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General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Craft versus crafty? Consumers deserve to know the truth
« on: December 14, 2012, 07:24:52 pm »
good for Schells, what an asinine list from the BA
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2
Events / Re: Chicago Region. Still judging?
« on: April 28, 2012, 04:52:33 am »
saw on another board where a club member in Chicago said they got through the remaining entries at their club meeting on wednesday
all judging is complete for all areas
all judging is complete for all areas
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General Homebrew Discussion / Re: 1st round NHC results
« on: April 27, 2012, 03:27:25 pm »
I'll use the word problem, even though it's a good problem to have...
The "problem" is homebrewing is growing by leaps and bounds, this means there are more and more brewers entering more and more beers in competition. It's not just the NHC, local comps are seeing the same thing. One local comp I enter, the South Shore Brewoff must've had entries go up by 33% or so in one year.
The thing is, anyone can start homebrewing and can soon be entering competitions. There isn't a way for the amount of judges (and stewards and organizers) to grow as quickly.
Judges tend to have been in the hobby for awhile before they decide to become judges. Then they decide they want to become judges and guess what prospective judge you have to be proctored and graded by an even smaller amount of experienced judges. Those guys can only give so many classes, and grade so many exams (even with the multiple choice portion going online)
Some of the new brewers will become judges, and then some of those new judges will advance and be able to train more judges, but that will take time
The "problem" is homebrewing is growing by leaps and bounds, this means there are more and more brewers entering more and more beers in competition. It's not just the NHC, local comps are seeing the same thing. One local comp I enter, the South Shore Brewoff must've had entries go up by 33% or so in one year.
The thing is, anyone can start homebrewing and can soon be entering competitions. There isn't a way for the amount of judges (and stewards and organizers) to grow as quickly.
Judges tend to have been in the hobby for awhile before they decide to become judges. Then they decide they want to become judges and guess what prospective judge you have to be proctored and graded by an even smaller amount of experienced judges. Those guys can only give so many classes, and grade so many exams (even with the multiple choice portion going online)
Some of the new brewers will become judges, and then some of those new judges will advance and be able to train more judges, but that will take time
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General Homebrew Discussion / Re: To our Governing Committee
« on: April 27, 2012, 01:23:03 pm »
Drop the entry cost to $7, but it increases $1 for each additional entry
Someone entering 6 or less would pay less than the current fees (7+8+9+10+11+12= $57 instead of $60)
Someone entering 7 would be paying the same as current 7+8+9+10+11+12+13= $70, Someone sending 8 would only pay an extra $4
10th entry would cost $16, 12th if you're trying to fill a shipper would cost $18
20th entry would cost $26
70th entry would cost $76, but the total for 1-70 would be something ridiculous like $2324 instead of $700
The majority would pay less, those that stretch out to 12 to fill a shipper would have to think if it's worth it
Apart from whatever embarrassing math mistakes above are sure to be pointed out
Someone entering 6 or less would pay less than the current fees (7+8+9+10+11+12= $57 instead of $60)
Someone entering 7 would be paying the same as current 7+8+9+10+11+12+13= $70, Someone sending 8 would only pay an extra $4
10th entry would cost $16, 12th if you're trying to fill a shipper would cost $18
20th entry would cost $26
70th entry would cost $76, but the total for 1-70 would be something ridiculous like $2324 instead of $700
The majority would pay less, those that stretch out to 12 to fill a shipper would have to think if it's worth it
Apart from whatever embarrassing math mistakes above are sure to be pointed out
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General Homebrew Discussion / Re: 1st round NHC results
« on: April 27, 2012, 01:04:03 pm »I heard there was a dude in texas that entered there with 70+ entries!
between entry fees, cost of brewing and shipping that would have to cost $3000 minimum
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General Homebrew Discussion / Re: 1st round NHC results
« on: April 27, 2012, 10:32:46 am »
As to your scoresheets... Even though our competition only ended 5 days ago, the scoresheets are mailing out this morning!!! That amazing feat can be attributed once again to a staff of 12 volunteers that helped me work last night to match all of the scoresheets up by number to the brewers names, and then stuff the hundreds of envelopes with sometimes as many as 36 entries. I personally was up at 2:30am this morning after the scoresheet sort, labeling, stuffing cover letters, licking and processing all of these score sheet mailers. I am exhausted, but proud to have organized what I feel is one of the best run competitions in the area.
