Brewer of the Year

Past, present, and upcoming competitions, as well as award winners!
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GuingesRock
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Re: Brewer of the Year

Post by GuingesRock » Wed Oct 28, 2015 2:51 pm

What's the cost ($ and time) of being in the top 10 Mark?
-Mark
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Re: Brewer of the Year

Post by GuingesRock » Wed Oct 28, 2015 2:52 pm

Maybe subtract the time and money you would be spending if you weren't entering competitions.
-Mark
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Re: Brewer of the Year

Post by GuingesRock » Thu Oct 29, 2015 6:19 pm

BTW; Jared (#1) says he has "almost decided" to do this again next year. He's collected a group of investors/partners (one of them is a yeast fanatic with a yeast bank!) and they are starting up a brewery in Winnipeg called "Torque Brewing."

https://twitter.com/torquebrewing" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.onbeer.org/2015/07/putting-a ... raft-beer/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Torque Brewing.png
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-Mark
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Re: Brewer of the Year

Post by mcgster » Thu Oct 29, 2015 6:38 pm

The beer he submitted to half pints Pro/Am were submitted under torque brewing

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Re: Brewer of the Year

Post by GuingesRock » Thu Oct 29, 2015 7:46 pm

mcgster wrote:The beer he submitted to half pints Pro/Am were submitted under torque brewing
He posted this just now on Twitter:
Okay now that I am officially retaining my amateur status as a brewer...time to get serious. I frickin' love my home brewery. Let's rock.
:)

Anyone taking him on next year? Mark? ;)
-Mark
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101 awards won for beers designed and brewed.
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Re: Brewer of the Year

Post by GuingesRock » Thu Oct 29, 2015 7:53 pm

Chris Nowlan lost all his entries for the last comp (Winnipeg Pro-Am). It was a small (8 beer limit competition). He says he shipped with by courier and they never reached the competition. That's yet another stress with this stuff.
-Mark
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Re: Brewer of the Year

Post by mcgster » Thu Oct 29, 2015 8:03 pm

GuingesRock wrote:Anyone taking him on next year? Mark? ;)
Not I, i'm surprised he is to be honest, he must like dominating the circuit. It would have been interesting to see what happened if he didn't compete next year. Not many people have the resources or time to compete like he does. Clearly he loves it and chooses to dedicate the resources required to it but that isn't an option for me next year. I'm on a tight budget as it is and basically work part time now while in school 40+ hours / week just so i can have some spending money.

I'll keep sending away 4 or 5 entries to the major comps if i can and hopefully place in the top ten (again if i can this year). My goal is to build up a base of recipes that i can consistently brew well and win with.

A good year for me next year would be to break the top ten again and become a BJCP judge :cheers:

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Re: Brewer of the Year

Post by mcgster » Thu Oct 29, 2015 8:06 pm

Actually i'm not surprised given his opposition to changing the BOTY rules for next year on his twitter.

I'm ok with the rules as they are as well, only because the BOTY can't tell competitions how to be run, that is up to each club. It would be nice if BOTY became a bit more formal and did things other than just total points to recognize more brewers. Like recognizing brew clubs, and contributors in other ways. I offered my services to assist with BOTY but they have never taken me up on it.
Last edited by mcgster on Sat Oct 31, 2015 8:38 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Brewer of the Year

Post by GuingesRock » Thu Oct 29, 2015 8:25 pm

Why do you say "not many have the time"? he has a full time job, kids in sports to be run around. Starting up a new brewery. Fitness hobbies, active in martial arts, etc. etc.

I don't believe in assumptions.

We talked about the cost of it too. Probably the same as smoking. Even the poorest people do that, and often heavily. It's more a question of priorities.
-Mark
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Re: Brewer of the Year

Post by GuingesRock » Thu Oct 29, 2015 8:29 pm

He isn't talking about what people have said about him. Just general reasons people give for why it isn't "fair"
-Mark
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101 awards won for beers designed and brewed.
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Re: Brewer of the Year

Post by mcgster » Thu Oct 29, 2015 8:35 pm

GuingesRock wrote:Why do you say "not many have the time"? he has a full time job, kids in sports to be run around. Starting up a new brewery. Fitness hobbies, active in martial arts, etc. etc.

