# Bitter & Twisted Competition



## bigfridge (29/7/08)

Hi All,

The First Weekend in November is getting close so it means that we need to start thinking about the Top Twister Brewers Championship held in conjunction with the Bitter & Twisted - International Boutique Beer Festival. Due to last year's 'stealth' marketing campaign we ran a small but very successfull competition with most entrants being impressed with the standard of judging and feedback provided.

This year's competition will be held at Potters Brewery on 4th-5th October, with the Pro-Am taste-off being held at the Bitter & Twisted festival. Entries close Wednesday 1st October. There will be more details on this shortly.

Last year's Top Twister Brewers Championship had the unique distinction of being the first competition in Australia to sponsor the winner to compete on the international stage. The NSW Brewers Guild covered all entry fees and transport costs for our Top Twister to enter the American Homebrewers Association's National Homebrew Competition. The winner was also invited to brew a batch of their beer at Potters Brewery.

The AHA National Homebrew Competition is the largest beer competition in the world and this year had 5,643 entries submitted by a total of 1,307 brewers from the United States, Canada, Japan, and Australia. Twenty-eight categories were judged in each of the ten competition regions (nine US regions and one Canada region).

The 2007 Top Twister brewers were Chan & Eileen Lay of Richmond, Victoria and are active members of the Bayside Brewers club in Melbourne. Due to the difficult task of judging more than five thousand entries across the USA, the National Homebrew Competition is held in two rounds with the 1st round resulting in 825 beer, mead, and cider entries qualifying for the Final Round. I am delighted to say that our Top Twister advanced to the final round after placing 3rd with their Wit beer in Category 16 ( Belgian & French Ale) for the South West Region ! 

David


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## Weizguy (29/7/08)

The winning Top Twister from last year, as brewed at Potter's, is on tap now at the brewery.
Tastes quite good, too.


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## Tony (1/8/08)

Hoping to enter a few beers this year.

Also going to book it in with the "minister of finance and good will" to be there for the sun, fun and beer.


See what happens........... plenty of time yet.

cheers


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## Greg Lee (20/8/08)

Hi - anyone know if we are getting any closer to having the style guidelines defined for the 2008 comp?

Looking at last year's guidelines its confusing - there is no category number for the "Australian Ale" and category number 12 appears twice, i.e. for "Porter" and for "Belgian and French Ale"

Plus it says there are 11 classes A to K - but there are actually only 10 - class I is missing.

Just to show what i mean I've attached are the detials from last year's comp, this same info is also currently on the NSW Brewers Guild website...

Cheers,
Greg 

View attachment 2007_TopTwister_details.pdf


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## bigfridge (20/8/08)

Grego from SA said:


> Hi - anyone know if we are getting any closer to having the style guidelines defined for the 2008 comp?
> 
> Looking at last year's guidelines its confusing - there is no category number for the "Australian Ale" and category number 12 appears twice, i.e. for "Porter" and for "Belgian and French Ale"
> 
> ...



Hi Greggo,

I am glad that you found all the 'deliberate' mistakes in last year's info - proves that you have read it  

We made some changes last year and some errors slipped through.

The styles are based on the BJCP Style Guidelines with Australian styles added. As long as you enter your '18A. Belgian Blond Ale' as 18A we can slot it in the right place.

But I will also make sure that we correct the information.

Thanks
Dave


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## Greg Lee (20/8/08)

Great, thanks Dave

when do you think you might have it all squared away and posted?

Cheers,
Greg


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## joshuahardie (15/9/08)

Have entry forms been released for this yet?

Just suddenly realised how close this is... running out of time gulp.


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## Barry (15/9/08)

Good Day 
I can't find the drop off sites. Have they been determined? :icon_cheers:


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## bigfridge (15/9/08)

joshuahardie said:


> Have entry forms been released for this yet?
> 
> Just suddenly realised how close this is... running out of time gulp.



You'r running out of time :unsure: the organisers are having the same problem !

The next few months are certainly comp season with state comps for most states being schedule plus Bathurst, Castle Hill and the National Conference. Just to make things interesting I have to go to the USA in October.

[Gloat Mode On] Reluctantly I will be attending the Great American Beer Festival while I am there where I have signed up as a volunteer to work on a few of the breweries stands, plus I will be attending a Sensory Evaluation workshop run by the Siebel Institute. [Gloat Mode Off]

So, with all this going on we have moved the comp date to 1/2 November with entries closing on Monday 27th October.

Forms etc will be available this week.

