# VICBREW 2019



## MartinOC (9/7/19)

Folks,

Entries for Vicbrew 2019 are now LIVE!

Details of the competition location, rules of entry (PLEASE READ THESE CAREFULLY!) etc. are all available here: http://compmaster.com.au/

Go!


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## MartinOC (4/8/19)

We hope you're able to JUDGE or STEWARD at VicBrew 2019.

To register your interest (or let us know if you can't make it this year), please fill out the form located here https://forms.gle/uvk8rhvZqNQaM6UY7 with your details and preferences. 

This year the judging will be on the weekend of the 14th and 15th of September at the Belgian Beer Cafe Eureka, 5 Riverside Quay, Southbank Melbourne, Melways 2F E7. Located about 5 minutes walk from Flinders St Station across the Evan-Walker bridge, this is a BJCP-registered competition and all judges are welcome.

Why volunteer at VicBrew?


Evaluate some of the best beer in the state in Australia's biggest homebrewing competition.


Hone your judging skills by judging alongside highly experienced beer judges.


Earn BJCP points.


Free lunch provided for all volunteers.


Novice judges and stewards are welcome, with on-the-job training provided.


A great range of Belgian beers and craft brews in the Eureka bar.

Starting and finishing times for Saturday and Sunday are expected to be 9.00 am to 5:00 pm with judging organised in two sessions.

We encourage you to pass this message along to any of your friends or acquaintances who might be interested in judging or stewarding. If you have questions, feel free to email [email protected]

Thanks for your assistance,

the VicBrew 2019 committee


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## MartinOC (21/8/19)

VicBrew is only 3+ weeks away and we still need judges and stewards. We hope you're able to JUDGE and/or STEWARD at VicBrew 2019.

To register your interest (or let us know if you can't make it this year), please fill out the form located here https://forms.gle/uvk8rhvZqNQaM6UY7 with your details and preferences. 

This year the judging will be on the weekend of the 14th and 15th of September at the Belgian Beer Cafe Eureka, 5 Riverside Quay, Southbank Melbourne, Melways 2F E7. Located about 5 minutes walk from Flinders St Station across the Evan-Walker bridge, this is a BJCP-registered competition and all judges are welcome.

Why volunteer at VicBrew?


Evaluate some of the best beer in the state in Australia's biggest homebrewing competition.


Hone your judging skills by judging alongside highly experienced beer judges.


Earn BJCP points.


Free lunch provided for all volunteers.


Novice judges and stewards are welcome, with on-the-job training provided.


A great range of Belgian beers and craft brews in the Eureka bar.

Starting and finishing times for Saturday and Sunday are expected to be 9.00 am to 5:00 pm with judging organised in two sessions.

We encourage you to pass this message along to any of your friends or acquaintances who might be interested in judging or stewarding. If you have questions, feel free to email [email protected]

Thanks for your assistance,

the VicBrew 2019 committee

PS. & NB!!!!!!!: 

You can post your entries to any of the entry points except Greensborough Home Brewing (Dave has decided to take a couple of weeks off, so anything that's not there by COB tomorrow won't get collected). You can still get them to other collection points without a problem by the "official" pick-up date of 31/8/19.


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## Sugar89 (21/8/19)

MartinOC said:


> VicBrew is only 3+ weeks away and we still need judges and stewards. We hope you're able to JUDGE and/or STEWARD at VicBrew 2019.
> 
> To register your interest (or let us know if you can't make it this year), please fill out the form located here https://forms.gle/uvk8rhvZqNQaM6UY7 with your details and preferences.
> 
> ...



Hi MartinOC,

I filled this form in a couple of weeks back but haven’t heard from anyone... should I have heard from someone yet or will that happen soon?


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## MartinOC (21/8/19)

Sugar89 said:


> Hi MartinOC,
> 
> I filled this form in a couple of weeks back but haven’t heard from anyone... should I have heard from someone yet or will that happen soon?


Yeah, it'll happen soon. Our Prez. will currently be collating/organising stuff to get bums on seats. 

