Messages

1

All Things Food / Re: Mozzarella

« on: February 04, 2013, 03:34:51 AM »

I love smoked Gouda and it is so expensive here, so I make my own.
Some of my early efforts... I have since then bought proper molds to
make it look better. The taste is the same, yummy.

2

Events / Re: NHC competition site change.

« on: January 31, 2013, 03:33:18 AM »

The thought that there was a significant portion of brewers who wanted to enter US competitions and bypass ALES is just not a good argument, regardless of some people living at the border saying that it is.

So responding to the stated desires of our members is a bad thing?  Noted.

I have it on good authority that it was only ONE person who asked that they be allowed to enter the US sites not the many stated. Ask Janis.

And no, it isn't bad that you respond to the desires of the membership if there are enough to complain about, but again, I doubt many asked for the removal of the Canadian site. It seems to me to be a patchwork decision for short term relief that I hope will be addressed in the current year.

3

Events / Re: NHC competition site change.

« on: January 30, 2013, 02:42:14 PM »

I can see a lot of truth in all the above statements, but I'm sure removing the first round here won't solve any of the growth problems the AHA competition has been experiencing.

It may not solve anything, but it will help. A couple hundred more brewers will have entries in the first round this year than in the past, and a couple dozen more in the second.

I can see from all the discussion here that perhaps there is hope for next year.

As for your answer to my question, I fail to see how adding a couple dozen more entries into the second round helps lessen the load on the judges. I know we are talking about a minor detail here though, and perhaps the answer from Tom will bear fruit next year.

4

Events / Re: NHC competition site change.

« on: January 30, 2013, 03:55:40 AM »

It was not our intention to ostracize our Canadian members.  I would hope that was obvious but I guess it bears saying.

Removing the first round will certainly do that for some members here as we perceive that we are being singled out. The AHA has to remember that it isn't only a region that was affected, but virtually the entire country.

I can see a lot of truth in all the above statements, but I'm sure removing the first round here won't solve any of the growth problems the AHA competition has been experiencing.

Perhaps an AHA membership as a prerequisite to entering the competition could be adopted rather than the partial open concept. There must be some sort of solution to this problem that a little more brainstorming could solve.

5

Events / Re: NHC competition site change.

« on: January 29, 2013, 04:23:56 PM »

we can't risk a situation where we have the 2nd round judging lasting for more than one day or even for going late on a single day.

Why not? Why not have the second round go over a couple of weekends like any amount of local competitions do sometimes?

6

Events / Re: NHC competition site change.

« on: January 29, 2013, 02:46:59 PM »

Probably not many participate.

Which would be expected given their geography. That's why Canada should be given preference in a way.
We share a common border with more Canadians participating in AHA events and also given the fact that
we had a qualifying competition already in place and have had so for quite a while.

7

Events / Re: NHC competition site change.

« on: January 29, 2013, 02:38:07 PM »

  Brewers in Canada are now exactly equal to brewers in the UK, France, and everywhere else outside of the US.  Prior to the change, brewers in Canada had an advantage over their other international entrants.

How many AHA members are there from those other countries compared to Canada and participate in AHA activities ?

8

Events / Re: NHC competition site change.

« on: January 29, 2013, 01:56:45 PM »

We could always annex Canada 

This is already more true than perhaps you realize, my friend.

Perhaps keeping the Canadian first round as is for a few weeks and then any left over space
could be passed along to our American friends could be arranged. And like was proposed, only
gold and silver with a predetermined score disqualification level set, would limit the entries into the final round.

If as was said, a complaint was that not enough entries from Canada made it into the second round, then how is changing the site to the US with a larger second round entry base going to lessen the load on the
judges?

9

All Things Food / Re: Pizza Fatta en Casa

« on: January 28, 2013, 02:03:33 PM »

I used to use flour under the pie and keep shaking the peel until I had made the pie and it was in the oven.
I found that when using a wet dough like I like to use, it made the bottom of the pie too floury and dry.

Using the parchment paper eliminates that and with the OO in the dough makes the crust brown nice and still be flexable. The paper will turn very brown and really you only need to leave it there long enough to firm up the bottom of the crust, and then you can slide the paper out from under the pie. I do my pies on a stone on an electric oven at 500f.