Thanks
Dave


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## bigfridge (15/9/08)

Barry said:


> Good Day
> I can't find the drop off sites. Have they been determined? :icon_cheers:



Hi Barry,

If you can organise to get your entries plus any other locals to ESB we will pick up the freight costs.

If any one else has a group of brewers that can band together and use a local HB shop as a drop-off point we can do the same deal.

Thanks
Dave


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## goatherder (15/9/08)

Dave, does that now mean the comp is on the same weekend as the festival?


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## bigfridge (15/9/08)

goatherder said:


> Dave, does that now mean the comp is on the same weekend as the festival?



Yes, that is the plan.

Judges & helpers will get free entry to the festival if they can give us one session of judging.

I have already got your name down ! h34r: 

Dave


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## joshuahardie (3/10/08)

Is there any more info on the comp yet.

I am looking around for an entry form / drop off locations?


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## Peter Wadey (6/10/08)

bigfridge said:


> Hi Barry,
> 
> If you can organise to get your entries plus any other locals to ESB we will pick up the freight costs.
> 
> ...



Damn it, Janet!
That's what comes from not following threads!
I didn't know this had been postponed till I was having a yarn with Barry yesterday.
I kegged a couple of beers a week ago & with all the comp cutoffs closed, decided not to bottle any.
Hmmmm, If only I could be bothered with a CPBF.......

'Maybe next year' seems to be a recurring theme,
Pete


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## Barry (6/10/08)

Good Day
Can anyone tell the pick up date from ESB?


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## joshuahardie (7/10/08)

joshuahardie said:


> Is there any more info on the comp yet.
> 
> I am looking around for an entry form / drop off locations?



BUMP :icon_cheers:


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## bigfridge (7/10/08)

joshuahardie said:


> BUMP :icon_cheers:



BUMP - That is a good way to describe the current situation. The road has turned very bumpy due to the lack of support that we have got this year from certain quarters. So it has not been possible to run the B&T 'Top Twister' competition this year - sorry everyone. The B&T people are still very supportive and helpfull and we will all be going to have a great weekend on the first weekend in November.

To make up for the late cancellation, we will run the Competition as a HAG event later in November. I am just waiting on confirmation of a few things and then I can release the full comp details. But we are looking at holding the comp on the 29th November with entries closing on 22nd November.

This will be run as a BJCP registered event by the HAG club (Hunter Advanced and Grain brewers) - so if you haven't had enough of beer comps (Just HOW MANY were there in Sep/Oct ????) all offers of help are appreciated.

Please keep an eye on the this thread and the HAG Brewers website for the details. They will be available in the next few days.

Looks like there are some entries to pick up at ESB - is there any other clubs/groups that would like to submit entries?

Thanks
David
(Just one of the HAGs)


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## Tony (14/10/08)

bigfridge said:


> This will be run as a BJCP registered event by the HAG club (Hunter Advanced and Grain brewers) - so if you haven't had enough of beer comps (Just HOW MANY were there in Sep/Oct ????) all offers of help are appreciated.



Hey we wernt alowed to enter the Sydney mobs comp!  

Sad news about the B&T mate but good news about a HAG comp.

Was Hunter All Grainers Descrinimatry? I supose it is hey. I like the new "Hunter Advanced and Grain brewers" to fit the name!

cheers

PS. I presume drop off will be Potters? I wont be able to make the comp, its my brothers 30th Bday that day.  

cheers


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## Doc (20/10/08)

Damn, didn't realise this had been canned.
I had been saving a few of my finer beers for this comp.

Hope everything works out for you guys. I see the B&T has been moved to Maitland this year too.

Beers,
Doc


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## Tseay (21/10/08)

bigfridge said:


> BUMP - That is a good way to describe the current situation. The road has turned very bumpy due to the lack of support that we have got this year from certain quarters. So it has not been possible to run the B&T 'Top Twister' competition this year - sorry everyone. The B&T people are still very supportive and helpfull and we will all be going to have a great weekend on the first weekend in November.
> 
> David
> (Just one of the HAGs)



David very sorry to hear that, "having been there, done that", when it comes to canceling comps half way down the track.

My remarks apply to my neck of the wods, but having run 3 comps now, it seems that whilst we have increasing numbers of people happy to enter comps (which is good) however the people and other resources available to run comps is shrinking. Generally you can just get by on judging day, but it's the effort and support needed in the lead up is not understood and seems to be a huge problem. It's not that it can't be done it needs people wth a sense of ugency and appropriate experience.Otherwise organisers will simply burn out and drop out

Whats the answer ? Not sure, maybe limit comp entry to recognised brew club members, that might encourage club membership and reduce comp size to managable proportions. Maybe only one major comp in the state and more club level events untill ther resources are available . Either way I think it's a debate we need to have .