RDWHAHB


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## AJ80 (24/8/19)

Hello Martin,

Bit of an idiot moment, but incorrectly entered one of my beers online today. Have shot an email to [email protected] to fix it up. Is it too late or can it be rectified?

Cheers.


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## MartinOC (24/8/19)

AJ80 said:


> Hello Martin,
> 
> Bit of an idiot moment, but incorrectly entered one of my beers online today. Have shot an email to [email protected] to fix it up. Is it too late or can it be rectified?
> 
> Cheers.


RDWHAHB


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## Sugar89 (25/8/19)

If I had a beer that is ready after the 31st of August, can I enter it and deliver it the day of the competition?


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## dkril (25/8/19)

Sugar89 said:


> If I had a beer that is ready after the 31st of August, can I enter it and deliver it the day of the competition?


No. Got to be dropped off by the 31st at one of the nominated collection points.


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## Sugar89 (25/8/19)

dkril said:


> No. Got to be dropped off by the 31st at one of the nominated collection points.



Thanks,

Thought I could of squeezed in another entry!!


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## MartinOC (25/8/19)

Sugar89 said:


> Thanks,
> 
> Thought I could of squeezed in another entry!!


If it's already in the bottle (or you can get it in the bottle) & get it to one of the collection points before the 31st, you can still enter the beer into Compmaster now. Remember, it won't be judged until mid September.


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## MartinOC (25/8/19)

AJ80 said:


> Hello Martin,
> 
> Bit of an idiot moment, but incorrectly entered one of my beers online today. Have shot an email to [email protected] to fix it up. Is it too late or can it be rectified?
> 
> Cheers.


Hi AJ,

I've got Admin access to Compmaster. What's the problem? I should be able to fix it for you (or check that it's already been fixed).


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## AJ80 (25/8/19)

MartinOC said:


> Hi AJ,
> 
> I've got Admin access to Compmaster. What's the problem? I should be able to fix it for you (or check that it's already been fixed).



Thanks Martin. It's entry #314. Forgot to include base beer style (imperial stout) and speciality wood aging details (aged in a Tasmanian whisky barrel). Really appreciate it. Cheers


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## migi (9/9/19)

Hi guys. First time I'm participating in a brew competition. Just curious how the process is. The judges taste and decide the winners during the competition (this weekend) and it's announced the same day? The participants should be there in some moment during the weekend? Not sure if there is a time for each category.
Good luck!


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## J_Keefy84 (9/9/19)

MartinOC said:


> Yeah, it'll happen soon. Our Prez. will currently be collating/organising stuff to get bums on seats.
> 
> RDWHAHB




Still waiting on a response to the form Martin. Shall I still be relaxing with a homebrew?


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## GrumpyPaul (9/9/19)

migi said:


> Hi guys. First time I'm participating in a brew competition. Just curious how the process is. The judges taste and decide the winners during the competition (this weekend) and it's announced the same day? The participants should be there in some moment during the weekend? Not sure if there is a time for each category.
> Good luck!


Migi

The head steward will have a schedule of what's being judged when. But results aren't announced until all judging is complete.

Because of the Compmaster software they use the results are generally published fairly quickly, sometimes on the Sunday eventing. But to be fair to comp organisers we are spoilt by then getting results out so quick. If they aren't published Sunday night.... Have a home brew sit back and wait patiently.

If you're keen I believe they are still looking for volunteers to help out.
Judging is a great way to learn a lot, you get paired with an experienced judge.
Stewarding is the role of preparing and serving the beers to the judges, collecting scoresheets etc... And tasting the beers as a bonus.

If you have some spare time this weekend drop down to help out. I'm sure it will be appreciated.


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## MartinOC (9/9/19)

^ Wot he said.

Just to elaborate:

We've got a draft judging schedule that will probably get massaged into place over the next couple of days.

Without wanting to blow trumpets here, the reason Vicbrew gets things done so efficiently & results published so quickly is because the hard-core of the organising Committee has been the same for about the past 13-15 years & we're like a well-oiled machine. Everyone knows/respects each other & trusts the others to do their bit. That's likely to change soon, so we're looking for new blood to step-up & take some responsibility as part of the succession planning for the Committee/Competition.

