The Discipline, the Frustration and the Uproar

I have been brewing now for just over five years and in that time I have entered four homebrew competitions and one homebrew club collaboration with a local brewery for Brewcon. The first was brewing a Stout or Porter up to 6% ABV. I came sixteenth out of forty with a score of 39 out of a possible 60 points. My flaw was it was over-carbonated, but it had a nice dry and toasty finish.

I will point out that all these competitions were not BJCP sanctioned ones and did not follow judging guidelines to the letter. My second competition had specific parameters of keeping it economical and cost effective for brewing as the first prize was a one-off commercial brew. I brewed an English Pale Ale. The first prize went to a hop heavy American Pale Ale. There was uproar and other competitors and I took it up with the organisers at the judge’s decision. Economical, my arse!

The next competition was for Brewcon Leeds 2019. Each Homebrew Club collaborated with a local commercial brewery to create its entry. We teamed up with Legitimate Brewing Leeds.

Together we brewed an “Oak Aged Wee Heavy”. At the event we were up against the homebrew clubs from the southern regions who had teamed up with the heavyweight mainstream craft brewers such as Verdant, Five Points and Kernel. We were knocked out at the first round and one of our members cried out, “this is becoming a beauty pageant and not a brewing competition.” So, as you can see it does get competitive and argumentative. Just keep the banter light and have another beer.

The pandemic is over, and I have concentrated the last two years of brewing beer with time spent researching and honing the skills and the knowledge. In 2022, I entered two competitions and have done well. The first was a West Coast IPA Competition. I started to focus my attention on the finer points of brewing by style. 

Does my recipe adhere to the BJCP style?

Does my water profile meet the region and origin of the style?

Do I have the correct grain bill, is the grain fresh? No substituting here. I strongly recommend using a mainstream homebrew supplier who offer custom made grain bills. This can include your hops and yeast.

Again, with hops, no substituting - get the hops you precisely need.

The same with yeast, do not rely on your favourite go-to dry yeast packs, they will not cut it. Though they are wonderful for making beers that you just drink with friends. Use a superior quality liquid yeast - Wyeast, Omega, Whitelabs - they will have the right yeast by style and region, but one or two will be seasonal.

Do not overly fret about missing your OG/FG numbers, so long as you are in BJCP scope.

My point here is this: do not get lazy due to the convenience of your own stock. Substituting Crystal 60 for Crystal 150 will alter appearance and flavour. This is a competition; you want to win. 

STEVE’S TOP TIP

I don’t rely on friends and family for feedback. They don’t really know. They either fail to give correct feedback, they tell you it is alright, or they gush it’s the best thing ever tasted. Brewing for competitions delivers honest results from people who know beer. They have a passion for beer and can appreciate the time and discipline afforded to its production.

My next homebrew club competition was the German Beer competition. I lived in Germany many years ago as an RAF serviceman and I knew my way around German Beer.

 My thought process kicked in here. The date was announced with only a few weeks until the competition. Most brews would need lagering with a probability of the brews not being at their peak. Therefore, I assumed most people might brew a Kolsch, one or two Pilsners and Weissbier. No chance for Doppel Bocks. I chose to brew a Dusseldorf Alt Bier. I stuck to my regime and ordered my supplies from my usual homebrew outlet. They also had Dusseldorf Alt Yeast.                     

 The competition was to be held at Amity Brewery and was judged by the owners and staff. I was right, there was a lot of Kolsch’s, a few Pilsners and a Festbier. The winner was a Kolsch, and I got the Runner-Up.