Competition Questions

[GuingesRock]

I have what I think is an “English Summer Ale” and in the BJCP guidelines it says 6B Blonde Ale includes this beer. Also 6B includes "less assertive" APAs, yet when I enter it as a 6B they all say a very good beer, but not to style for a Blonde Ale, one of the judges even said it was a great English Summer Ale. Should I try again in 6B or should I try the speciality class, or any other ideas? It has fruity hops, pilsner malt with a little dark munich (9%), peachy conan yeast, plenty of late Amarillo, Galaxy and Simcoe, IBU 24, ABV 4.6%, 4.3 SRM.

[GuingesRock]

I picked up a beergun last week so I can start bottling for competitions.

Great! Next year Brewnosers will be at the top of the league ....hopefully. More and more of us sending to competitions.

Yeah, I'd say that is wishful thinking

There's definitely a lot of great beer floating around here, but it takes a lot of entries to get to the top!

I definitely won't be brewing *for* competitions, but will submit a beer I think will do good.

I will have 10 beers in the fridge in time for Cowtown, if I brew a couple of beers every month I can keep the fridge stocked up and send 10 to every Canadian competition. That's apparently what you need to do to place in the brewer of the year, that's what Geoff Trail (#3 last year) told me. I might have a go. Anyone else up for it? I figure you need to average 8 points per comp (gold=3 points, silver=2, bronze=1) to stand a decent chance. There are 11 competitions that qualify.

http://www.breweroftheyear.com/results/2014/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[RubberToe]

10 per comp seems about right. In 2013 I sent like 9 and 8 or 7 to the first two comps, and less for the third. After the second and third comps I was ranked #6. Didn't compete a lot after that but those points kept me to around #20 for the year.

[GuingesRock]

There's a few Brewnosers seriously started competing lately. If you got back into it Rob as well, we might get the Brewnosers to the top of the list.

[GuingesRock]

10 per comp seems about right. In 2013 I sent like 9 and 8 or 7 to the first two comps, and less for the third. After the second and third comps I was ranked #6. Didn't compete a lot after that but those points kept me to around #20 for the year.

Using the same math (maths UK). If Brewnosers sent 30 to every competition, the Brewnosers could be #1 this year. I plan to try to send 10 beers to each this year, but we'll see how it goes, so that leaves a shortfall of 20 Brewnoser's beers.

If only another 2 brewnosers put a dozen or so bottles aside in the fridge for competitions, every time they brewed, and resisted the temptation to drink the good ones, like I didn't do on Friday night , that's all it would take, and each of those two could be the next brewer of the year.

[GuingesRock]

The brewer of the year site doesn't seem to be up and running this year, apart from some Viagra/Cialis spam that's got on there. Does it usually take a while to get going in the new year? It looks like a huge amount of work running that, and presumably all volunteer work, maybe with little thanks and appreciation?

http://www.breweroftheyear.com/competitions/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[mcgster]

I noticed that as well it looks like their logon got hacked.

I wonder who takes care of the site, it could be a great resource if well maintained.

[GuingesRock]

I was just talking to Geof Traill (#3 last year) on FB and he says "The organizer usually changes hands every year, sometimes the domain too."

[GuingesRock]

Activity on the brewer of the year site. Some changes and the Viagra ads have gone: http://www.breweroftheyear.com/news/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[mcgster]

A random question.

Where does everyone get their packing supplies for competitions? I have been using cardboard to roll the boxes in but its messy and i'd rather use large bubble wrap. It costs an arm and a leg locally.

[GuingesRock]

I get my bubble wrap from staples. It's not too bad at the dollar store also. I used to get it there.

[mcgster]

Ah i had looked at some of the hardware stores. It looks like it is around 27$ for a large roll from staples 12" height x 175'

This looks like a good deal too, hard to believe they would ship it for free.

http://www.amazon.ca/EcoBox-24-Inch-125 ... ubble+wrap" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[GuingesRock]

That does look good.

[Jimmy]

Check with Cabot Shipping Supplies in Burnside.

[RubberToe]

I use dollarama bubble wrap, box from staples, blue bag, news paper, extra cardboard pieces to reinforce the box if I need to.

Sent from the brew timer.

[GuingesRock]

Check with Cabot Shipping Supplies in Burnside.

Thanks!

Banker's boxes work perfectly for 8 -10 entries. I thought I would have been able to get Keith's in with mine, but 10 individually bubble wrapped is a tight fit. I would have had to put them in without individual wrapping, which would have probably worked also. That's the first time I sent 10. A lot of the beers I put in the box were a bit crap as far as being to style goes. It isn't just a numbers game, you have to have spot on beers as well. If you have to style beers, then you have a better chance. RubberToe says, if I remember right, "your stars have to be lined up" and Liverdance says, also if I remember right, "these competitions are a total crap shoot". Both awesome quotes from experienced competitors.

[GuingesRock]

A random question.

Where does everyone get their packing supplies for competitions? I have been using cardboard to roll the boxes in but its messy and i'd rather use large bubble wrap. It costs an arm and a leg locally.

I find the bubble wrap with large bubbles is too bulky. I prefer the small bubbled stuff.

[mcgster]

The only reason i was looking for the large bubbles was because apparently it provides much better protection. There was a video floating around of a guy dropping bottles of beer wrapped in small / large bubble wrap and cardboard and the small bubble wrap bottles broke on impact. Not that this represents what would happen if a whole box were dropped but i figured better safe than sorry!

[GuingesRock]

I saw that video too, and it didn't translate to the "in the box" situation, to my thinking. I do have some large bubble stuff that I make a bed in the bottom of the box with, or I use a few layers of small bubble at the bottom. Just in case the box gets dropped. I also line the sides of the box and a layer or two on top. That way I make a mini cooler sort of thing ...box lined with bubble wrap, then each bottle is individually wrapped inside that. As you can see I'm a bit neurotic.

[mcgster]

I saw that video too, and it didn't translate to the "in the box" situation, to my thinking. I do have some large bubble stuff that I make a bed in the bottom of the box with, or I use a few layers of small bubble at the bottom. Just in case the box gets dropped. I also line the sides of the box and a layer or two on top. That way I make a mini cooler sort of thing ...box lined with bubble wrap, then each bottle is individually wrapped inside that. As you can see I'm a bit neurotic.

You have to be to ship beer across the country! I'm pretty sure you'd lose points for that soggy cardboard off flavor if they had to squeeze your beer from the bottom of the box.

[GuingesRock]

Don't go on the FedEx site, search alcohol, and read their regulations on shipping alcohol...don't do it. We're in the yeast sample for analysis business here. What is beer any way? never heard of it.

I cottoned on when I called looking for a quote to ship some beer bottles from Toronto Brewing supplies. The guy jumped on it, and demanded to know if the bottles had any beer in them.

[jacinthebox]

Don't go on the FedEx site, search alcohol, and read their regulations on shipping alcohol...don't do it. We're in the yeast sample for analysis business here. What is beer any way? never heard of it.

I cottoned on when I called looking for a quote to ship some beer bottles from Toronto Brewing supplies. The guy jumped on it, and demanded to know if the bottles had any beer in them.

No beer...just pre digested yeast food

[GuingesRock]

Apparently, some bottles arrived at Yeast Wranglers broken by freezing this year.

The crazy cold weather in the east damaged a few bottles during shipping which caused quite a challenge when sorting out the entries, but for the most part, at least one bottle made it so we able to judge the beer. However, the amount of out of town winners pretty much doubled compared to last year! Medals were spread from Yellowknife to Halifax showing the widespread passion for quality homebrew. http://www.breweroftheyear.com/blog/201 ... p-results/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;