Messages

211

Homebrew Competitions / Re: NHC Entries closed....

« on: March 05, 2012, 12:03:19 PM »

Question:  About what % of entries come from non-AHA members?

I'm not 100% certain, but I think you have to be an AHA member to enter.

They allow non-members to enter but the fee goes up.

AHA memebers: $10
non-members: $15

yeah, just wondering if it is a significant number.  I don't want to limit entries but making it truly an AHA-only competition doesn't seem unfair.  *shrug*

cheers--
--Michael

212

Homebrew Competitions / Re: NHC Entries closed....

« on: March 05, 2012, 11:28:19 AM »

Question:  About what % of entries come from non-AHA members?

213

Homebrew Competitions / Re: NHC Entries closed....

« on: March 05, 2012, 09:45:00 AM »

I feel your pain, but there's more than 30K AHA members, and what, a million or so homebrewers?
They can't please everyone.  Heck, I brewed 42 times last year; 4 entries is a 3-day weekend.   

cheers--
--Michael

214

Homebrew Competitions / Re: NHC 2012 Entry Link

« on: March 05, 2012, 09:27:25 AM »

If it grows too much, they'll have to break the first rounds into regions, then a semi-final round, then the finals.  March Madness of Homebrewing.  Can you imagine what that bracket would look like? 

Should make for an awesome selection show.  Paint an awesome Anthony Davis-style unibrow on #1 seed Gordon Strong, with us lowly #16 seeds just happy with our play-in game.    

Hopefully some place like Tulsa can host the 1st round next year.  FOAM has experience with big competitions.  Dallas didn't work with proximity to Bluebonnet, but March/April isn't anywhere near the FOAM Cup timeframe. 

cheers--
--Michael

215

Homebrew Competitions / Re: NHC 2012 Entry Link

« on: March 05, 2012, 09:03:53 AM »

wow, it would seem likely there's a lot of unmet demand here (I didn't enter but considered it - definitely next year!), but I wonder how much more growth can they have and still finish the final round in 1 day?!?

hopefully I can at least steward in Seattle and watch the Masters at work.     Can't wait!

cheers--
--Michael

216

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Why I brew

« on: March 01, 2012, 09:54:04 AM »

Another reason to brew is to make some beers that are not available.  A CAP?  How about a Graetzer? Those have turned out "yummy".

This was my original reason.  Not just styles but breweries I love that aren't distributed here.  I may still set up a spike strip on I-70 if they keep trucking all the Deschutes across Kansas into Missouri without stopping here!   

cheers--
--Michael

217

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: WY1469...No Starter?

« on: February 29, 2012, 03:21:14 PM »

not what you asked, but IMO you've got time for that starter...


cheers--
--Michael

218

Yeast and Fermentation / Re: Making a starter with Brett B

« on: February 29, 2012, 10:47:18 AM »

I also remember orval being fermented with a relatively clean yeast and bottled with brett.

Yes I was able to get a hold of their strain(WLP515) Belgian Bastogne Ale.  I was going to Brett in the secondary as opposed to bottles.  I may make a starter to double to cell count and pitch half into each secondary carboy.

Did you get Bastogne, or did you get 515?
I'm pretty sure I just put WLP515 in a De Koninck clone a few days ago...

cheers--
--Michael

219

Homebrew Clubs / Re: AHA helping Brew Clubs with membership

« on: February 24, 2012, 07:01:07 PM »

And under no circumstances would I want the AHA giving my contact info to anyone, for any reason.

+1
This really only works in one direction.  Clubs are usually looking for more members, so they can put their info out there and homebrewers will find them.
Individuals, on the other hand, deserve their privacy.

220

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: American Brown Style Guidelines

« on: February 24, 2012, 10:49:06 AM »

I would say you could expand this discussion to include American Stout.

Question:  How would perfect clones of Deschutes Obsidian Stout or Rogue Shakespeare Stout fair in competition as American Stout?
I think the feedback on these "classic examples" would very often include that they needed hops... 

http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/pages/zymurgy/commercial-calibration/Brewery/22/shakespeare-stout

Only DH mentioned low hop character as an issue...

Hmm, well, I guess my response would be that I said "very often"...and not very often will 4 Grandmaster Judges evaluate your American Brown/Stout in a competition...
and on a side note, I clearly need to get some fresher bottles of Shakespeare Stout so I can get some of these hops. A date, a date!  My kingdom for a bottling date! 

cheers--
--Michael

221

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: Just had my first kolsh...

« on: February 24, 2012, 10:32:35 AM »

erockrph:  can you lager this in a keg or some other vessel with CO2 over the top of it?
If it's going to be lagered in a 3g fermenter I'd increase the batch size until I had a completely full secondary fermenter.

good luck.  I made my first attempt at a Kolsch last fall, loved it, won a couple medals with it, and will be tweaking/brewing it again in the next few weeks.

cheers--
--Michael

222

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: American Brown Style Guidelines

« on: February 24, 2012, 09:28:26 AM »

I would say you could expand this discussion to include American Stout.

Question:  How would perfect clones of Deschutes Obsidian Stout or Rogue Shakespeare Stout fair in competition as American Stout?
I think the feedback on these "classic examples" would very often include that they needed hops... 

Agree?  Disagree?

cheers--
--Michael

223

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: APAs...AIPAs...Comp Yeast Strains?

« on: February 22, 2012, 03:15:57 PM »

so far, WY 1272 appears to be going over the best, and...more importantly...it's my favorite too.

cheers--
--Michael

224

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: AHA Surpasses 30,000 Members

« on: February 14, 2012, 12:57:40 PM »

well, there goes the neighborhood.

   well done AHA!

cheers--
--Michael

225

General Homebrew Discussion / Re: becoming a beer judge

« on: February 13, 2012, 02:19:33 PM »

One question, is something missing on this statement from the blog post? Should the "either" be struck from the sentence?  Or do they mean either of the tasting exams (old or new)?
"To qualify to sit for the Proficiency Exam, potential examinees must have scored at least 80% on either the tasting exam and have a minimum of 10 judging experience points."

Its not grammatically correct as it stands.

yeah they definitely meant either tasting exam.

as for the one-year limit, it would certainly seem to be a detriment to taking the online exam since the current wait to get an exam is more than a year.  Hopefully that will improve when the backlog of old exams is graded, and when the bulk of grading being done is the faster tasting exam, thus more exams can be scheduled.  *that last part is just my guess*