Chris


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## Offline (30/10/08)

Who is going to the festival and when?


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## bigfridge (30/10/08)

Doc said:


> Damn, didn't realise this had been canned.
> I had been saving a few of my finer beers for this comp.
> 
> Hope everything works out for you guys. I see the B&T has been moved to Maitland this year too.
> ...



Hi Doc,

Thanks for your kind words.

The main thing is that the comp has't really been cancelled - just moved back a month.

In a way we were a victim of the success of craft brewing in Australia with October having one or two good beer events on each weekend in October. This means that all the usual helpers were busy or had to be asked to give up what they had planned. I was also away in the US for two weeks making things a bit tricky to organise.

A move to the end of November will see things much clearer.

So hopefully all your fine beers wouldn't have peaked too early and will still be at their best for the end of November.

ESB Peakhurst are acting as a drop off point and all the paperwork will be out this week.

Thanks
Dave


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## Stuster (30/10/08)

That's good news, Dave. Glad you could get it up and running. I'll be hoping to pop in to ESB and send some in again. Good feedback from judges there last time.


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## joshuahardie (30/10/08)

Offline said:


> Who is going to the festival and when?



Ill be there Saturday morning....
Can't Wait

Josh


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## alowen474 (30/10/08)

So we can still drop off at Potters next week then??


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## goatherder (30/10/08)

I'll be there Saturday in my flash new ANHC t-shirt!


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## [email protected] (30/10/08)

goatherder said:


> I'll be there Saturday in my flash new ANHC t-shirt!




Lucky bugger. I'd be flashing mine except I have to do the corporate thing....


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## leeboy (30/10/08)

I will be there all day saturday. Looking forward to it!! Last year was a blast be interesting to see what this gaol location does for the festive feel. I'm sure it will be great


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## grod5 (30/10/08)

I'm locked in Eddy for Saturday.

daniel


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## Offline (30/10/08)

The Ol said:


> You don't have to dye one of your body parts a primary colour do you


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## shmick (31/10/08)

Will be there both days

Don't worry OB - I'm sure somebody will walk past and talk to you


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## bigfridge (31/10/08)

goatherder said:


> I'll be there Saturday in my flash new ANHC t-shirt!



Scotty,

I see you one ANHC t-shirt and raise you a GABF (Great American Beer Festival) one :icon_cheers: 

But I do look forward to seeing you guys again.

Dave


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## Offline (1/11/08)

My lift just fell through.
Is anyone going today still have a spare seat and has not already left?
Otherwise i might have to ride in the rain and stay under .05 :unsure: 

Offlie

oh, I live in Cardiff


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## grod5 (1/11/08)

Just got home from the festival, had a great time and caught up with some friends for some laughs. Bent the ear of Neil from Matilda Bay for half an hour, love the Alpha.

Well done to the organisers and what a fantastic venue.

daniel


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## grod5 (1/11/08)

a little snap of my video is here



daniel


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## Weizguy (2/11/08)

Great weekend, great beer, great brewers, great networking opportunities.

I grabbed a whole heap of the Young's and Weihenstephan bottles this arvo to take home (about 150 all up).

Got spotted on the way out and was asked a couple of brew questions (exploding bottles etc). I wrote out the answers, as they were for a third party. Then we started talking about the Movember thing and men's health issues. To cut a long story short, I got a hug from the woman and the feeling of having done some good work and some beer evangelising.

Cheers
Les


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## rwmingis (2/11/08)

grod5 said:


> Just got home from the festival, had a great time and caught up with some friends for some laughs. Bent the ear of Neil from Matilda Bay for half an hour, love the Alpha.
> 
> Well done to the organisers and what a fantastic venue.
> 
> daniel




Hahahah, poor Neil, I did the same, talked his ear off for a good 45 minutes. Such a nice guy, informative too! Yea, the Alpha was good hey!

I second that, had a blast. Even my non-brewing buddies were talking of making it an annual trip. Next time I won't go to the pub afterwards for a night cap though! :icon_vomit:


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## Doc (3/11/08)

bigfridge said:


> So hopefully all your fine beers wouldn't have peaked too early and will still be at their best for the end of November.
> 
> ESB Peakhurst are acting as a drop off point and all the paperwork will be out this week.



