AHA National Homebrew Comp. entries due 4-11-08!

spkrtoy · Post by **spkrtoy** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 12:14 pm

I just entered 4 beers:
Cat 7b cali common for Rezzin
cat 18 e belgian strong dark
Cat 19 a old ale (with my belgian dark)
16 e belgian specialty (my strong golden that's too dark)

It was easy to pay and print the labels online too!
I was entries 1214 -1218 so there's gonna be a lot of entries unless they started at 1000!

BrewMasterBrad · Post by **BrewMasterBrad** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 2:05 pm

I think they started at 1000. I started entering my beers right after the site went online and my first entry was 1030. Also, remember that this entry site is for all the regions, so there are going to be about 5000 by the time it's over.

backyard brewer · Post by **backyard brewer** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 2:04 pm

I was 1542 & 1543

spkrtoy · Post by **spkrtoy** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 2:12 pm

Anyone going to judge this down in San Diego? I've gotten 3 different emails pleading for judges.

BrewMasterBrad · Post by **BrewMasterBrad** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 6:30 pm

I won't be able to go to the judging since I have my kids that weekend.

I dropped off the beers at AleSmith today. Talked to Peter Zien for a while. They are really upgrading their brewhouse.

Post by **brahn** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 6:55 pm

Thanks for taking the beers down Brad!

Rezzin · Post by **Rezzin** » Thu Apr 10, 2008 8:06 pm

Thanks Brad!

BrewMasterBrad · Post by **BrewMasterBrad** » Thu May 01, 2008 8:33 am

The wait is killing me. The web site says that they won't post the first round results until May 9 or later. I understand that they are waiting for all the regions to report their results, but May 9 is two weeks after all the regions are done. Plus, that does not give brewers much time if they need to re-brew for the finals. I understand that last year some of the regions were slacking off in getting the results in, so some regional results were posted before others, but two weeks later?

I think we had nearly 20 beers entered altogether, so here's to hoping that a couple make it through to the second round.

hjw · Post by **hjw** » Thu May 01, 2008 9:13 am

I judged the Belgian Strongs on the same panel as Peter Zien and he gave one of the beers a 45, so somebody got the highest score that a Master Judge has ever given.

spkrtoy · Post by **spkrtoy** » Thu May 01, 2008 2:11 pm

judged the Belgian Strongs on the same panel as Peter Zien and he gave one of the beers a 45, so somebody got the highest score that a Master Judge has ever given.

WhooHoo!

I entered a belgian strong so hopefully that one was mine!

bwarbiany · Post by **bwarbiany** » Thu May 01, 2008 5:04 pm

BrewMasterBrad wrote:The wait is killing me.

Me too... Hope we get some good ones overall...

I was looking at it, and the second round judging and winner's ceremony is on June 21 in the Midwest. I'll be in the Midwest on June 21. All I need to do is skip out on my sister's wedding early, hop a flight, and...

BrewMasterBrad · Post by **BrewMasterBrad** » Tue May 06, 2008 3:03 pm

Got my score sheets back today. Let me just that I am disappointed. My Oktoberfest scored a 23. That recipe has placed in several other comps and scored a 40 at the Pac Brewers Cup last year. Both judges said that the beer was astringent. Whatever, I have never had that comment before on any beer I have made.

My Bonde Ale scored a 31.5. It scored a 42 at Pac Cup. One judge said that it was too bready and the other said it was too fruity. Go figure.

I don't think most judges actually know what diacetyl smells like. My American Amber was criticized for having too much diacetyl. I don't know where that comes from. Could it be that they are mistaking the caramel notes of the crystal 120 malt for diacetyl?

The best one was my Special Bitter. Judge #1: "Clean beer, but hop flavor dominates. Lacks a nice malty backbone". Judge #2: "Nice beer decrease the crystal malt and increase the hop bitterness." It scored a 30 even though the judges were tasting entirely different beers.

Some judges did provide some very good feedback, so it is not all bad news. It just seems like most them were very inconsistent with each other. Just makes you wonder if it's worth spending $9/beer to get feedback that does not help you brew better beer.

Post by **brahn** » Tue May 06, 2008 3:10 pm

Do you know if any of your beers placed?

I saw on another board that someone emailed the contest coordinator and they won 2nd and 3rd in the stout category in the southwest, that only leaves 1st place if either of the beers I submitted are going to move on.

BrewMasterBrad · Post by **BrewMasterBrad** » Tue May 06, 2008 3:19 pm

None of my score sheets say a place anywhere, so I doubt it. My Blonde Ale scored a 31.5. My Cream Ale scored a 35. My Schwarzbier scored a 33. Those would be the only ones that I think would have a chance of placing.

backyard brewer · Post by **backyard brewer** » Tue May 06, 2008 4:52 pm

BrewMasterBrad wrote:Got my score sheets back today. Let me just that I am disappointed. My Oktoberfest scored a 23. That recipe has placed in several other comps and scored a 40 at the Pac Brewers Cup last year. Both judges said that the beer was astringent. Whatever, I have never had that comment before on any beer I have made.

My Bonde Ale scored a 31.5. It scored a 42 at Pac Cup. One judge said that it was too bready and the other said it was too fruity. Go figure.

I don't think most judges actually know what diacetyl smells like. My American Amber was criticized for having too much diacetyl. I don't know where that comes from. Could it be that they are mistaking the caramel notes of the crystal 120 malt for diacetyl?

The best one was my Special Bitter. Judge #1: "Clean beer, but hop flavor dominates. Lacks a nice malty backbone". Judge #2: "Nice beer decrease the crystal malt and increase the hop bitterness." It scored a 30 even though the judges were tasting entirely different beers.

Some judges did provide some very good feedback, so it is not all bad news. It just seems like most them were very inconsistent with each other. Just makes you wonder if it's worth spending $9/beer to get feedback that does not help you brew better beer.

I find that to be the case at most competitions anymore. The well done score sheets are few and far between, I kind of disregard them anymore and take solice in the fact that if I do place, all the other beers in that category were up against the same judges. So, if you get mediocre judging, it means everyone else did too.

Not the best way to look at it, but hey, given lemons... right?