AFC 2009

[dhempy]

Nope ...

[jward]

They posted a results PDF here. Brad got a second in Dark Lager. They didn't list a first place or his club affiliation. I took 3rd in fruit beers. I didn't see any other BC names.

[BrewMasterBrad]

I didn't put my club affiliation down. Those guys have made me paranoid after the last couple years.

[maltbarley]

Congrats Brad and John.

[jward]

I didn't put my club affiliation down. Those guys have made me paranoid after the last couple years.

For what it's worth, QUAFF didn't seem to do as well this year.

[jward]

By and large my score sheets and feed back were OK. One wierdness was the 14 I got for my wheat beer?

The BJCP National judge said:
Aroma: Sorry dude, it's hard to tell but maybe old cheesy hops or a nasty case of DMS (vegital).
Appearance: Nice clarity - nice fine white foam - med gold color
Flavor: difficult to taste after smeling
Mouthfeel: fine for style
Overall Impression: could be yeast, fermentation or raw materials issues. Wish I could help - email me if you want to go over your process
score: 13

The Apprentice judge said:
Aroma: Slight grainy aroma hidden behind a vegetal (asparagus) aroma - low/no hop aroma
Appearance: golden color w/good clarity. Long lasting white head with good retention.
Flavor: Light and grainy wheat character w/ a vegital background flavor - low hop flavor, low fruity esters OK for style
Mouthfeel: smooth and creamy w/ medium body + moderate carbonation.
Overall Impression: The vegital (asparagus) flavor and aroma overwhelms this beer be sure to use healthy yeast and fresh ingredients, and check sanitation.
score: 15

I just poured a room temp one I have left. It's not vegital even to Mary. On first taste it has a lot of wheat tang even for me, but less on further tasting. This beer was the base for the raspberry wheat that won bronze. That is, I made a 10 gallon batch and split off 5 gallons into a carboy after the krausen fell. The raspberry had 3 lbs of the Oregon canned puree added.

Any ideas? Many of you have tasted this beer. In all honesty, it is mediocre and past its price, but a 14.

[brahn]

I've had your wheat beer a few times, but I don't know about this batch. I've never noticed it being vegetal, but I do remember one time it was a bit astringent.

[dhempy]

Interesting ... my Kolsch also got feedback of vegetal aroma ... I certainly don't smell it.

Dan

[BrewMasterBrad]

My score sheets were pretty complete and I agree with most of the comments. One interesting score was for my Belgian Pale Ale. It got a 36.6 (three judges) but did not place. It only got a 22 at the Batch 50 comp.

[brahn]

Nice work Brad.

[BrewMasterBrad]

Nice work Brad.

Hey, weren't you one of the judges that gave that beer such a bad score?

[brahn]

It must have gotten better.

[BrewMasterBrad]

Here are all my scores:

American Stout - 32.5. General comment was that it did not have enough hop presence for the style.

Oaked American Amber - Category 22c - 29. Lacked complexity, needed more oak character, which is suprising since I was afraid it had too much oak. One judge raved about the nice citrusy hop character, which is funny since the only hop used was Willamette.

Schwarzbier - 33.5. Both judges thought it was a little estery, but not too bad. I used WLP838 and fermented at 52F. My next round of lagers, I am going to use WLP 830, so I will see if that fixes the problem.

Belgian Pale Ale - 36.6. The judges really liked this one, but it didn't place. A little more head retention was the main comment. A 42.5 won this category, so here must have been some great beers.

[jward]

Here are my other scores:

Fruit Beer 20A - Raspberry Wheat - 33.3 Suggestions included the beer was a little bitter or under malted.

Robust Porter 12B - 34.5 would have liked a little more character and complexity. (This was really an old stout)

Irish Red Ale 9D - 38.5 One Overall Impression "Nice beer! More carbonation would have made it more enjoyable. Did not have characteristic dryness - a bit sweet some estery fruitiness is present. Should be clean." Should an Irish Red Ale be dry and lack estery fruitiness?

[jward]

I've had your wheat beer a few times, but I don't know about this batch. I've never noticed it being vegetal, but I do remember one time it was a bit astringent.

I'm not sure if the astrigency is from over sparging or minerals in my water. I have done some batch sparging to try to prevent over sparging. I'll have to see how that goes over time.