Fantastic. Will hold back on finishing a couple of the good kegs so that I have some quality to enter.

Beers,
Doc


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## Linz (6/11/08)

Doc said:


> Fantastic. Will hold back on finishing a couple of the good kegs so that I have some quality to enter.
> 
> Beers,
> Doc




any news on the paperwork?? Just wondering if one can still enter a beer or two??


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## goatherder (13/11/08)

What's the final dropoff day Dave? Can I leave the entries at Potters?


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## Punter (21/11/08)

Hi David,
Any more news on the comp? Is it still going ahead?
Cheers, Duane.


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## Tseay (21/11/08)

On a separate note, it was nice to see that the Bitter and Twisted Festival picked up a gong at last night's Tourism NSW awards against some pretty tough competition.


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## bigfridge (22/11/08)

Punter said:


> Hi David,
> Any more news on the comp? Is it still going ahead?
> Cheers, Duane.




Sorry Guys. Didn't see these messages - Life in the Dave household has been rather hectic of late so the preparation for this comp is less than perfect.

But the comp is still on.

If you would like to download an entry form and get the beers to us we will judge them and award some suitable prizes.

You can post your entries to Mark's Home Brew shop or drop them into Potters Brewery. If you are in Sydney and can get to the ESB shop by Tuesday them we can ship them up for free. Also, I will be in Chatswood tomorrow so if you want to meet up to drop off some entries you can call me on 0422 978 643.

Thanks
Dave


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## Punter (23/11/08)

Thanks Dave, what date is it on and when do entries need to be in?
The entry form says 5th and 6th of April.
Cheers, Duane.


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## Sammus (18/8/09)

Howdy..ls there a comp this year? I cant find any information anywhere...

edit: I just rang and asked them about it, and they said there isn't one this year, and they even swore to me there definitely wasn't one last year... but this thread leads me to believe otherwise. hmm..


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## alowen474 (18/8/09)

If they cant get an official comp together, send all your beers to my place and I'll tell you what I think of them!! :icon_drool2: :lol:


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## bigfridge (18/8/09)

Sammus said:


> Howdy..ls there a comp this year? I cant find any information anywhere...
> 
> edit: I just rang and asked them about it, and they said there isn't one this year, and they even swore to me there definitely wasn't one last year... but this thread leads me to believe otherwise. hmm..



Sammus - there was no 'official' competition last year due to the actions of the NSW Brewers Guild (or at least someone on their executive). Pulled out support at the last moment and left us high and dry.

The B&T event itself has got bigger and the HAG brewers are getting more involved in running info sessions and serving beer - etc.

But more about that later.

Dave


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## Sammus (18/8/09)

bigfridge said:


> Sammus - there was no 'official' competition last year due to the actions of the NSW Brewers Guild (or at least someone on their executive). Pulled out support at the last moment and left us high and dry.
> 
> The B&T event itself has got bigger and the HAG brewers are getting more involved in running info sessions and serving beer - etc.
> 
> ...



Cool. I'm a HAG brewer, and am happy to help out as much as I can from down here in the 'gong


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## jakester (9/11/10)

Had a great weekend at the festival with some mates and tried some great beers. One of the highlights was introducing the boys who are usual pub beer types to more interesting and flavoursome beers. We loved the Punch and Judy and Nirvana from Murrays but i had to talk them into the darker beers. They said they dont like dark beers, didnt know why, they just dont like them. Then we tried Docs Mindwarp at the Potters stand. Man, what a beer! We all loved it and ended up going back for more and more. Def. my favourite for the show, great beer Doc, well done. Now give me the bloody recipe so i can at least try to make something half as good!


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## dogs01 (10/11/10)

Went to this on Saturday and was greatly dissapointed. Lined up in the rain to a very slow bag search and wrist band attachment. Once in it was a lot quicker to get my early bird bag, tasting cup and tokens. The Mindwarp at Potters was the stand-out beer there but was very dissapointed with the turn out of beer stalls. The Home Brewers tent was great with some very nice beers. 
I found that apart from approx 3 beers at the festival I could have bought the rest at my local bottleshop and sat at home in the dry and not wasted my money. The entry fee of $30 dollars was $20 dollars too much. Will not be going again along with my other 5 friends who feel the same as me. 
The organisers need to have a sit down and try to work out a better venue or more beer stalls. This is the second year where it has been wet so consingency plans need to be looked at.


