The Pursuit of Hoppiness
Homebrew competitions for better beer
Friends don’t give the greatest feedback. Certified judges do.
As I’ve said in previous columns: Brewing beer at home is easy, but making delicious beer is difficult.
So many things can go wrong before brew day, during a brew day, during fermentation, or while bottling or kegging.
It’s easy to screw up and add an off-flavor to beer, or completely ruin a batch altogether.
Out of stubbornness, I’m yet to dump a batch, although looking back there’s clearly been a few batches I should have abandoned. One of my first brews was this amber ale that tasted awful, but I kept all 52 bottles and eventually worked my way through the batch.
I suppose it’s a right of passage as a homebrewer; you drink the bad beer to remind yourself of your screw ups.
The truth is, it’s hard to get honest feedback from your friends. They’re drinking free beer, which you made and are passionate about, and the last thing they want to do is offend you. So, the typical response is “That’s really good” or “I like that more than Bud Light” (not a compliment a brewer wants to here, by the way).
The easiest way to receive honest feedback as a homebrewer is to enter competitions.
A beer competition is exactly what you think it is. A bunch of people — certified judges, to be exact — sit around, sampling beer for several hours, giving each one a score.
Judges award points for aroma, appearance, flavor, mouthfeel, and overall impressions using a 50 point scale,
Each beer fits into a specific category, with set guidelines as to what the brewer and judge are supposed to look for in a given style.
Recently I entered the National Homebrew Competition, an annual event that has thousands of entries throughout the country. I entered a total of five beers in five categories, shipped them off to my assigned judging center in St. Louis, and waited.
A couple of weeks later, those who moved on from the regional portion of the competition to the to the national stage were posted online — I wasn’t one of them. I didn’t think I would be, but there’s always a chance.
Bummer, right? A little bit, but not really. A few weeks later I received 10 scoresheets, two for each beer I entered, with detailed notes and remarks from the judges.
“MORE WOOD” read one comment on a stout I aged in a whiskey barrel. Next time I’ll age it longer.
“Astringent at the end” read another comment. I’ll lower my water temp when rinsing grain — or sparging — for the next batch.
Another judge scribbled “Floral hops overpower all wheat character” on a hoppy wheat beer I entered, which is exactly what I wanted despite not being within the style guidelines for an American Wheat beer. I may lower the amount of hops next time to let some of the wheat come through, but only slightly.
I learned a lot about my beer, the techniques I use, and the decisions I’ve made when putting together a recipe from the scores I received.
Sure, it can be frustrating to not move on to the next round in the competition, but here’s always next year, and now I know exactly what I need to do to make better beer.
On Tap: May 6 is National Homebrew Day. The idea is that homebrewers throughout the US get together and brew. As they did last year, RaherShine Homebrew Supply is hosting an event at their shop at 125 S Union Ave (Unit C) starting at 9 am. Currently there’s around eight homebrewers who are going to set up and brew a batch of beer, using a various techniques and methods. Show up, learn a thing or two about making your own beer at home.
May 20 is the Steel City Brewfest during the annual Boats, Bands, and BBQ event on the Pueblo Riverwalk. Tickets are $30 or $40. The VIP session starts at 4:30, with general admission tickets gaining access at 6 pm.
