[hopfenundmalz]

In talking about using existing competitions. You medal at one of them you're allowed to enter the 1st round of the nhc.

Dan, if you compete for a long time, you will have a certain bias against this. A 40+ beer in one competition will be a 32 in another. Then well respected folks give you great feedback the next time you put it out there. You can't say that judging is an exact science.

My experience.

I agree that's just how judging goes. The same thing will happen to you in the 1st and 2nd round of the NHC. It's the nature of the beast. I'm not sure I see how that would be a negative against having qualifier competitions for the 1st round throughout the year. I can definitely see how logistically it would be a bit of work... But it seems to me it would be worth it.

Why not just seed the brewer, not the beers? Someone who competes a lot will have enough ribbons/medals to qualify. That would be a lot of record keeping for someone, though.

In my mind you are still essentially raising the cost of entering the NHC to lower demand. I don't enter a lot of competitions partially because it's an expense that I don't need most of the time. But the NHC is an exception. As it is a highly respected contest I'm sure there are a lot of folks you aim for it as their one, or one of a very few, contests each year. If you are trying to gain entry to NHC by winning a separate qualifying event with it's own entry fee you have again made it so someone who can afford to enter ten or hundreds of beers in contests all year long has a much greater chance of getting an entry than someone who has to refine and collect their very best efforts and enter only in 1 or 2 contests in the hope of winning on the merits of their entry rather than on surviving attrition.

These days I usually do 3 or 4 local comps and the NHC. Some of those I are not before the entries are due. Looking at the BJCP site, no competitions are registered in MI before June.

[dkfick]

In talking about using existing competitions. You medal at one of them you're allowed to enter the 1st round of the nhc.

Dan, if you compete for a long time, you will have a certain bias against this. A 40+ beer in one competition will be a 32 in another. Then well respected folks give you great feedback the next time you put it out there. You can't say that judging is an exact science.

My experience.

I agree that's just how judging goes. The same thing will happen to you in the 1st and 2nd round of the NHC. It's the nature of the beast. I'm not sure I see how that would be a negative against having qualifier competitions for the 1st round throughout the year. I can definitely see how logistically it would be a bit of work... But it seems to me it would be worth it.

Why not just seed the brewer, not the beers? Someone who competes a lot will have enough ribbons/medals to qualify. That would be a lot of record keeping for someone, though.

In my mind you are still essentially raising the cost of entering the NHC to lower demand. I don't enter a lot of competitions partially because it's an expense that I don't need most of the time. But the NHC is an exception. As it is a highly respected contest I'm sure there are a lot of folks you aim for it as their one, or one of a very few, contests each year. If you are trying to gain entry to NHC by winning a separate qualifying event with it's own entry fee you have again made it so someone who can afford to enter ten or hundreds of beers in contests all year long has a much greater chance of getting an entry than someone who has to refine and collect their very best efforts and enter only in 1 or 2 contests in the hope of winning on the merits of their entry rather than on surviving attrition.

These days I usually do 3 or 4 local comps and the NHC. Some of those I are not before the entries are due. Looking at the BJCP site, no competitions are registered in MI before June.

Jeff,
I didn't mean as a solution for this years.  It would start after the NHC so the competitions would range from after the NHC (comp) registration to the month before the first round registration for the next year so you always have roughly a month to get one in.

theDarkSide,
I wouldn't mean to make every slot for the NHC to be open from competition only just a portion depending on how many competitions wanted to participate.  I do realize there are competitions that are overrun already... I would think some competitions would welcome it though.

At any rate seems there have been surveys and most people wouldn't want the NHC to be merit based and would prefer to have anyone enter anything so long as they win the lottery.  So this whole thing may be moot.

[morticaixavier]

[...]At any rate seems there have been surveys and most people wouldn't want the NHC to be merit based and would prefer to have anyone enter anything so long as they win the lottery.  So this whole thing may be moot.

I would take issue with your characterization of "merit" vs "money" based but I do agree that, at least for this year, it's a moot point.

[dkfick]

Well it wouldn't be money to the AHA... It would be simply used to evaluate merit.  Unless you can think of a better way to evaluate brewing merit for a given year...

[hopfenundmalz]

Well it wouldn't be money to the AHA... It would be simply used to evaluate merit.  Unless you can think of a better way to evaluate brewing merit for a given year...

There is always this one.
http://midwesthomebrewer.com/Circuit.aspx

A guy we know said he spent about $2k on entries and shipping the year he won. 