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## joshuahardie (10/11/10)

Dogs, 

As much as I love B&T and want to defend it, you are right.

They have not attracted any new or interesting breweries from the staple that show up every year.
The venue is not large enough for the crowds is draws and as a result the waiting time can be forever for a beer.

I don't know what their exhibitor packages are, but they really need to entice the best breweries of Australia to the event.

Seems like the brewery showcases that Harts and Paddy's brewery put on this year, were the ones to go see the best beers.


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## jakester (10/11/10)

I totally agree with the last two posts. Most of the beers i have had before, which is why the homebrew tent was the best to visit over the weekend, the beers were always changing and had some nice stuff. The setup was pretty bad, especially up top on the saturday where you had to line up in mud to get a beer. If they spread the stores out more instead of clumping them together in tight walkways it might be ok. Saturday was definately a dud, rain and very long beer lines but sunday was the total opposite, sunshine and no ques! Hopefully they will have a few changes, and a bigger beer line up or we probably wont make the trip up next year.


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## canon1ball (10/11/10)

+ 1 to the last three posts. 
Attended Saturday and was greatly disapointed.


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## 3GumsBrewing (17/11/10)

Did I miss the results of the comp? Anyone point me the right direction.


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## schooey (17/11/10)

DK said:


> Did I miss the results of the comp? Anyone point me the right direction.



HI DK,

Dave had posted them in a parellel thread here;



bigfridge said:


> *Top Twister Results*
> The final round of judging has been completed at the Bitter & Twisted beer competition. Results and score sheets are being collated and will be returned to entrants this week. The overall standards of the beers entered was very high, particularly with the following category winners:
> 
> A. Trent Maier
> ...



Hope this helps,

Schooey


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## barls (17/11/10)

schooey said:


> HI DK,
> 
> Dave had posted them in a parellel thread here;
> 
> ...


i think what he wants is the full results ie so we can see where we ended up in the field.


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## 3GumsBrewing (18/11/10)

schooey said:


> Dave had posted them in a parellel thread here;



Thanks for that 
But really after the full ones..



barls said:


> i think what he wants is the full results ie so we can see where we ended up in the field.



Now I know I did not win!!  

Cheers


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## Doc (18/11/10)

Ivesy said:


> Then we tried Docs Mindwarp at the Potters stand. Man, what a beer! We all loved it and ended up going back for more and more. Def. my favourite for the show, great beer Doc, well done. Now give me the bloody recipe so i can at least try to make something half as good!





dogs01 said:


> The Mindwarp at Potters was the stand-out beer there but was very dissapointed with the turn out of beer stalls.



Thanks guys. I really enjoyed making this one commercially and will have to do it again for sure. 
It is pretty easy to make at home too (compared to the Secret Sqirrel, Rhubarb and Gose) 

Doc


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## Harry Volting (29/11/10)

What ever happened to the Top Twister Results?
Brewed the beers...paid the money...HUB website is down...'on the phone' whenever I call.
Isn't 'feedback' the idea?
Any Clues?


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## barls (29/11/10)

second this. how about ether results or posting out the sheets


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## bigfridge (29/11/10)

Harry Volting said:


> What ever happened to the Top Twister Results?
> Brewed the beers...paid the money...HUB website is down...'on the phone' whenever I call.
> Isn't 'feedback' the idea?
> Any Clues?



Harry ? You sound like the 'Peter' who called today and abused my wife when I was at work.

You have called me twice - last week when I explained the situation and again today when I was not able to take your call as I was talking to a customer on my home office line. Today you did not leave a (polite) message or contact number for me to call you back when I had finished work.

Please don't misrepresent the situation and suggest that you have not been able to contact anyone.

As I told you last week, the results had been finalised - but the remainder of the package needs to be printed. This will be completed and posted this week.

Sorry for any inconvienience that my personal situation has caused you.

David


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## Harry Volting (30/11/10)

David
I apologise for my enthusiasm.
I look forward to the results this week.

Harry


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## bigfridge (2/12/10)

Harry Volting said:


> David
> I apologise for my enthusiasm.
> I look forward to the results this week.
> 
> Harry



Cheers mate.

They are going in the post today.

I have also upgraded the server that runs the HUB website so that shopuld stop it from crashing all the time.

Thanks
Dave


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## barls (11/12/10)

is there going to be a full set posted anywhere or do we just get our sheets?
had a look on the hub website and there is only the winners on there, i know i find it useful to see how i went in the field as do many others i think
still havent seen any sheets yet ether???


