Question about competitions in general

[delzep]

If a judge detects a major flaw in a beer but everything else about the beer seems to be OK, are the judge allowed (or encouraged) to open the second bottle to check if it might have been due to a single bottle maybe being dirty or otherwise and judge the second bottle?

[DEMPSEY]

I would say no because if this beer wins gold it's second bottle goes to the BOI and that could be a week later.

[Will_D]

BJCP answer is Yes.

You can ask for a second bottle to be openned if you suspect a one off bottle problem.

Notes: If you didn't ask for the second bottle then there's no way a duff bottle is going forward.
If the second bottle is sound then should the beer go foreward as the first one was flawed?

Answer: NO!

The fact that one was flawed and one was good means nowt in the judging of beers. They are not worthy of progression.

[Leann ull]

In practical terms over the previous comps the way we have done it is that it's up to the judges on the day, it's done as a courtesy to the entrant and documented on scoresheet, particularly relevant in judging high abv beers you know or suspect have been bottle conditioned for long period of time, RIS etc

[delzep]

I would say no because if this beer wins gold it's second bottle goes to the BOI and that could be a week later.

Every other competition bar the nationals is completed on one day

[Sorcerers Apprentice]

I think that it's up to each entrant to put their best effort in as a competition entry in order to maximise their chances of winning. This should involve an inspection of the bottles before filling for cleanliness and chips etc. Lots of good beers are rejected for partial labels, marks on caps etc. That being said a gusher should still be judged for the rest of the properties and shouldn't be eliminated exclusively for gushing.

[Pepin The Short]

Only recently started brewing & my beers never entered anything aside from my belly .
But if you`re entering a beer, you are more than likely making at least 20 odd bottles of the stuff . If I picked out two and they turned out to have issues, I`d have no problem with the judges righting them off .I would still like to know their views on what went wrong and what I can do to address it ,but I also wouldn't expect them waste any time on a duff beer I made.

Personally if I entered a comp it would be more to take part ,and see just how bad my beer really is .Still in saying that I think entering iffy bottles with chips or other issues, is setting yerself up for a fall before you even begin . Most of my heavier harp & stout bottles are a bit scuffed because they have been back and forth to the brewery a few times.But if i wanted to put a wheat beer or the like in one , I`m pretty sure I could dig out at least two nice clean bottles ....The wheat beer ? well that`s another matter entirely .

[BigDanny84]

I'm guessing a coffee and chocolate stout would be entered in cat 34c?

[pob]

More a category 30A. Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer



BJCP Beer Style Guidelines – 2015 Edition

30. SPICED BEER
We use the common or culinary definitions of spices, herbs, and vegetables, not botanical or scientific ones. In general, spices are the dried seeds, seed pods, fruit, roots, bark, etc. of plants used for flavoring food. Herbs are leafy plants or parts of plants (leaves, flowers, petals, stalks) used for flavoring foods. Vegetables are savory or less sweet edible plant products, used primarily for cooking or sometimes eating raw. Vegetables can include some botanical fruit. This category explicitly includes all culinary spices, herbs, and vegetables, as well as nuts (anything with 'nut' in the name, including coconut), chile peppers, coffee, chocolate, spruce tips, rose hips, hibiscus, fruit peels/zest (but not juice), rhubarb, and the like. It does not include culinary fruit or grains. Flavorful fermentable sugars and syrups (agave nectar, maple syrup, molasses, sorghum, treacle, honey, etc.) can be included only in combination with other allowable ingredients, and should not have a dominant character. Any combination of allowable ingredients may also be entered.

[BigDanny84]

Thanks very much Pob