Standing out in homebrew competitions

It's almost a catch 22 with homebrewing competitions.  The primary objective is to create the perfect example of the style in which you enter, yet your beer has to stand out against the others entered into the same category or you risk going unnoticed.

This is where realizing the difference between round one and round two can be valuable.  Both rounds are important.  You have first to survive Round 1, but Round 2 is where the real wow factor may come into play.

During round one, your beer will be placed in a "Flight" with 6 other beers in that same category.  Each will be judged individually, with the score sheet (see BJCP.org) where the notes and numbers will be tallied.  Several sub-categories may be in the same flight.  For example, in Category 18, Belgian Strong ale, the flight may consist of any of the 5 styles in the Category.  Your Dubbel will be judged as a Dubbel, but a Tripel or two may be in the same flight, being judged as a Tripel.  At the end of round one, at the option of the judges 1 or more of the beers will be "pushed" to round two.  Generally it is the beer (or beers) with the highest scores.  If you make the perfect Robust Porter (and it is entered in the correct category) you are likely to score well and be "pushed" to the second round.  For on the process and scoring for BJCP Competitions, see also this previous post on the topic.

During the second round, the "pushed" beers from the Category are lined up, and the judges sample each and talk about them.  The judged decide which of these beers will take first place of the group, then second place, etc.  Usually, the ones to eliminate from consideration are selected first.

This is where that perfect Robust Porter needs to be not only very perfect, but interesting.  If there are two perfect porters, which will the judges select?  This is VERY subjective and what they think is what will happen.  I've heard advice to create you beer so it is on the peripherals of the style guidelines.  Make it toward the high end of the IBU scale or ABV scale for the Category.  I think this makes sense.  And depending on the Category, you may want to be toward the low end of the scale.  But it has to be within the guidelines, drinkable, and memorable.  Simple, right?

A simple idea...  Read the guidelines, and if a descriptive word stands out to you, perhaps gear your recipe somewhat around that word or phrase... but stay inside the guidelines.

Something else to consider... As always, proper care with sanitation, fermenting temperatures, yeast pitch rates, etc. will help assure your beer turns out the best it can.

Good luck and happy brewing.  Cheers!

Does anyone drink Altbier? I think I'll have a Tree Hugger.

I was pleased to see Terrapin Beer Co. win a Gold in the Great American Beer Festival, 2013 (GABF). Just one state away in Georgia, I consider them local.  Both myself and my wife enjoy their beers.  At this time, my wife would call Terrapin her favorite brewery.

Their Tree Hugger Ale won in the German-Style Altbier category.  Congrats to Terrapin!  Now what exactly is an Altbier again?  Like an alternative type ale?  Something between straight up Rock and Roll and Indie music?  Not the main stream, but Alternative.  Right?  (Ever notice the Alternative section on the music isle is one of the largest?  Hmm?)

I'm not sure I've had an Altbier.  Perhaps once (or twice) at the German restaurant, but most of those brews are lagers or wheat ales.  The style guidelines call it malty with little to no hop flavor or aroma.  A clean beer because of the highly attenuative yeast.  Sounds good, I guess. 

Big surprise here.... I was at the ABC store looking for beer.  And sure enough, with the other Terrapin beers, was a 6 pack of the Tree Hugger.  (Well actually a 5 pack, with a 6 pack behind it.  I guess someone wanted to try one without committing to the full pack.  I like to commit to the full pack.  Just sayin.)  So I arrange 6 to the pack and along with the Ten Fidy in the Growlers (nice huh?) went for the purchase.

So what?  It was good.  It was very nice.  Full of flavor.  A nice bitterness at the end.  A clean bitterness.  At 5.1% ABV, you could enjoy several of these during the game, or while mowing the lawn...or just about while doing anything.

Malt through and through, with perhaps a little caramel coming out.  Not sweet.  Well balanced.  Pours a nice deep amber color, with a nice slightly off white head.  This is a style I could get to know.

As beer geeks (Wouldn't it be fun to call ourselves "aficionados"?  Pinky finger out.) we tend to go to the extremes.  Double IPAs, Imperial Stouts, Pumpkin-guava-rosebud-chocolate-wheat-imperial-black-______ (Fill in the blank underlying style).  In all our excitement, we often miss out on the classic styles that are quite enjoyable.  Let me introduce again the Altbier.

Alt, in this sense, means old.  Not to be mistaken as aged, rather old as in brewed in the old style, with top fermenting ale yeasts.  Before lager yeasts took off in the area, ale yeast was used (and of course still widely used in many types of beer).  The alt style beer was in a sense the precursor to some of the more common German style lagers of today.  And even today, the name isn't truly reflective of the process.  As you will see, lager yeasts are used in two of the three sub-styles.

The BJCP Style Guideline (2008), Category 7: Amber Hybrid Beer has the following styles listed.  Northern German Altbier, California Common Beer, and Dusseldorf Altbier.  There are some slight differences in the three styles, and history is part of the differentiation (along with geography).  In short, I sum up the differences like this.  

• Northern German Altbier - Lager yeast used.  Traditional.  German malts and noble hops.
• California Common - Lager yeast used but brewed at higher ale temperatures.  American Northern Brewer hops are said to be used here.
• Dusseldolf Altbier - Ale yeast used.  Basically this style is geographically specific to Dusseldorf, like the ales brewed historically there.  Noble hops, primarily Spalt.

ABV in the 4-5 range.  IBUs surroung the 30 range.  My belief, after having just one of the Tree Hugger, is that it is most inline with the Dusseldorf Altbier.  It is, after all called an ale.  The others would really be considered lagers (or steam, but you can't call it that.  Thank Maytag.)  And the taste seemed to line up with the descriptions, although I can't tell you if it were Spalt hops of not.

My next brew will most likely be something I can call an Altbier.  Maybe I'll call it the Dumbledore Altbier.