[davidgzach]

My Steam Beer got through in Philly but my Nut Brown Ale did not.  Want to see that sheet to see if it was because I took it off the tap again and it got infected or if it was a judging preference. 

Very happy to have a dog in the hunt again though!!!!   

Dave

[noblesquirrel]

It would be nice to know what "verification" goes into this. I know that they want to get it right, but it shouldn't take a week to verify the winners for 650 entries. Most competitions are able to announce the same day. The only things I can think of that need actual verification are that the beers scored over 30 and were appropriately entered. There are enough stopgaps in place to prevent someone from gaming the system. Clarification on the verification process would really make the wait easier, it's been week now and for the entrance fee, it'd be nice if they'd prioritize this a bit more.

Maybe send a note to Janis to shed some light on the whys and hows of verifying? It would be interesting to know the process. From what I've heard, it involved each region sending in scans of their flight summary sheets and the AHA verifying that scores and places were entered correctly in the system before publishing results.

Even if that's the case, I can't see why it would take more than a morning to to confirm the data. It's taking, on average, 2 days to verify results. I'd also be curious to see how many mistakes are actually caught this way. We shall see, I guess.

[noblesquirrel]

I'll also add that it is stuff like this that I hear folks complain about more than anything. For a competition that costs $14/entry, not counting shipping materials, there really should be more effort in being timely. It just isn't that difficult.

[morticaixavier]

have you considered volunteering for the competition subcommittee?

[Scot (one T)]

The early regions in 2016 should expect to fill up immediately.   Austin results were posted on March 26th.  Almost a month later and 4 regions are still not posted.  Call people cry babies all you want.  A month advantage for rebrewing is a huge advantage.   I'm glad I only submitted entries that will hold up.   This will definitely play a factor in what I enter next year. 

[morticaixavier]

The early regions in 2016 should expect to fill up immediately.   Austin results were posted on March 25th.  Almost a month later and 4 regions are still not posted.  Call people cry babies all you want.  A month advantage for rebrewing is a huge advantage.   I'm glad I only submitted entries that will hold up.   This will definitely play a factor in what I enter next year.

I still say if you are planning on rebrewing if you advance then rebrew according to the correct schedule. don't wait to find out.

[Scot (one T)]

Great advice if you want another 5 gallons of that particular beer.   All results should have been released on the same day regardless of when that region was judged. Period.  Keep everyone on an even playing field. 

[noblesquirrel]

have you considered volunteering for the competition subcommittee?

I know a handful of folks on that particular subcommittee and the impression I get is that there's a logjam at the top.

[ram5ey]

Yeah if all entries have the same shipping window, then all results should be released at the same time. 

[jeffy]

They used to wait until all the regionals were tabulated, but changed to the current model.  The old way would always be hung up on one tardy region.  I like the current way better, personally.

[Scot (one T)]

At least then everyone was held up.  If you want this to be the competition that names the NATIONAL hombrewer of the year, there cannot be any advantages to one entrant over another.   Everything MUST be equal. 

[udubdawg]

Yeah...no.

I wanted early results so I selected an early region...

Crazy how that worked out.

Edit - also tired of the one-sided complaints; why did the late regions get a few weeks of cold conditioning mine didn't?!?

[Scot (one T)]

 If everything was equal...those entrants would not have had extra weeks of cold conditioning.  I guess I have to realize that this competition is as much about gaming the system as it is brewing prowess.  I don't think that wanting everything equal is too much to ask.   The fact that there is this much conversation should be an indication of a problem.  I'll just enter big beers and meads....keep the system out of it.

[AmandaK]

I guess I have to realize that this competition is as much about gaming the system as it is brewing prowess. 

But that's exactly what it is Scot! I made sure to enter an early round (because I hate waiting), entered a region where I know for certain that the judges know how to judge a "wild ale" properly (because wild ale "isn't sour enough" is not acceptable feedback to me), and then had Myles double our chances in another early region.

But even with "gaming the system", I still had the exact same success rate as my first two years. Perhaps next year I won't be burned out from wedding brewing that I'll actually have more than just weird beer ready to go.

[udubdawg]

re-brewing is overrated anyway.  And judging by the amount of green beer I've tasted in the Finals, happens all too often.

3 medals in 2 years with 1.050-1.054 gravities, all brewed between Thanksgiving and New Years.  My "advantage" is I know how to keep my beer in good condition.

Some styles age better than others.  Advantage?  Some regions have better judge pools.  Advantage?  Last year, and before, people present at regions heard unofficial results verbally announced.  Advantage?

We can talk about this stuff all night.  If I was interested in re-brewing something it would be on my brew plan to do so, and in all but a couple of styles my re-brew date would be before I'd receive notification of any regions.  Gimme results today, and I'm re-brewing IPA or hefeweizen tomorrow.  That's it.