2015 National HomeBrew Championship

[mr hoppy]

Maybe 16E for the wit - Belgian Speciality - it's still a wit albeit with unusual spicing

[Shanna]

A wit with curry spices would be more suited to 21 where herbs and spices are expected as would one with allspice I would have thought. Perhaps if  the beer tastes like a Christmas cake it might be better off in that category - 21b.

A lot of the spices in this style are yeast derived and according to the BJCP any spices should compliment and not overpower them. That is the decision of the brewer at the end of the day as they are the ones tasting the beer at the time of entry.

Not sure how curry comes in to the discussion Spices are clove & all spice neither of which seemed out of place according to the guidelines. I take the point about derived flavours but it would seem a bit weird that the guidelines are so vague. Seeing the three different responses in relation to the same category makes me think this is opinion & leeaves you at the mercy of the beer judge on the day. I wonder if I enter it in the spice category & the judge thinks it does not have enough spice to be a proper example of a spice beer leaving me in exactly the situation I try to avoid. Bubbles you have tasted the beer & remarked I should enter it in the spice section if I remember. I brewed the recipe based on Randy Mosher recipe for a Belgian Wit spiced with different types of spice. His description of Belgian beers being those that break the rules by experimenting. This seems to be completely contrary to the BJCP (not a dig by the way).

Will enter under spice beer & if I can find an extra couple of bottles I might enter in the 16A for the he'll of it & see how it fares. Appreciate the feedback from all.

Shanna

[mr hoppy]

It's an interesting one alright. My very limited personal experience of judging, what I took away from Gordon Strong's book, and my extensive experience of being dinged in competitions has led me to believe that if you do something that plays with the style guidelines, rather than treating them as a blueprint, you run the risk of being dinged.

I've not drunk your beer, but assuming the clove and all spice subtly blend in with the yeast phenols, I'd wonder if the fact that you've no coriander could play against you in 16A. The style guide specifically calls for a moderate coriander aroma and a big part of the required zesty fruity flavor in a wit typically comes from coriander, not just the orange peel.

If it were me, personally I'd go for 16E if in doubt - all the creative freedom of 23 without being trampled underfoot by the imperial black ipa thingies but again tasting is everything!

[SlugTrap]

Means nothing. Just because a section of the style guidelines mentions the word "spices" doesn't give the brewer carte blanche to dump whatever they want in there...

BJCP doesn't just mention the word "spices", it calls them out:
    "Other spices (e.g., chamomile, cumin, cinnamon, Grains of Paradise) may be used for complexity but are much less prominent."
Hitachino Nest White, cited as a classic example, uses nutmeg.

There's a lot more latitude within this style, even in compliance with the BJCP, than some posts here are acknowledging.

[imark]

@shanna Even with the best will in the world judging will be subjective to varying degrees so it's a bit of a lottery in that regard on where you  enter it.

Is there any chance that the number of medals and criteria for allocation will be published in advance of the judging?

[Rossa]

@shanna Even with the best will in the world judging will be subjective to varying degrees so it's a bit of a lottery in that regard on where you  enter it.

Is there any chance that the number of medals and criteria for allocation will be published in advance of the judging?

How do you mean?

Same as last year really with the extra categories. All getting medals presuming the entries are up to medal standard in each cat. Is that what you mean?

[Tom]

It's not the judges' fault if the beer is in the wrong category. If it's in the correct category it gets judged alongside similar beers by the same two judges, so although there is an element of subjectivity to it, the judges confer and agree, and then mark the next beer with the same level of subjectivity!

[Shanna]

1. Belgian Witbier spiced with added cloves, all spice and orange zest - 16A
2. Baltic Porter aged on Oak chips is this 12C or 13F as the beer is jet black and 12C states "Appearance: Dark reddish copper to opaque dark brown (not black). Thick, persistent tan-colored head. Clear, although darker versions can be opaque."
3. Rye IPA is this 23

Belgian Wit with spice additions that aren't traditionally part of the style would be entered in "21. SPICE / HERB / VEGETABLE BEER".

Baltic Porter with Oak Chips would be "22. SMOKE-FLAVORED AND WOOD-AGED BEER". Unless the oak flavours are extremely subtle. If you specifically mention "Baltic Porter" in the description, it should have all of the characteristics of the underlying beer style.

Rye IPA should be entered in the new "Specialty IPA" category, available in the registration software. General tip: entering your beer in one category when there is a more appropriate category for it could see the beer being marked down.

Hi Bubbles,

Just going to register the Rye IPA now in the registration software and the Speciality IPA as the style "35A Speciality IPA". Can I assume this is what you meant?

Shanna

[Bubbles]

Yep that's the one dude.

[Bubbles]

Check out the Specialty IPA section in the new BJCP guidelines for further info. The judges of this category will be using them for reference, even though they're still at draft stage.

[Shanna]

Yep that's the one dude.

Thanks just getting my last beer entered in the system now.

Shanna

[mr hoppy]

Will the judges be using the draft guidelines for other things - e.g. historical stuff that might currently be in 23?

[imark]

The competition site says medals will be awarded in 26 categories but I see 100 subcategories listed covering 30 bjcp categories. I'm just confused about how that works out.

[Rossa]

The competition site says medals will be awarded in 26 categories but I see 100 subcategories listed covering 30 bjcp categories. I'm just confused about how that works out.

Ah yes. The breakdown is asking BJCP category numbers. For example: medals will be awarded for cat 1, cat 2 etc.

[LordEoin]

eg:
2A. German Pilsner (Pils)
2B. Bohemian Pilsener
2C. Classic American Pilsner

Are all in category 2 - Pilsner and will be judged together

This page will give you an idea of the categories, but remember that cider/mead categories are all clumped together, and there are extra categories for speciality IPA and wine.