I don't believe in assumptions.

We talked about the cost of it too. Probably the same as smoking. Even the poorest people do that, and often heavily. It's more a question of priorities.

Because I don't have the time. That isn't an assumption. I'll be rotating through different cities every 6 to 12 weeks doing 24 hour call shifts at someone else's beck and call for 2 years while trying to maintain a part time job, 130 year old house and a rental property. It's not me that is making assumptions here.


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Re: Brewer of the Year

Post by GuingesRock » Thu Oct 29, 2015 8:58 pm

Sorry, I thought you were saying that he had loads of time and loads of money and that's why he does well. It could have been read that way. I stand corrected.
-Mark
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101 awards won for beers designed and brewed.
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Re: Brewer of the Year

Post by mcgster » Thu Oct 29, 2015 9:02 pm

No although many people don't have the disposable income to even conceive of competing the way he does. I assume he is a busy guy and like I said he clearly chooses to prioritize it but it would be 5K + just in competing. My only expenses in competing were the shipping costs and entry fees which were about 50$ per comp. I picked up all my bottles from the recycle depot and the 2.5 gal batches cost next to nothing to make. Stepping it up to 10 gal batches and sending in 10+ to each comp is a huge leap


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Re: Brewer of the Year

Post by GuingesRock » Fri Oct 30, 2015 10:44 am

Mark, I think aiming for top ten is a good way to go. Sufficient incentive to improve your beer and plenty of opportunity for feedback ...without being too crazy about it :).They may change the rules next year also.
-Mark
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Re: Brewer of the Year

Post by mcgster » Fri Oct 30, 2015 10:54 am

If they did change the rules i think the best way would be to pick the top competitions for quality and limit it to them. Adding a competition to the circuit just because its being held may not make sense going forward. If the picked a few from each part of the country it would be great. Of course including the brewnosers comp!

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Re: Brewer of the Year

Post by mcgster » Fri Oct 30, 2015 10:54 am

If they did change the rules i think the best way would be to pick the top competitions for quality and limit it to them. Adding a competition to the circuit just because its being held may not make sense going forward. If the picked a few from each part of the country it would be great. Of course including the brewnosers comp!

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Re: Brewer of the Year

Post by mcgster » Fri Oct 30, 2015 6:45 pm

I think next year my goal will be to medal with some stronger beers, hopefully my russian imperial stout and trippel turn out that i brewed back in September (I have to rack them as soon as i get home).

I'd also like to brew a winning recipe for a California Common, my last one scored well, but didn't win any medals averaging 34 to 38 but the lack of Northern Brewer hop quality was picked up by a few judges. I used hops that were a year old and i'm definitely regretting it now.

I would love to try some more sour styles, last time i was in Portland i sampled several Gose that i really enjoyed so that is on my list for sure.

Have you firmed up your plans for next year yet?

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Re: Brewer of the Year

Post by GuingesRock » Fri Oct 30, 2015 8:48 pm

mcgster wrote:
Have you firmed up your plans for next year yet?
No firm plans, but for me, BOTY ranking concern is a firm NO for next year (I should liven up the plans for next year thread). It was a great experience, but been there and done that. Only one brewer (Jared) in the history of BOTY has scored more BOTY points, and the year is not yet done. That's good enough for me, and I'd like to move on. I have no aspirations to beat Jared, he's rightfully there. AND! I don't have the time or the money ;)

I will probably show up on the BOTY chart next year, somewhere near the bottom though. I will send in new beers because I like my beers to have medals. If they don't get medals I shelve them and move on. I don't pay attention to judging comments at all these days. If the judges like it good enough to place it, that's all that counts to me, and I show respect to them and I appreciate their judging for that alone. The rest of it ties me in knots and confuses me.