I (for one!) need an understudy to learn the ropes as Chief Steward. The incumbent has managed to sow his seed & has family/work commitments that's taking up all his time.

We've currently got a team of about 15 Stewards for each day, so that should be plenty (assuming everyone shows - NOBODY mention 2015 on pain of death!!!!!!!!!!).

If you want to rock-up & help-out or just hang-out & taste the beers as they come back from the judging tables, then you're most welcome (just don't get in the way!). Beer competitions can be a bit like watching paint dry if you're not actively involved in something.

Results should be announced on the Sunday arvo. at about 5pm (but don't quote me!).

Cheers,

Martin


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## MartinOC (12/9/19)

J_Keefy84 said:


> Still waiting on a response to the form Martin. Shall I still be relaxing with a homebrew?


Sorry, mate. Didn't get a notification of your post & just picked-up on it manually now.

I think by now, everything has already been sorted for bums on seats. Strange that you didn't get included in the judging schedule email that went out several days ago. I can only assume that there was an error in your provided email addy, which is why you weren't notified??

If you want to rock-up & help-out as a Steward (or sit-in with a judging table to learn the ropes), by all-means do so & we'll see what we can do for you.

Ask for me by name (if you can't already ID me - I'm the mouthy git that's antsy like an expectant father) & introduce yourself. We can go from there.

I'm flying without an off-sider this year, so I'll be busy, but I'm sure we can find a slot for you.

Cheers,

Martin


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## Wolfman (15/9/19)

Any results as yet?


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## Coxy (15/9/19)

No results released tonight. Will happen in the next day or so. They announced this afternoon that they would not be able to collate in time for announcements today.


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## Wolfman (15/9/19)

Coxy said:


> No results released tonight. Will happen in the next day or so. They announced this afternoon that they would not be able to collate in time for announcements today.



Cheers. Is Cocko still here?


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## MartinOC (15/9/19)

Coxy said:


> No results released tonight. Will happen in the next day or so. They announced this afternoon that they would not be able to collate in time for announcements today.



All the judging was done & dusted by mid afternoon, but since we're a couplea bodies down this time, it's going to take awhile for all the scoresheets to be checked, scanned & then work-out the placings (some stuff has to be done manually).

You lot have been so ******* spoilt in the past with the way we've got results out so quickly! This time, just RDWHAHB!



Wolfman said:


> Cheers. Is Cocko still here?



Nope!


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## Wolfman (15/9/19)

MartinOC said:


> Nope!


I miss him and his hidden links.

Great work as always Martin!


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## Andyd (16/9/19)

Provisional results are up at vicbrew and compmaster now. I'm just uploading scoresheets at the moment. These should become available in the next day or so.

Summary Results

Full Results

Cheers,

Andy


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## dkril (17/9/19)

Andyd said:


> Provisional results are up at vicbrew and compmaster now. I'm just uploading scoresheets at the moment. These should become available in the next day or so.
> 
> Summary Results
> 
> ...


I hate to be picky, but there's no results linked on the VicBrew Results page. Still, a great effort from all involved to get the results out quickly.


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## MartinOC (17/9/19)

Beg to differ, mate. I just clicked on the link you provided & the results are definitely there.


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## dkril (17/9/19)

MartinOC said:


> Beg to differ, mate. I just clicked on the link you provided & the results are definitely there.


Nope. Hmmm.....


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## dkril (17/9/19)

dkril said:


> Nope. Hmmm.....


Gottit. Cleared the cache and all good.


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## Andyd (17/9/19)

Just so everyone knows - I'm uploading the scoresheets on a really slow link while I"m on holiday, so they're not ready for download yet (someone hit the wrong button on the admin portal and exposed the links, so I think there are a few people who have tried to download them and got "page not found".... I'll post here as soon as I've got them all up (about 60% so far).

Andy


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## GrumpyPaul (17/9/19)

I may or may not have clicked the link....

