussion (maybe on the BA forum?) where a judge said he was particularly confused by the description and thought it should describe musty basement smells.

To me, it's something I want to roll around in, mmmmmmm dank!

 

[mors]

lol well they seem to get that it can below... They just both commented about how it was super dank in the aroma and it killed the aroma. They did seem to recognize that it's acceptable to be dank though as they scored it pretty good and still advanced it to mini-bos.

 

[mxstar21]

Any idea when they mail out first round medals? I am just stoked I got a 3rd place and always wanted a medal from this competition. Got a 3rd on my first try in the Philly competition. I know some of the other cities had problems mailing score sheets, but Philly was pretty fast in my opinion.


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[sketerbuck]

Any idea when they mail out first round medals? I am just stoked I got a 3rd place and always wanted a medal from this competition. Got a 3rd on my first try in the Philly competition. I know some of the other cities had problems mailing score sheets, but Philly was pretty fast in my opinion.


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They don't send medals for the first round. They send ribbons.

 

[mxstar21]

They don't send medals for the first round. They send ribbons.

When do they send those normally?


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[the75]

Ok, just finished polishing off a couple cases of left over (did not advance to mini-bos) homebrew from round 1. I am actually amazed at a couple things & wanted to share in case it might help someone out there.
Pros: While I'm no judge, I was pleasantly surprised at how many quality beers there were that did not advance. I was expecting a lot worse from "leftovers". I only dumped one beer!
Cons: I noticed a number of people who didn't follow simple rules. While none of the entries were disqualified, I can't help but think that your beer is instantly going to have a strike against it by nearly any judge out there. Clear bottles? Green Bottles? Red/Blue/Green/decorated bottle caps? Yes, I saw all of the above. One beer was also filled incredibly short, probably 4 inches below the cap!

All in all, I was impressed by a majority of the beers, but wanted to share the things that I noticed with the hopes that next year, a noob can avoid his bottle screaming "NOOB!". Hope someone out there reads this & learns. In the meantime, congratulations to everyone out there who advanced. Good luck in Michigan!

 

[TobyG]

Went through my score sheets in more detail yesterday and a few things stuck out to me. First was that the checklist score sheets seemed to throw off the judges despite the AHA's intentions. The certified judges seemed to have the most trouble with it (in one case, they wrote no comments at all and in another they wrote comments everywhere). I guess when you get used to one format, switching to another completely different one requires some retraining. Second is basic addition. I had a beer which based on individual AAFMO scores should have scored a 33 but due to not making sure the individual scores added up to the final score wound up with a 29. Didn't advance to mini-BOS anyway, but it's a simple thing. Either the judge had trouble adding, or they worked backwards incorrectly. Third and final is that I seriously wonder about shipping and handling in some cases. I did a side-by-side of one of my beers with a reference beer last night and I'm still dumbfounded as to how it scored so low.

 

[Dolomieu]

Double checking that the scores are added up correctly is on the stewards. I know i had at least two sheets that went back to the judges for corrections for this very reason. The judges were more than happy to make the corrections.

 

[mors]

Went through my score sheets in more detail yesterday and a few things stuck out to me. First was that the checklist score sheets seemed to throw off the judges despite the AHA's intentions. The certified judges seemed to have the most trouble with it (in one case, they wrote no comments at all and in another they wrote comments everywhere). I guess when you get used to one format, switching to another completely different one requires some retraining. Second is basic addition. I had a beer which based on individual AAFMO scores should have scored a 33 but due to not making sure the individual scores added up to the final score wound up with a 29. Didn't advance to mini-BOS anyway, but it's a simple thing. Either the judge had trouble adding, or they worked backwards incorrectly. Third and final is that I seriously wonder about shipping and handling in some cases. I did a side-by-side of one of my beers with a reference beer last night and I'm still dumbfounded as to how it scored so low.

The quick list format does not require you to write in info in every section. The fact that some judges prefer to write in some info and others doesn't is just personal choice on the judges part.

Math issues happen. I find they usually happen with me when I have to adjust my score after discussion with the other judge/judges. Sometimes you adjust multiple categories while still discussing and then figure 'ok I removed 2 points here and 1 point there, so -3 from my old total. When in fact you forgot you also adjusted this category etc..' Of course if the steward doesn't catch it I never know if I make a math error...

I find shipping and handling ALWAYS effects the beers negatively. I've noticed this with pretty much all competitons. You're best best is to hand deliver to one of the drop off locations if possible. My club usually gets someone to do it for others. I did it this year. People gave me $5-$10 to deliver their entries... Cheaper than shipping and their beers are not as abused. Of course that's not to say you can't still win with a shipped beer. I just think it takes a hit still from shipping.

 

[TobyG]

Double checking that the scores are added up correctly is on the stewards. I know i had at least two sheets that went back to the judges for corrections for this very reason. The judges were more than happy to make the corrections.

Yeah, double checking is on the stewards, but checking is on the judge. It's not rocket science. Like I said, just thoughts I had going through them from both an entrant's perspective and a judge's perspective. In my case, it wouldn't have made a difference in outcome.

The quick list format does not require you to write in info in every section. The fact that some judges prefer to write in some info and others doesn't is just personal choice on the judges part.

I know. What I'm referring to is that some wrote in every section, and some wrote nothing at all. Ultimately I think this is on the AHA and the sites more than the judges, though. They chose to use the check list form where most certified judges (especially if they've been certified within the last couple years) have had the traditional score sheet drilled into them, so they either default to all or nothing. There's probably a balance there somewhere that the AHA or site should provide some guidance on at the outset.

Math issues happen. I find they usually happen with me when I have to adjust my score after discussion with the other judge/judges. Sometimes you adjust multiple categories while still discussing and then figure 'ok I removed 2 points here and 1 point there, so -3 from my old total. When in fact you forgot you also adjusted this category etc..' Of course if the steward doesn't catch it I never know if I make a math error...

In this case, I don't think it was from discussion since the other judge scored it at a 33, so both of them should have had the same score. Like I said, though, it's just a thought I had since it's something I consider simple to fix and something I pay attention to as a judge. It's not like I'm going to report the judge or even contact them about it.

I find shipping and handling ALWAYS effects the beers negatively. I've noticed this with pretty much all competitons. You're best best is to hand deliver to one of the drop off locations if possible. My club usually gets someone to do it for others. I did it this year. People gave me $5-$10 to deliver their entries... Cheaper than shipping and their beers are not as abused. Of course that's not to say you can't still win with a shipped beer. I just think it takes a hit still from shipping.

Yeah, I expect it really bit me in this case because the two perceptions were pretty widely different. I only shipped where I did because I was planning on judging the closest location and two of the categories I entered are the ones I'm most inclined to judge. I usually mule the club entries in most cases. I need to come up with a Gordon Strong style method though for the rare cases where I do decide to ship.

 

[ram5ey]

Score sheets came in today from Nashville. Great feedback from bjcp national judge on my APA (scored a 38 but didn't progress) other judge was a novice and didn't write anything really. Just glad I got some feedback.