Beer contest?

[Bugeater]

Question: Would we not want to use the same components in the same volumes with the same yeast pitched the same way etc,.? That to me would be more focused on process. IMHO. WADR

I think we would first need to determine what kind of competition we want. Are we looking for the brewer with the best grasp of the processes or are we looking for the brewer that can brew the "Best Damn Beer". The BDB category is an extra category our club always sticks on to any other other competion we run.

I vote for the BDB type of competion. Instead of an actual recipe let's give people some specific guidelines to follow that don't give anyone an unfair advantage.

For recipe formulation, I think we should do a very simple relatively light colored beer (under 10 SRM) with a base malt and no more than 2 other grains and no other adjuncts (fruit, honey, etc.). Hopping should be kept simple (no 120 minute IPA's).

This should be an ale, since many listeners won't have lagering capabilities. We will still need 2 categories, one for an extract (extract with steeped grains or partial mash) and one for an all grain version.

For judging a BDB, our club has the judges ask the following question:
"If you were stranded on a desert island for a couple of weeks and only had one keg of beer among your supplies, which of these beers would you want to have along?"

I would see weighting the scorring with 50% to the above question and the rest split out among the usual criteria such as color, clarity, aroma, and other obvious flaws.

This should give us some place to start on the rules.

Wayne
Bugeater Brewing Company

[yinzer]

I think that whatever we do should be simple but the most rewarding to everyone involved.

One of the shows I listened to tonight dealt with judging and getting feedback. The more I think about this and from reading everyone’s feedback, I don’t see this as a one-time deal. We could start out simple and build to on going contests. Everyone could submit entries with handles and a pseudonym that could be posted that would critic all beers. The winner or placed beers could win some cheesy prize. They could get a special avatar or something. Maybe the most coveted prize shouldn’t be “The Best Brewer”, but it should be “The Most Improved Brewer”. I see that as something keeping with the theme of the show.

I’ve been trying to brew good beer for a while now. There are a lot of forums with a wealth of information. I’ve just never seen one besides TBN that gives you ideas but also seems to backup what they are saying.