Several times


Andyd said:


> Just so everyone knows - I'm uploading the scoresheets on a really slow link while I"m on holiday, so they're not ready for download yet (someone hit the wrong button on the admin portal and exposed the links, so I think there are a few people who have tried to download them and got "page not found".... I'll post here as soon as I've got them all up (about 60% so far).
> 
> Andy


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## Andyd (17/9/19)

sorry to disappoint 

hopefully wont be long...


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## Andyd (17/9/19)

OK Everyone. Scoresheets are available for download. I've done a random sample and it all looks in order, with one known caveat:

In the Belgian category there was a judge missing so for some you will see three scoresheets listed but only two available, and some will see effectively a blank scoresheet with just a score... sorry thats how it flowed on the day I'm told.

Any hassles, wrong sheets etc post them up here and I'll keep an eye open for a few days...

Andy


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## Jear (18/9/19)

Hi Andy,

Thanks for putting up the scoresheets. This is my second attempt at Vicbrew and its been really great to get such good feedback on my beers so thank you and congratulations to all involved in putting this together as I’m sure it isn’t easy!
I managed to place in Pale Ale - what’s the process for entering the AABC, I can’t seem to find a form?

Cheers,
Jared


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## SolitaryBee (18/9/19)

Thanks for the hard work @Andyd !

I received three scores, two detailed score sheets, but the first score has a broken "download" link ("Page not found"). If there's a third score sheet available, I'd love to see it. 

Entry #107.


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## moonhead (18/9/19)

Andyd said:


> OK Everyone. Scoresheets are available for download. I've done a random sample and it all looks in order, with one known caveat:
> 
> In the Belgian category there was a judge missing so for some you will see three scoresheets listed but only two available, and some will see effectively a blank scoresheet with just a score... sorry thats how it flowed on the day I'm told.
> 
> ...



Thanks for confirming the blank scroesheet issue, we're seeing a few people asking/barking about it, this explanation should keep them happy.


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## Andyd (18/9/19)

Jear said:


> Hi Andy,
> 
> Thanks for putting up the scoresheets. This is my second attempt at Vicbrew and its been really great to get such good feedback on my beers so thank you and congratulations to all involved in putting this together as I’m sure it isn’t easy!
> I managed to place in Pale Ale - what’s the process for entering the AABC, I can’t seem to find a form?
> ...



Thanks Jared,

Congratulations on placing - I'm assuming you're from Vic, if so the Vicbrew team will be in touch shortly to help you through the process of submitting for AABC - they do a fantastic job following up what is a hard cometition to manage with the management of Victorias national entries...

Speaking of which - I had a very small role to play this year. The vast majority of the work fell on a very small group of guys who refuse to sing their own praise, so I'm going to call out: 

* Michael Guenzel, 
* Mark Hibberd, 
* Michael Bowron, 
* Mark Johnston and 
* Martin O'Connor, 

all of whom have been working this gig for a VERY long time now and quite frankly need a rest - so if anyone out there is interested in playing even a small role in next year's Vicbrew, please let me know, because these guys can't keep this up forever...

Cheers,

Andy


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## Andyd (18/9/19)

SolitaryBee said:


> Thanks for the hard work @Andyd !
> 
> I received three scores, two detailed score sheets, but the first score has a broken "download" link ("Page not found"). If there's a third score sheet available, I'd love to see it.
> 
> Entry #107.



Yours is one of those entries that only had two judges... the third was just an average between the two to make the scoring work properly.

Cheers!

Andy


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## GrumpyPaul (18/9/19)

@Andyd

Mine also has the page not found error for one of mine

Entry #478
Category 12.5 Rye IPA

Im guessing the one missing is from judge no. 34

Ive got another entry in the same that has sheets from judged 34,35 and 36.

Compmaster has the scores for 3 judges but the links to the feedback are only there for 35 and 36 for entry #478


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## Andyd (18/9/19)

NoClue2Brew said:


> @Andyd
> 
> Mine also has the page not found error for one of mine
> 
> ...



