Thu Feb 21, 2013 9:32 am
The only thing in that recipe that shouts "ESB" is the yeast. But to me it is obviously an APA. Citra is a very American hop. No one who tastes that beer is going to say "this is an ESB".
I'll say it again: You need to enter the beer the way it tastes, which might very well NOT be the style you intended to brew.
Speaking of both points.... I recall a time I brewed a Dortmunder. Not a very good Dortmunder. It was sort of orange-ish in color, had too much spicy hop character, and it was fruity. Not sure how I screwed up that Dort, but it was screwed up royally. So I entered it as an ESB. And I kid you not -- it scored a 2nd place ribbon. But honestly, it wasn't a great example of an ESB either. It's just that some categories are so very broad that maybe they shouldn't even exist. I probably should have entered this one in Specialty 23. In retrospect, the fact that I passed it off as an ESB is pure luck and silliness. Which brings me to another point:
Competitions can at many times be a complete crapshoot. Just like Forrest's mom says, you never know what you're gonna get. Which is why you need to enter at least 3 or 4 comps to get a good spectrum of what the real answer should be for any particular beer.
Okay I'll quiet down now. Maybe.
Dave
"This is grain, which any fool can eat, but for which the Lord intended a more divine means of consumption. Let us give praise to our Maker, and glory to His bounty, by learning about... BEER!" - Friar Tuck (Robin Hood - Prince of Thieves)