10

All Things Food / Re: Pizza Fatta en Casa

« on: January 27, 2013, 11:42:23 AM »

Yum. Pizza
One I made last week. I have been using parchment paper to form my pies on so it slides off the peel
without having to use cornmeal or flour.

11

Events / Re: NHC competition site change.

« on: January 27, 2013, 08:38:23 AM »

Interesting stuff Tony; obviously most of us have little idea what you have to go through.

I could make some comment about the needs of the many over the few, or about the first "A" in AHA, but they seem overly callous and I don't really believe those sort of things apply anyway.  Hopefully you Canadians will hold your competition anyway.

the NHC seems to be changing pretty much annually, so hopefully if you miss out it will just be the one year before there is a work-around.  There is simply no way to make everyone happy, at least yet. 

cheers--
--Michael

Yeah, I can sometimes understand the needs of the many etc. and do understand that it is primarily a US competition thing, but I don't happen to think that making progress is taking away something. I'm sure the handful of entries that make it to the NHC from Canadian qualifier isn't going to over burden the judges enough to justify discontinuing the Canadian event.
I may be fortunate enough to be able to enter from Florida this year as it seems like I will be there around the same time as entries into the first round will be accepted at that time in March. Here's hoping.

In the meantime, perhaps next year will see a return to Canada hosting a qualifying event.

Cheers

12

Events / Re: NHC competition site change.

« on: January 27, 2013, 04:23:58 AM »

To the OP, I don't understand the problem.  Why can't you enter?  I'm assuming you'd be willing to ship your beer to the Final Round, so why not the First Round?

cheers--
--Michael

Getting someone to mule second round entries to the site would be an imposition I could justify for a second round entry but not for a first round. It's not like I can just post or courrier my entries there like
I can to the Canadian qualifier.


To quote part of a discussion of the matter by Bill Pierce seen here
http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/pages/community/news/show?title=national-homebrew-competition-sees-changes-in-2013


"From a strictly legal standpoint, it requires an export-import license, something that as a practical matter only a commercial enterprise would have. Those Americans who complain about being forced to resort to subterfuge in order to send entries via the usual shipping companies have it very easy by comparison. All packages shipped across the US-Canada border are now x-rayed, which makes the contents easily visible.
"

13

Events / Re: NHC competition site change.

« on: January 26, 2013, 05:05:51 PM »

I think the AHA is simply trying to maximize % entry from 1st to 2nd round.

Percentage wise, it might, but why lose any entries at all especially when it is a Canadian club hosting that first round?
Why not just add more sites to the competition and leave the Canadian one as is?

14

Events / Re: NHC competition site change.

« on: January 26, 2013, 04:01:36 PM »

As far as I know, all qualifiers have indeed sent their entries to the second round, or at least those with good scores that qualified. I'm sure not every qualifier from the US enters the second round if they think that their scores aren't really high enough to actually place in the second round.

Having to send second round entries legally through the US/Canada border is hard enough even given the time we have to organize it, but to have to arrange to send qualifier entries across the border given a much shorter notice and with the amount of entries in most US sites on a high, that by the time our entries arrived, they probably wouldn't have met the cutoff for entries deadline.

It just seems like the AHA has let down Canadian home brewers to me, by taking away the Canadian site.

15

Events / NHC competition site change.

« on: January 26, 2013, 01:46:09 PM »

*There will no longer be a separate Canadian qualifying competition as part of the National Homebrew Competition. Canadian residents wishing to enter the NHC should send entries directly to one of the U.S. judging centers. This change is being made in part due to requests from Canadian entrants who would prefer to enter at U.S. judging centers that in many cases are closer than the Canadian qualifying competition. The change also reflects the fact that currently there are vastly more AHA members in the U.S. than in Canada.


I wonder if anyone on the committee who made this change ever thought how hard it is to send home brew INTO
the USA? I doubt there were many requests from Canadians to make this change.
This change effectively means that I will not be able to enter this years NHC competition. Too bad.