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## bluebetty (12/12/10)

Yep, I would definately like to get my results and haven't seen anything as yet.


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## barls (16/12/10)

still nothing see. come on guys ive gotten quicker answers at work. did you tie the paper work to a one legged snail thats blind and retarded.
tell you what im very tempted not to enter this one again if this is the way its handled.
also tried sending a pm to big fridge but he has his pms disabled.
nice work guys really nice work. not happy at all.
as it stands never again will i enter this comp, unless there are serious changes.


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## MHB (16/12/10)

I believe Bigfridge got called away with work for all of this week and maybe some of last week.
Guys its only been just over a month and at the busiest end of the year for anyone who has their own business, please relax they will be with you soon.

Mark


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## barls (16/12/10)

MHB said:


> I believe Bigfridge got called away with work for all of this week and maybe some of last week.
> Guys its only been just over a month and at the busiest end of the year for anyone who has their own business, please relax they will be with you soon.
> 
> Mark


ok ill give you its a busy time of year, but it still doesnt take 2 weeks to get mail from newcastle to sydney. ive gotten cards from my relatives in taree and they have only taken 2 days.
its more the fact that you ask the question and even though he has been on line last night theres no answer. also the comp was in october with the final round on the 1st weekend of november so it has been a fair while . as i asked is it so hard to post a pfd with the list of results?


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## Weizguy (22/12/10)

G'day guys and gals,

I am addressing this issue on behalf of the Hunter United Brewers Club.

Due to unforeseen external influence, the results have been delayed.

My apologies on behalf of the organising team and on behalf of the club.

Hope to remedy the situation soon and will advise here, posting the pdf doc at that time.

Happy Brewing (and competing)
Les


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## Harry Volting (23/12/10)

Thanks Les
Good to know you're on the case (pun intended).

Go Santa
Harry


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## Barry (23/12/10)

He is usually in the case taking out a beer.


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## barls (31/12/10)

any more progress


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## 3GumsBrewing (9/1/11)

Just my monthly check-in. Any news?


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## barls (9/1/11)

seriously guys whats the go?
its been 3 plus months now since the come and not a thing seen. 
have you taken the money and run?
id be seriously pissed off if i won a category and still hadnt heard or seen anything.
class action any body???


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## Weizguy (13/1/11)

Update from HUB President:-

G'day all competition entrants and interested observers.
We have been having ongoing issue with the B&T comp results.
Without making too many excuses, our main comp organiser and keeper of the comp details has been subject to illness as well as being busy with his work.
This lack of availability has resulted in little opportunity to obtain and post the results in a timely manner.

We also realise that this will affect our BJCP recognition of our competition and we are contacting the BJCP for advice on their requirements for us to remain in their good books too.

Stay tuned here and we will keep you updated re the results and all progress with the mailing of entry forms.

Beerz
Les


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## Harry Volting (14/1/11)

Thanks Les
A few lessons learnt by all I think.
I'll pop round to the keepers and pick em up for you if you like.
Harry


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## barls (18/1/11)

any more news on this, its now been 4 months since the base judging and 3 since the best of show. 
seriously what the ****????


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## bigfridge (18/1/11)

barls said:


> also tried sending a pm to big fridge but he has his pms disabled.




Hi,

Yes I did disable PM's when I left AHB a few months ago due to the large amount of abuse, incomplete/wrong information and generally rude people that seem to populate AHB these days. I thought that it was the polite thing to do since I had no intentions of replying to PM's, but I did leave my contact details in the profile pages so that people could still get in touch if they needed.

Contrary to what you may think Barls the problem with sending back the score sheets and certificates is a reflection on my medical condition and not on the professionalism or capacity of the Hunter Brewers. They have done their best to contact me with offers of assistance and suggestions but I have not been capable of taking up their offers.

Just before the B&T competition, I was diagnosed with advanced kidney desease and other life threatening problems. I had to make major changes in my life otherwise I would have been dead within 5 years. This required me to observe strict dietary restrictions (including no alcohol) which prevented me from judging at the B&T competition as planned. Due to the shortage of volunteers it meant that I had to swap roles with the planned organiser (who was a trainee BJCP judge) and reluctantly take on a non-drinking role.

The pressures of running my own business, being responsible for the livelyhoods of my 3 employee's families and the added pressure of attending medical tests and appointments became very hard to bear. I have been batting depression for many years and usually cope through a combination of medication and exercise. I have now been able to look back and it is clear that I have been through a period of deep depression since the competition. Many days it was a battle to get out of bed and even harder to complete many tasks. Both my work and home life have suffered. 

