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Author Topic: Ingredients/technique for entries  (Read 2320 times)

Offline gmac

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Ingredients/technique for entries
« on: October 13, 2011, 06:17:57 pm »
I'm looking to enter an upcoming homebrew competition and I was on the web site looking for the entry forms and I was a bit perplexed at the amount of detail that was required for each entry.  In particular, they wanted the entire ingredient list, mash schedule etc.  I have to ask, is this normal and if so, why?

First of all, isn't the beer being judged blind so there is no reference to the ingredients?  Assuming so, do the ingredients matter if the beer is to style or seems to be to style?  For example, I brewed a version of Tom's stout the other week but I didn't have any flaked barley so I just subbed in more Maris Otter.  To me it tastes just fine but I don't really want to enter it and then have someone tell me that it wasn't to style because dry stouts are supposed to have flaked barley or something.  Maybe the mouthfeel is off and I can understand that but I don't want someone looking for flaws that may not really be there or be noticed without the recipe.  Shouldn't the beer be judged on what you put in your mouth?  Of course, I have no idea if this happens or not which is why I'm asking.

Secondly, if I come up with a great beer recipe, why should I just hand it over?  Personally, I'd share a recipe with anyone at all but it just feels odd that I have to give out just to get my beer entered into the competition.

Anyway, I just wanted to know if this is the norm, if the recipe impacts the judging in anyway and what you thought about providing recipes.

Offline jeffy

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Re: Ingredients/technique for entries
« Reply #1 on: October 13, 2011, 06:36:22 pm »
Most competitions have gone away from that over the years and only ask for a recipe if it is a winner for publishing or to be brewed commercially.  The judges are probably not going to see any of that information.  They'll be told what style your beer is supposed to be and if it has some sort of specialty about it, what that specialty is.  In other words if it's a fruit beer, they will need to know what kind of fruit it is, but there is no need for them to see the recipe.  They will be judging the beer according to the style in which it is entered, not by the recipe.
Jeff Gladish, Tampa (989.3, 175.1 Apparent Rennarian)
Homebrewing since 1990
AHA member since 1991, now a lifetime member
BJCP judge since 1995

Offline Hokerer

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Re: Ingredients/technique for entries
« Reply #2 on: October 13, 2011, 07:54:01 pm »
Yeah, first off, check and see if all that additional information is really "required".  The old standard AHA entry forms have space for all that stuff but most comps don't "require" it.

Even if it is required, though, I wouldn't worry too much.  There's no way the judges will see any of that information.  It's really there so that the comp can publish the recipe if it your beer does really well.  Like the way they do with the final round of the AHA National comp - you know, all those recipes that get published in Zymurgy.
Joe

Offline dmtaylor

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Re: Ingredients/technique for entries
« Reply #3 on: October 13, 2011, 08:14:41 pm »
Providing an exact recipe is not normal, although sometimes a competition will give you the option of providing it, just in case you win and you are willing to share the recipe with others on the web.  I've done that before.  But it should be purely optional, in my opinion.  If you don't want to go through the trouble, then find a different competition that doesn't ask for the recipe.  There are dozens, if not hundreds, of competitions all over, all the time.  Check out bjcp.org for a constant updated list.
Dave

The world will become a much more pleasant place to live when each and every one of us realizes that we are all idiots.

Offline rbclay

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Re: Ingredients/technique for entries
« Reply #4 on: October 13, 2011, 09:38:57 pm »
i'd also question if the recipe is actually "required"...
and who's going to know if you don't submit the real recipe?!? whoops...
Randy Clay
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Offline Hokerer

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Re: Ingredients/technique for entries
« Reply #5 on: October 14, 2011, 07:38:44 am »
i'd also question if the recipe is actually "required"...
and who's going to know if you don't submit the real recipe?!? whoops...

There you go!  4oz of Eye of Newt at 60 minutes, etc., etc.
Joe

Offline rbclay

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Re: Ingredients/technique for entries
« Reply #6 on: October 14, 2011, 08:13:17 am »
and when your beer wins Best of Show and the contest calls for it to be brewed by a professional then you can tell them it doesn't actually contain said eye of newt...
Randy Clay
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Offline gmac

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Re: Ingredients/technique for entries
« Reply #7 on: October 14, 2011, 09:29:57 am »
So this is old style and not as common now.  I see. 
Just seems like a lot of unnecessary work on my part filling out papers and I am a very very lazy person.
If I brew anything that wins I'll post the recipe in the wiki for the world to see (plus it may be taken from there in the first place...)