[dkfick]

Well it wouldn't be money to the AHA... It would be simply used to evaluate merit.  Unless you can think of a better way to evaluate brewing merit for a given year...

There is always this one.
http://midwesthomebrewer.com/Circuit.aspx

A guy we know said he spent about $2k on entries and shipping the year he won. 

Haha True enough.  But that does require a ton of entires.  I was just proposing a way to get some slots in the NHC based on merit vs random lottery.  I didn't mean to say you HAVE to enter 20 comps or you're not going to get to enter the NHC. 

[hopfenundmalz]

Well it wouldn't be money to the AHA... It would be simply used to evaluate merit.  Unless you can think of a better way to evaluate brewing merit for a given year...

There is always this one.
http://midwesthomebrewer.com/Circuit.aspx

A guy we know said he spent about $2k on entries and shipping the year he won. 

Haha True enough.  But that does require a ton of entires.  I was just proposing a way to get some slots in the NHC based on merit vs random lottery.  I didn't mean to say you HAVE to enter 20 comps or you're not going to get to enter the NHC.

That was just a comment on a way to show your brewing chops, not about the NHC.

The NHC has been inclusive in the past. Even a new brewer can win medals, or have a shot.

[dkfick]

yeah that is def a very expensive way to show your brewing chops... I do realize the NHC has always been inclusive and anyone can enter.  Things change.  It used to also be where everyone who wanted to enter could enter. 

From the Competition section of the AHA site:

The National Homebrew Competition, an AHA/BJCP sanctioned competition, is the world’s largest international beer competition recognizing the most outstanding homebrewed beer, mead, and cider produced by amateur brewers worldwide.

To me that says they want the best of the best beers for the competition vs the best of the select few that randomly were chose to participate.  Adding this layer would be no different than there being a first and second round for the NHC itself.  It's just kind of a pre-qualifier that would give those brewers that demonstrated brewing merit in other competitions a chance to try it on the 'big stage'.

[morticaixavier]

Well it wouldn't be money to the AHA... It would be simply used to evaluate merit.  Unless you can think of a better way to evaluate brewing merit for a given year...

There is always this one.
http://midwesthomebrewer.com/Circuit.aspx

A guy we know said he spent about $2k on entries and shipping the year he won. 

Haha True enough.  But that does require a ton of entires.  I was just proposing a way to get some slots in the NHC based on merit vs random lottery.  I didn't mean to say you HAVE to enter 20 comps or you're not going to get to enter the NHC.

That was just a comment on a way to show your brewing chops, not about the NHC.

The NHC has been inclusive in the past. Even a new brewer can win medals, or have a shot.

This is what I meant about money v. merit.

[udubdawg]

Well it wouldn't be money to the AHA... It would be simply used to evaluate merit.  Unless you can think of a better way to evaluate brewing merit for a given year...

There is always this one.
http://midwesthomebrewer.com/Circuit.aspx

A guy we know said he spent about $2k on entries and shipping the year he won. 

I think I might try for this this year.  Finished one dummy-entry away from 3rd place this year; in 2014 I'll enter 4 of the circuit comps and be eligible.

[bluesman]

Spreading out the pro-brewers sounds like a neat idea. This will give everyone a better opportunity to enjoy each individual brewery, as opposed to having them run altogether. It may make for a better appreciation/experience for attendees.

[theDarkSide]

http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/news/2014-national-homebrew-competition-registration/

Any mention of what the fee will be per entry?  That could be a deciding factor for some deciding how many they want to enter.

Also, since they are allowing you to enter alternate judging locations, does that mean you may send some entries to one location and some to another?

[udubdawg]

I appreciate the updated information.

any harm in telling us the 12 First Round locations now?

[hopfenundmalz]

http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/news/2014-national-homebrew-competition-registration/

Any mention of what the fee will be per entry?  That could be a deciding factor for some deciding how many they want to enter.

Also, since they are allowing you to enter alternate judging locations, does that mean you may send some entries to one location and some to another?

I read that as you select where you would like your entries to go first. If that site fills before your entries are assigned, you will have your other preferences on file. The reasons would be you are comfortable with the judging centers past performance, quality of judging, and shipping costs. I don't read that as the ability to split entries.

[hopfenundmalz]

I appreciate the updated information.

any harm in telling us the 12 First Round locations now?

6 are now listed on the BJCP competition schedule list, late March and early April.
http://www.bjcp.org/apps/comp_schedule/competition_schedule.php