I am here out of respect for all my mates at the Hunter Brewers who have rallied around me and helped me to survive the past few months. 

Barls, I can understand the frustration that you are experiencing and to you these results are probably the most important thing in the world. But I would ask that you consider for a moment that the competition is run by volunteers who gain nothing for their hard work. When delays happen there is usually a good reason for them happening and it only makes it worse when you take it personally.

Please don't feel sorry for me as I am not alone. Mental illness will probably touch us all at some time in our lives - either directly or indirectly. But I would appreciate your understanding and patience.

I still have my 'good days and bad' and will try to get the remaining results in the mail this week. All the Hunter brewers got their results at the first club meeting after the comp which was before I got sick.


Thanks for listening,
Dave


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## barls (18/1/11)

bigfridge said:


> Hi,
> 
> Yes I did disable PM's when I left AHB a few months ago due to the large amount of abuse, incomplete/wrong information and generally rude people that seem to populate AHB these days. I thought that it was the polite thing to do since I had no intentions of replying to PM's, but I did leave my contact details in the profile pages so that people could still get in touch if they needed.
> 
> ...


dave, thanks for taking time out of your busy days to reply. i might even point out that i emailed the contact details on the web page in early december with no answer as well
i think whats more annoying is the complete and utter lack of respect shown to the rest of the entrants. for starters is it that hard to put up a post to say that they are mailed back in the start of december, which was obviously a lie, if it didnt happen why not just post up and say so. 
also how hard is it to post up a pdf or word doc with the results in it up here, so we can all just have a look to see how the beers did.
hell that would tide me over till i got the sheets eventually, saying that i dont have any bottle of the beers left to taste when reading through the sheets. my problem not yours.

we all have things going on at times. sickness is just one of those things that happen in life. trust me i know i had 9 months of work due to an illness. im sure if you follow the recommendations of the doctors it will improve


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## bigfridge (18/1/11)

barls said:


> i might even point out that i emailed the contact details on the web page in early december with no answer as well



I fear that you missed the part where I said that I have not been functioning since November. If you still don't understand, then there is nothing else that I can say that will help you understand what having a mental illness is like.

The sad part is the more that you rant, rave and go on about how affonted you are - the more I retreat into my shell and find it difficult to do anything.

Have a good life mate.


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## Tony (19/1/11)

barls said:


> for starters is it that hard to put up a post to say that they are mailed back in the start of december, which was obviously a lie, if it didnt happen why not just post up and say so.



barls.......... as a past, and still on and off sufferer of (it doesnt go away like a cold) depression, i will stand beside Dave in his defence. Mate.... when your really down...... everything is grey, life has a wet blanket over it and you usually couldnt be bothered wiping your own arse let alone sending off a score sheet for a home brewed beer from a comp that when it comes down to it..... is just a bit of fun in the end.

many years ago, i had a conversation with Dave similar to yours, and yes back then he was very busy too. After a couple too and fros with him i came to realise that these brewing comps arnt a buisness, they are something done FOR people like you by people with a passion but unfortunately, usually other things in their life that come before your home brew.

Now i hear people say............. well why the **** is he taking this on if he cant comit?

Well if he didnt, you wouldnt have had a comp to enter in the first place. You may not have got a judging sheet back, and i understand that being anoying, but Dave has layed down his case which is a very fair one IMO. Other HUB members have had a go but sometimes....... shit happens!

Im gunna say it............. HTFU!

I entered the B&T comp a couple years back and got a place........ never got anything for it, no return paperwork, no certificate, trophay, sex from supermodles............. nuthin! ............... I may have asked a couple times but shrugged my shoulders and thought...... i wouldnt have time to do it all, so i will move on. And without those who do do what they can, there would be no beer comps!

This isnt isolated to the B&T comp either...... i have had things like this happen in high level comps from around the country including being sent other peoples score sheets, smashed glass trophies thrown in a box together, and nothing back at all. It happens.

My 2c


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## Tony (19/1/11)

Oh..... and Dave............. get well mate!