I hope that guy won something, it's almost 5% of the total entries for the region!
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General Homebrew Discussion / Re: 1st round NHC results
« on: April 27, 2012, 08:11:38 am »Well, in the "place awarded" box was nothing but empty space. So I didn't advance with those scores. Bummer. I'll be stewarding the afternoon session of the final round. Hope I get to taste some of the Ambers that DID advance.
I guess I've got a year to fine tune that recipe for next year. I just tapped a session IPA that's pretty tasty. If you're coming to Seattle, look for it at the WAHA booth.
those boxes aren't always filled out
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The Pub / Re: Exploding keg kills Redhook Brewery worker
« on: April 25, 2012, 07:55:59 pm »Surprised still that there was a safety failure at a commercial brewery. Other than the failure to use one or blockage, how else could the pressure rise so high inside a keg that a bleeder valve or pressure relief valve didn't prevent an explosion? Condolences to the family and co-workers, but it warrants understanding the how and why so it doesn't happen again.
I don't understand how the air line wouldn't fail. We don't usually think of it as a safety feature but vinyl tubing between 2 steel containers in a pressurized system should be the first thing to fail
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Events / Re: 1st Round Judging in Pittsburg, PA
« on: April 19, 2012, 06:17:02 am »
Look at it as "no news is good news" if any of last week's judging centers had issues then there would be threads putting out calls for judges. There aren't, so the judging probably finished
ed - still going
Portland Judging April 20-22
San Francisco Judging April 21-22
San Diego Judging Judging Completed
Denver Judging April 20-22
Saint Paul Judging Processing Database
Chicago Judging April 20-22
Indianapolis Judging Judging Completed
Atlanta Judging April 21-22
Pittsburgh Judging Judging Continues
Philadelphia Judging Complete. Database Processed.
ed - still going
Portland Judging April 20-22
San Francisco Judging April 21-22
San Diego Judging Judging Completed
Denver Judging April 20-22
Saint Paul Judging Processing Database
Chicago Judging April 20-22
Indianapolis Judging Judging Completed
Atlanta Judging April 21-22
Pittsburgh Judging Judging Continues
Philadelphia Judging Complete. Database Processed.
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All Things Food / Re: Bagels
« on: April 03, 2012, 05:55:44 pm »The lye hydrolizes the proteins in the flour and allows the outside to brown well.
So that's the technical term, I've been saying it "gooifies" the outside
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Events / Re: Regional Conferences?
« on: April 03, 2012, 05:51:31 pm »Here's the good news: this idea is already in the hopper!
About the sellouts - remember this is really the first period when people have been shut out, so that's a new trend and we recognize the need to respond to it.
What I'd like to hear, to bring to the GC,is what you'd like to see at these satellite presentations. What's the right size sort of deal?
if these potential conferences were held in the months after NHC, maybe there could be a "best of" condensed program of the seminars from NHC. Original hosts if they're in the area
12
Homebrew Competitions / Re: NHC Entries closed....
« on: March 08, 2012, 03:07:19 pm »
Instead of limiting entries per person (check the numbers over the past few years and you'll see the average # is about 4 per), or making a whole new round of judging (there aren't the resources for this) how about limiting the number of entries per category.
There are only 750 entries for 28 categories, cap the entries per style category at 40. Total still capped at 750 (no not every category would be able to reach it's max, but most don't hit 40 anyways)
Want to enter something in 10, 13, 14, 16, 18, 23? Then you better enter the first day as soon as it opens, because they will fill up. Have entries in the less overloaded styles? There will be about 500 entries left per region for those once the Big 6 categories fill up. Don't want to risk not getting your Melomel or Doppelbock in? Go ahead and enter the first day as well, but you'll probably be able to wait
Benefits:
Encourages people to brew new styles, go out of their comfort zones instead of Pale Ale, IPA, Stout, Belgian, Pale Ale, IPA, Stout, Belgian ... These make up about 40% of NHC entries!
