2014 NHC entry strategy

[Spurtrax]

With the cap on entries for NHC has anyone changed what entries they are sending? I have a good Irish Stout but last year the average number of entries was 25 and the stout category had more than 50. Do you guys think the same will be true this year?

I have four slots and six beers I think could be winners: a Vienna lager, a Munich Helles, a robust porter, an Irish Stout, an Irish red and a Southern English Brown Ale.

Any thoughts?

[NervousDad]

I'd enter the lager and the helles and the robust porter for sure. The others would be a toss up for me.

I'm entering an IPA, Pale Ale and a Strong Scotch Ale. I'm going to get slaughtered, but that's all I had time for.

The IPA and Pale Ale are really good, but I don't think they'll compete well. The Pale Ale is Tasty's session ale, which I don't think will do well, because it's a session ale (delicious otherwise)

The scotch ale was kegged a while a go and it's still hazy so I'll get bad scores on that one too, but I'm curious about the feedback on that one. Not sure what went wrong with my mash on that one.

[BDawg]

a Vienna lager, a Munich Helles, a robust porter, an Irish Stout, an Irish red and a Southern English Brown Ale.

I'd keep the stout and porter back, and enter the others.

I'm entering an IPA, Pale Ale and a Strong Scotch Ale

Can you degas the wee heavy, hit it with gelatin, and recarb in time?

How "sessiony" is the session pale? Would you equate it to being an Ordinary Bitter but with American Hops? Could it work as a 23A?

[TheeMattSmith]

I'm entering an American Stout, Imperial IPA, German Pilsner, and Irish Red Ale. The Stout is good but I don't think it can win. It's just a new recipe and want some feedback. German Pils has winning potential. I just took BOS with my IPA so that has a chance and Iv'e advanced with my Irish Red before so I think I have a fighting chance for at least one to advance.

[NervousDad]

a Vienna lager, a Munich Helles, a robust porter, an Irish Stout, an Irish red and a Southern English Brown Ale.

I'd keep the stout and porter back, and enter the others.

I'm entering an IPA, Pale Ale and a Strong Scotch Ale

Can you degas the wee heavy, hit it with gelatin, and recarb in time?

How "sessiony" is the session pale? Would you equate it to being an Ordinary Bitter but with American Hops? Could it work as a 23A?

It's strange, I hit it with gelatin when I first kegged it, then I just did it again yesterday. I'm hoping that one works. It's clean doesn't taste bad, but won't clear for me.

The session ale is 3.9 ABV. tons of hops I took Tasty's session ale, but I added a 30 minute whirlpool addition and ran in through my hop back. It's has a lot of aroma Do you think I'd be able to enter it? I have a unused paid entry.

[breslinp]

By entering the lagers and porter, you increase your odds since those categories all have lower entries. Although I have not looked at all Jamil's recipes, the ones I have brewed have always seemed on the high end of the style. It makes sense that these would win awards. They would stand out when a judge is tasting a whole bunch of one style. They would also do better further in a panel when judges' taste buds start getting fatigued. If I was out to win the Ninkasi, my strategy would be to enter beers in unpopular categories and enter beers on the upper edge of the styles.

Good luck.

[BDawg]

In the PACNW region, I am/was the judge director 3 out of the last 4 years. Stouts and Porters easily outnumber lagers, English Browns, and the Scottish and Irish category. Southern EB is easily the LEAST entered English Brown (Mild now takes that category by a landslide). Irish Reds are almost always outnumbered by the Scottish styles, esp Wee Heavy. The danger with the Irish category is if you get bad judges who equate alcohol level with quality, you can get killed by the Wee Heavies.

So, by entering the rarest beers in the lower entry categories, you stand a good chance to stand out.

Regardless of category, Lagers are MUCH rarer then ales. Lagers tend to score low or very high. The brewers that enter them are either highly skilled, incredibly naive, or they are stepping up from brewing good ales and haven't quite gotten them down yet. I LOVE judging lagers, particularly the lighter lagers (and hybrids), because the good one are great, they won't fuck you up after a flight, and the bad ones are easy to spot so you don't have to drink a lot to get a good idea of what's wrong with them.

[BDawg]

The session ale is 3.9 ABV. tons of hops I took Tasty's session ale, but I added a 30 minute whirlpool addition and ran in through my hop back. It's has a lot of aroma Do you think I'd be able to enter it? I have a unused paid entry.

Sounds like entering it as a 21A Specialty - Session strength American Pale Ale is what I'd do with it.
Ensure that you list the Special Ingredients as "Session strength American Pale Ale".
You want to broadcast that. Sometimes the specialty category does not get adequate info to the judges. Put that phrase everywhere in the registration forms so that it is obvious to the judges what is special about this beer. Do it to the point of repetition. You never know what your region is going to print out on the pull sheets.