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## barls (19/1/11)

tony ive been around enough to realise that comps are run by volunteers, ive helped the isb boys in enough to know that.
what im talking about is the fact that ive taken 5 hours off work to drive up the the hunter to drop off beers belonging to both someone else and myself and paid more money per entry than the state comp. only to be told that im not going to see a score or feed back on my beers and harden the **** up. well im sorry i work for the govt and get screwed for a living dont need it in my hobby thanks anyway for offering.

as for dave being sick, i can understand as ive got family members that suffer from mental illnesses. what i was whinging about was the complete lack of respect from most of the hub members in regards to the comp, les you are the exception here as you not only contacted me claiming responsibility and trying to rectify the issue.

as for dave try to get better mate, im sure the scene in newie must be missing you by now.
id still like to see a pdf posted but im going to wear this one as a learning experience and never i repeat never have anything to do with this comp again.
next time i think about entering it i might just go out the back of the house and set fire to the entry money and pour the beer out on the concrete. same effect.


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## schooey (20/1/11)

It's ironic isn't it...

Often the trigger for people falling in to the throes of depression is the feeling of not being able to share a burden, talk things out and being told many times to stop being a whinger and harden the **** up...




> what i was whinging about was the complete lack of respect from most of the hub members in regards to the comp



Barls, your statement is completely untrue and unfair. Why should _most_ of the HUB members be responsible? 

We are a small club of about 35 members. We have a committee of 5 volunteers, of which I am the secretary. Those 5 people have discussed this issue at length via email, in person, on the phone etc etc. One of the resultants is the apology from our club president and steps to move forward for a positive outcome, which may take some time; One of our club members is going through what is probably the toughest period in his life and he deserves a little respect from us too.

What we are guilty of is allowing the complete burden of running the administration of the comp to be taken on by one person. This has also been discussed at length by the committee and has been agreed upon to never happen again in future efforts.

If you wish to discuss in person I'm more than happy to call you, or anyone else, to discuss; just PM me your number.

Cheers,

schooey


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## Paul H (20/1/11)

Tony said:


> barls.......... as a past, and still on and off sufferer of (it doesnt go away like a cold) depression, i will stand beside Dave in his defence. Mate.... when your really down...... everything is grey, life has a wet blanket over it and you usually couldnt be bothered wiping your own arse let alone sending off a score sheet for a home brewed beer from a comp that when it comes down to it..... is just a bit of fun in the end.
> 
> many years ago, i had a conversation with Dave similar to yours, and yes back then he was very busy too. After a couple too and fros with him i came to realise that these brewing comps arnt a buisness, they are something done FOR people like you by people with a passion but unfortunately, usually other things in their life that come before your home brew.
> 
> ...



A cursory glance at your picture profile Tony would best explain why you ain't getting "sex with supermodles"  

Cheers

Paul


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## bigfridge (20/1/11)

barls said:


> next time i think about entering it i might just go out the back of the house and set fire to the entry money and pour the beer out on the concrete. same effect.



I am sorry to hear that mate. 

I have just gone and retrieved your sheets from the bog and will post them to you today. Looks like I will have to find something else to wipe my arse on next year. :lol:


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## bigfridge (20/1/11)

Tony said:


> Oh..... and Dave............. get well mate!



Cheers Tony,

The greatest thing about the 'black dog' is how great you feel when your mates ralley around you. My brother killed himself at 40 because he suffered alone.

Look forward to sharing a beer with you mate.

Dave


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## Tony (20/1/11)

Paul H said:


> A cursory glance at your picture profile Tony would best explain why you ain't getting "sex with supermodles"
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Paul



 but i thought the "rough look" was in ?????



bigfridge said:


> Look forward to sharing a beer with you mate.



Me too Dave...... I just wish i could get to the HUB meetings.


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## Tony (21/1/11)

Barls.......... fine example.

I send a fairly delicate beer off for judging at beerfest. I sent it late so it would be sitting around there for the minimal time and now this.........

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...showtopic=51678

extended deadline and they lowered the price of enteries just after i sent mine for full price.

it happens!

The trophies i got sent from beerfest last time i entered were just smashed glass when i got them too but im entering again...... all will be good!

cheers

Edit: Oh and in no way asociate my comments or opinions with the HUB club....... im not a member due to work and family comitments unfortunately getting in the way of atending friday night meets.


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## 3GumsBrewing (24/1/11)

Got my results in the mail today.

Placed two 2nds from 2 entries, but really top feedback on the scoresheets.

Thanks guys.


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## bluebetty (24/1/11)

Got my results as well. A couple of thirds which is good.

Brilliant feedback was greatly appreciated.


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## Harry Volting (24/1/11)

Just read my results. 
First comp.
Great feedback. Very encouraging.
Much appreciated.
Hang in there Dave.

Harry


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