Homebrew Competitions Info And Tips on Winning

Homebrew Competitions

Homebrew competitions are one way brewers get good feedback on their beer. Generally speaking, the judging is competent and those that judge do the best that they can to give you a fair appraisal of your beer.

Most judges have been brewing for many years and have gone through a rigorous studying and testing procedure to become certified by the BJCP.  Part of the requirements for judging is that they try not to be too negative about your beer, but give constructive guidance on how to fix any flaws that may be evident. It’s really a win-win situation. You get an idea of how well you brewed your beer to style, and if there are problems, you get information on how to brew it better next time.

Why Many Don’t Enter Homebrew Competitions

I don’t know the statistics, but I’d be willing to bet the vast majority of homebrewers don’t enter competitions for one reason or another. Some of these reasons may include:

• Apathy – many homebrewers just want to brew good beer for themselves and their friends and don’t care what others think, and there is nothing wrong with this attitude. It is a hobby after all and if you don’t think it will be fun to enter competitions, then by all means don’t.

• Lack of confidence – there are a lot of homebrewers who just don’t think their beers are good enough to win in homebrew competitions.

• Not competitive – many homebrewers don’t have a competitive personality and it just doesn’t interest them to enter homebrew competitions.

• Bad experiences – here are some of the possible scenarios which may be preventing homebrewers from entering competitions again:

(1)Some homebrewers may have entered a few beers into competitions just to have their beers get slammed by the judges. Some of these beers may have been very good, some even great. It happens to everyone, believe me.

(2)Many homebrewers don’t agree with what the judges write on the scoresheets about their beers and thus lose confidence in the judging abilities of all certified judges.

(3)Their beers may have received a wide range of scores in different competitions, again, causing them to question the judging abilities of all judges.

(4)After entering several competitions and getting low scores on beers they know are really well made, some brewers feel the judges are looking for “sensationalized” flavors in beer and won’t give a good score to a well balanced, finely crafted brew.

(5)Many times judges don’t use enough tact in their criticisms and there are homebrewers who just don’t take negative feedback well. These homebewers get disappointed and don’t take the feedback in the spirit in which it was written. It can be difficult, but even poorly worded criticism of your beers can be used constructively to brew better beer in the future.

• They don’t understand all the rules – competitions can sometimes have lots of rules and regulations, with lots of hoops to jump through, and many just don’t quite understand what they have to do to enter.

Reasons For Entering Homebrew Competitions

But there are a great many homebrewers who are entering homebrew competitions. Why do these guys and gals enter?

• Feedback – maybe you know how to judge or evaluate beer and maybe you don’t. For those who do, entering homebrew competitions is a great way to get affirmation or confirmation on what they think. Entering homebrew competitions is a great way of getting feedback on our recipes and brewing efforts. This feedback can take your brewing skills to the next level. Instead of just brewing good beer, you can use the feedback to brew great award winning beer.

• They are competitive – many of us, I’m probably included in this group, are very competitive by nature and not only want to make the best beer we can, but we want to prove it to ourselves and everyone else. Even if you are not one to brag, winning a major homebrew competition gives you bragging rights in case it comes up in conversation.

• Involvement in the hobby – homebrewing is a wonderful hobby, one that sneaks up on you and before you know it, you are obsessed with making award winning beer. There are brewers who just enjoy being involved. These are the people who work their way up, eventually running some of the larger homebrew competitions themselves. These are the people who think that everyone can make a difference and that if they make small changes locally, then nationally, they will eventually be in a position to affect how all the homebrew competitions are run. It’s a lofty ambition to be sure, but an admirable one.

• Fun – homebrew competitions can be a lot of fun to enter, especially if you can attend in person. Many competitions have a mini conference with speakers and general brewing discussions about homebrewing that can be invaluable information. Many have a pub crawl which showcases the local beer scene. Who better to show you the best places to find great beer than the locals from the homebrew club.

• Networking – winning competitions, providing constructive feedback to competition managers, providing your winning recipes to the competitions, and just exchanging information with other homebrewers is a great way to make some great contacts.

• Credibility – for some, winning competitions is a way of gaining credibility for their brewing skills. Maybe you want to open a brew pub or even write a website about homebrewing. Being able to say you are an award winning homebrewer goes a long way in getting you a job in the brewing industry, on loan applications for your new commercial brewing endeavor, or to get other homebrewers to visit your website.

How to Win Homebrew Competitions

If you do decide to enter your beers into homebrew competitions, there are some things you can do to improve your chances of doing well. These include:

(1)Get some local feedback from your homebrew club. You probably have brewers in your local club with many years of experience brewing and drinking or evaluating beer. Have them give you some feedback on your beers. If they identify a glaring fault, they will most likely tell you what you did wrong and how to correct the fault. Brew the beer again applying the suggestions and see how it turns out.

(2)Know the style you are brewing inside and out. Look online for sites specializing on the kind of beer you are brewing for some great historical and style related information.

(3)Know all the rules and regulations. Read these and understand them.

(4)Be sure you enter your beer in the category in which it has the best chance of winning. Sometimes a beer’s style may fall in the gray areas between two styles. If you really understand the styles this may be enough to decide which category to enter your beer in. Some homebrew competitions give winning recipes of past winners.

(5)Bottle one extra bottle of each entry and taste the beer on the day of the competition. You have to remember, your beers have been in and out of hot warehouses and jostled around in the back of hot trucks for up to a week just getting to the hombrew competition. Hopefully once they arrive to the contest they are promptly stored in a cooler, but there are no guarantees. Keeping a beer at room temperature until the day of a contest and then tasting it and making some notes may help you understand some of the feedback you get from the judges.

(6)Take a good look at the bottles before sending them in to homebrew competitions. Make sure the outside is clean and all label and glue is removed.

(7)Time your brewing to coincide with the homebrew competitions you want to enter. Many beers require long lagering and/or conditioning periods before they hit their prime. And the opposite is also true of some styles. Many IPAs need to be judged when they are fresh so the hops shine through and before they begin to fade.

(8)Pack your beers well and don’t ship through the post office. After affixing the label on the beer with a rubber band, and making sure any writing on the cap is blacked out with a marker, and that the bottle is clean and presentable.

(9)Start by entering competitions in your area. When you win locally, start entering regional competitions. Entering and winning these two “National Competitions” is a fine goal which will motivate you to learn how to brew the best beer you possibly can.

(10)Sometimes there is a regional bias on the part of the judges. For these big homebrew competitions, you may want to make slight changes in your recipes to accommodate the judge.s regionally biased palates.

This may not help you win competitions, but it is a good piece of advise: Don’t be discouraged if your beer doesn’t do well in a competition. Understand that everyone is different and likes different things.

Some judges are better than others and some may not even be able to taste the complex flavors you brewed into your beer. Enter your beer into a few competitions and get a general consensus. The average will be a good indication of the quality of your beer or at least how well it fits into a particular style guideline.

Also understand that this is all the judges are doing. They are judging you on how well your beer fits into a pre-described set of style guidelines and it may not reflect on the inherent quality of your beer. Sometimes it may be a good idea to enter a beer in more than one category.

Regardless of how these beers do in competition, you will get great feedback on your recipe and brewing processes from the judges. If you can take criticism in the spirit it was given, it will help you brew that beer better in the future, and will help you brew better beer overall.