My best judge of beers has been drinkability. I’ll have an evening of drinking them. Once I have had a couple of beers my critical thinking disappears (I know! You’ve noticed :) ) and I get a primal response, along the lines of Bluenose’s excellent beer rating scale (if I remember right it goes from 0-5, and zero being “tastes like piss but I’ll still drink it”) and most times, I remember the next day which ones I really liked. This system hasn’t let me down yet. Except! I use that same system by proxy. I didn’t like “Working Man” at the beginning, but Keely genuinely liked it when she was here and said it was really good. Chalmers was here that night, back in the day, and I don’t remember his comment (I don’t think he did comment, although he tasted it). Maybe he was like me ...it wasn’t his cup of tea and he was a good guest and too polite :). I think the only thing he said was an IPA I made called “Three” (because it had 3 hops) should be entered as an APA and not an IPA, he was right and I thank him for that because it won gold as an APA in New York. Yay! Chalmers (and thanks). If an American Pale Ale is an American Pale Ale, it is so, when judged by Americans.

That’s part of the ongoing work of the BOTY. Having to drink all the beers, and having to remember the next day if I liked them. It’s all so hard. :)

Anyway. I’m finding a new path for next year. But plans not firmed up yet.

:cheers2:
-Mark
2nd place, Canadian Brewer of the Year, 2015
101 awards won for beers designed and brewed.
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Re: Brewer of the Year

Post by akr71 » Mon Nov 02, 2015 11:51 am

Haven't been on the forum in weeks and look what happens! Way to go GRock! #2

Brewing time has been few and far between this year otherwise I would have sent in a few more this year. Its awesome to see our club in the top 5 (#3 this morning), though I think hosting our own comp helped with that too. Let's not forget Mark McGraw sitting at #9 - two Brewnoser's in the top ten in the country
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Re: Brewer of the Year

Post by GuingesRock » Mon Nov 02, 2015 6:02 pm

akr71 wrote:Haven't been on the forum in weeks and look what happens! Way to go GRock! #2

Brewing time has been few and far between this year otherwise I would have sent in a few more this year. Its awesome to see our club in the top 5 (#3 this morning), though I think hosting our own comp helped with that too. Let's not forget Mark McGraw sitting at #9 - two Brewnoser's in the top ten in the country
Thanks Andy for the encouragement. I agree about the Brewnosers competition and Mark doing a great job.
-Mark
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Re: Brewer of the Year

Post by mcgster » Mon Nov 02, 2015 6:22 pm

akr71 wrote:Haven't been on the forum in weeks and look what happens! Way to go GRock! #2

Brewing time has been few and far between this year otherwise I would have sent in a few more this year. Its awesome to see our club in the top 5 (#3 this morning), though I think hosting our own comp helped with that too. Let's not forget Mark McGraw sitting at #9 - two Brewnoser's in the top ten in the country
Thanks! It has been an interesting year and i have certainly learned a lot. It pushed me to make the move to become a judge (work in progress) as well.

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Re: Brewer of the Year

Post by GuingesRock » Mon Nov 02, 2015 6:32 pm

ps. Congratulations to all Brewnosers who sent beer to competitions this year.



With all the judges we have, and those planning to become judges, were going to seriously need a lot more competitors next year.
-Mark
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Re: Brewer of the Year

Post by GuingesRock » Fri Nov 27, 2015 10:04 pm

The results of the final BOTY competition for the year are in. I managed to hold on to my second place position with 124 points (76 medals). Chris Nowlan was #3 with 108 points. Jared Carlberg won this year again.

Mark did you get where you wanted to?
-Mark
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Re: Brewer of the Year

Post by mcgster » Sat Nov 28, 2015 9:50 am

It looks like i'll end up with 11th place, just missed!

Thats the problem with small batches that you drink the most of, you run out really quickly.

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Re: Brewer of the Year

Post by GuingesRock » Sat Nov 28, 2015 11:21 am

mcgster wrote:It looks like i'll end up with 11th place, just missed!

Thats the problem with small batches that you drink the most of, you run out really quickly.
11th place is nothing to scoff at. You did very well with your brewing this year, especially considering you are rushing around like a maniac with your current career choice.

Did I see on Facebook a recent announcement that you and your wife are expecting a baby!!! That's much bigger! Many congratulations.

:cheers2: :cheers2:
-Mark
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101 awards won for beers designed and brewed.
Cicerone Program - Certified Beer Server

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