I just took a look and I can't find a third sheet in all of the 1400 scans I've been given. I'll ask the guys if they have a third physical sheet for this one...

Cheers,

Andy


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## SolitaryBee (18/9/19)

Andyd said:


> Yours is one of those entries that only had two judges... the third was just an average between the two to make the scoring work properly.
> 
> Cheers!
> 
> Andy



Ah. I thought this was Belgian only. Thanks for clearing it up.


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## GrumpyPaul (18/9/19)

Andyd said:


> I just took a look and I can't find a third sheet in all of the 1400 scans I've been given. I'll ask the guys if they have a third physical sheet for this one...
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Andy



Thanks Andy - not the end of the world if it cant be found.

Im keen for the feedback but not upset if it cant be tracked down.


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## MartinOC (19/9/19)

Hi Guys,

I'm going to jump-in without a safety net here & rely on my memory, which is.....erm....I can't remember why (but it's bad!).

The Belgians definitely only had two judges on one table & three on the other on Saturday morning. That was expanded to another table of three for the arvo, as judges became available. That'd be why you'll see a "Phantom" third scoresheet, as it's an average of the two judges at the table = the third judge.

That category is a really tough gig & we had VERY experienced judges on all 3 tables, so you can be assured your feedback is coming from some of the best available. My only beef is that the ONLY Biere De Garde entered got 1st place (AGAIN!!!!). I tasted it & berated the judges for high-scoring what I considered a poor example of the style & Mike G. referred me back to the style guidelines that provided quite a wide scope. I ate crow........

There were a few no-shows from expected judges , so it's possible that an aggregate (ie. "Phantom") judge had to be created for some tables. Whatever the wash-up, please enjoy & learn from the feedback you got from the available judges.

If you got feedback that your beer was poor, take it on-board & learn from it. Improve your brewing.

Above all, RDWHAHB!

Cheers,

Martin

Edit: PS - Thanks to the bloke that put in several entries & didn't pay for them & didn't respond to emails or phonecalls. That's instant disqualification! We drank them as we were sorting the entries on the Friday morning. Some of them were actually pretty good!


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## Omikron (19/9/19)

Thanks to everyone who clearly put in a lot of work. this was my first ever time entering and trying to find a place open to drop things off at the last minute was amusing. Not going to complain with 2nd place in the Belgians :s absolute fluke.


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## Wolfman (23/9/19)

MartinOC said:


> Hi Guys,
> 
> I'm going to jump-in without a safety net here & rely on my memory, which is.....erm....I can't remember why (but it's bad!).
> 
> ...




Thanks for the feed back Martin.


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## migi (21/10/19)

Hey guys, bit late but big thanks to the organizers. It has been my first time in a competition and it has been a great experience, I can´t recommend more. I didn't expect the high quality of the feedback, really useful and encouraging. Hope to help next year!
I was also wondering if there were certificates for minor places in each category, or just for the winners? Cheers!


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## MartinOC (21/10/19)

Hi Mate,

I'm afraid we only give prizes to the top-3 in each category. Can you really imagine/appreciate getting a certificate to hang on your brewery wall that says "Stone motherless last" in "X" category? Multiples of them???????

We've toyed with the idea of a "Wooden Spoon Award" as a bit of a tongue in cheek piss-take, but decided against it. Not the best encouragement to new brewers....

Trust me, there are members of the organising committee who have scored very poorly & even "book-ended" a category (ie. 1st & last in the category). I'm one of them..

It all comes down to the judges on the day......


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## Truman42 (22/10/19)

MartinOC said:


> Hi Mate,
> 
> I'm afraid we only give prizes to the top-3 in each category. Can you really imagine/appreciate getting a certificate to hang on your brewery wall that says "Stone motherless last" in "X" category? Multiples of them???????
> 
> ...


Hey Martin, Are the prizes posted out? I havent received anything yet?


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## MartinOC (24/10/19)

We're waiting until after the Nationals (this weekend) just in case one of the Vic. entries scores a national prize, which can be collected by one of the Vic. delegates & we can mail them both at the same time.


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