Simplifies Judging, no need to setup 4, 5, 6 judging tables to pass beers to a final round in the overloaded categories
There are only 750 entries for 28 categories, cap the entries per style category at 40. Total still capped at 750 (no not every category would be able to reach it's max, but most don't hit 40 anyways)
Want to enter something in 10, 13, 14, 16, 18, 23? Then you better enter the first day as soon as it opens, because they will fill up. Have entries in the less overloaded styles? There will be about 500 entries left per region for those once the Big 6 categories fill up. Don't want to risk not getting your Melomel or Doppelbock in? Go ahead and enter the first day as well, but you'll probably be able to wait
Benefits:
Encourages people to brew new styles, go out of their comfort zones instead of Pale Ale, IPA, Stout, Belgian, Pale Ale, IPA, Stout, Belgian ... These make up about 40% of NHC entries!
Simplifies Judging, no need to setup 4, 5, 6 judging tables to pass beers to a final round in the overloaded categories
13
Homebrew Competitions / Re: NHC Entries closed....
« on: March 05, 2012, 04:26:56 pm »simple question marty:
was there room for everyone to enter? Being full in 2.5 days says there wasn't.
(no, no, no, this is not a criticism of Janis at all! )
Hi everyone,
The NHC online registration that was supposed to open Tuesday, February 28, will be available at 10 a.m. Mountain Time on Friday March 2, 2012 instead. I apologize for the delay, and I appreciate everyone's patience and understanding.
The online registration will be available from 10 a.m. MT, March 2 through 6 p.m. MT March 28, 2012. There is an additional competition added this year, so there should be room for everyone to enter. Each of the 10 U.S. competitions has a maximum limit of 750 entries. Once the entry limit has been reached in a competition, the competition will be closed to any further entries. See the top story on the AHA home page for tips to entering online, and look in the 2012 NHC Rules & Regulations for information about the competition.
Good luck in the competition!
Cheers,
Janis
There was room for everyone whom it was important enough to spend a few minutes over the course of three days to enter
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Homebrew Competitions / Re: NHC Entries closed....
« on: March 05, 2012, 04:17:08 pm »
sorry Michael I couldn't disagree more
I read a lot of homebrewing forums, I saw threads everywhere about "Wow the NHC is almost full!", I didn't see a single thread about how bad it is that things are filling up ... until they finally filled and it's "WE NEED TO CHANGE the RULES"
same as last year, and the year before and the year.. etc... well except now no one can blame the bogeymen Gordon or Jamil
Registration opened on time (ok, it opened a day or 2 late!) it wasn't a secret that this was happening. An additional region was created.
If someone didn't get in, they either didn't take it serious enough, or have something going on far more serious than a homebrew comp to worry about. And if someone reading this did have a more serious issue going on, like being hospitalized or their flight home from Bagram was delayed then please let the AHA know and I'd bet they'd find some spots for someone that couldn't control their circumstances
I read a lot of homebrewing forums, I saw threads everywhere about "Wow the NHC is almost full!", I didn't see a single thread about how bad it is that things are filling up ... until they finally filled and it's "WE NEED TO CHANGE the RULES"
same as last year, and the year before and the year.. etc... well except now no one can blame the bogeymen Gordon or Jamil
Registration opened on time (ok, it opened a day or 2 late!) it wasn't a secret that this was happening. An additional region was created.
If someone didn't get in, they either didn't take it serious enough, or have something going on far more serious than a homebrew comp to worry about. And if someone reading this did have a more serious issue going on, like being hospitalized or their flight home from Bagram was delayed then please let the AHA know and I'd bet they'd find some spots for someone that couldn't control their circumstances
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Homebrew Competitions / Re: NHC Entries closed....
« on: March 05, 2012, 03:58:50 pm »
entries were open for 3 days, if you didn't get in you either only have yourself to blame or have something far more pressing than a homebrew competition going on