# Hag - Hunter Competition



## Weizguy (3/3/08)

G'day,

At this stage, we are running a comp for the Hunter region only. Hopefully, we'll expand next year. 
There will be a reasonable amount of tolerance regarding the definition of Hunter.
(Don't want to exclude Trent in Forster, etc.)  

It's on for the 5th and 6th of April (weekend). Graciously and generously hosted at Potters Brewery in Nulkaba.
Most likely to be a Saturday arvo judging session and all day Sunday, with a Best of Show round.  

Entries to be left at Mark's Home Brew shop in Islington, Potters Brewery or a number of delegated pick-up spots, to be announced here.

BJCP guidelines and judging standards will be used, and all BJCP styles accepted.  

We'll be looking for judges and stewards, too, for either or both days. I have my hand up, of course.

More details as we sort them out, including entry fees and prizes.

Get brewing now, or stash some of your existing beers away from the threat of being consumed.

Brew hard, and brew good, but always brew! :super: 

See youse there.
Les


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## shmick (3/3/08)

Bit of a short deadline???  

Doesn't look like I'll have time to brew an entry but I might be able to help out as a steward for one of the days.


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## SJW (3/3/08)

Great, I have a Choc Porter, Duvel clone and a Belgian Dubbel I can put in.

Steve


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## crozdog (3/3/08)

Les,

A few of the ISB'ers may be interssted in coming up and helping out with the judjing. 

Let us know

croz


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## Weizguy (3/3/08)

shmick said:


> Bit of a short deadline???
> 
> Doesn't look like I'll have time to brew an entry but I might be able to help out as a steward for one of the days.


Yeah, I know. You could always brew a mild or a weizen, for quick turn-over.

We decided to proceed, rather than bail on the project.
If we get a small number of entries, that'll still be sufficient to check our competition-running methods.

I'll get back to you, Croz. Too kind to offer.

Cheers
Les


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## MHB (3/3/08)

Just got an E-Mail from bigfridge, the web site is up *(hagbrewers.com)*
This comp isnt limited to AG brewers, hope we get a good turn out, in spite of the short notice.

Here is to a great weekend.

MHB


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## leeboy (3/3/08)

Great work guys. Can't wait
Lee


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## Tony (3/3/08)

mmmmm might not be able to brew in time for it but i do have a bottle of Old Ale sitting about.

Na...... i wont do that!

might knock up a small batch in my esky and see how it goes.

4 weeks hey..... its going to be tight. Ive been thinking of doing an APA to see if i can make one i like to drink. I tried a couple in the case swap that were nice so it can be done. This can be a trial batch with instant comp feedback.

everyone else in the world seems to like them........ it must be posible to make a good one! It MUST be!

or maybe something else....... will have to mash tomorrow night to do it.

cheers


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## goatherder (3/3/08)

Both myself and my beers will be there. I am happy to judge, steward or just stand around and drink. You choose.


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## schooey (3/3/08)

Cool... I can give my mash paddle Maibock an early test


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## Tony (3/3/08)

mmm did some numbers and i wont be entering. A bit more than 4 weeks notice would have been nice <_< 

Good luck to all entrants.... may the best beer win!


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## Weizguy (4/3/08)

Tony said:


> mmm did some numbers and i wont be entering. A bit more than 4 weeks notice would have been nice <_<
> 
> Good luck to all entrants.... may the best beer win!


Wassup, Tony?

Shame that you won't have time to get something ready in time.
Sorry about the late notice, but watcha gonna do?

I may struggle for a few entries myself. I gotta brew soon to replenish supplies, as my kegs are both empty and only HAG swap beers that are fresh. (violins play sweetly as Les laments).

Hope to see you in the next comp (whenever that is), and I'll drop some Schneider yeast in at the shop 4 U (maybe Thursday) if ur likely to be there anytime after that.

Les out


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## fingolfin (4/3/08)

Will hopefuly brew this week or weekend to enter this, never had a beer properly judged before. Happy to help out in any way too.


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## Tony (4/3/08)

Thanks Les...... the yeast will be very handy..... especialy after ditching my collection.

Im brewing right now...... the rig is back together and im confident. 

Brewing something that i wont be to worried about if it fails.

an APA  

Yeah i know...... i hate APA's but as Les said...... what ya gonna do? Cant beat them so i guess i should at least try joining them. If its ready in time i will run a couple of bottles full from the keg and re gas em and send them in.

cheers


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## Keith the Beer Guy (4/3/08)

Tony said:


> mmm did some numbers and i wont be entering. A bit more than 4 weeks notice would have been nice <_<
> 
> Good luck to all entrants.... may the best beer win!


Ahhh Tony. I wasn't going o brew anything myself, but you're talking me into it.

Have you got some sort of reverse psychology thing happening?

I'll take you on with a mild. I get back from Melbourne on Sat the 29th March and I'll whip one up for the comp on Sun.

Yahh up for it Tony?

Happy Brewing,

Keith


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## grod5 (4/3/08)

MHB said:


> Just got an E-Mail from bigfridge, the web site is up *(hagbrewers.com)*
> This comp isnt limited to AG brewers, hope we get a good turn out, in spite of the short notice.
> 
> Here is to a great weekend.
> ...



Now I may have a go myself with an IPA or my 10 month old stout k&k.

g


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## goatherder (4/3/08)

Tony said:


> Thanks Les...... the yeast will be very handy..... especialy after ditching my collection.
> 
> Im brewing right now...... the rig is back together and im confident.
> 
> ...




Tony, did you know that APAs have cascade in them?

Just thought I'd point it out before you do something you might regret later.


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## Tony (4/3/08)

Keith the Beer Guy said:


> Ahhh Tony. I wasn't going o brew anything myself, but you're talking me into it.
> 
> Have you got some sort of reverse psychology thing happening?
> 
> ...



Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh (that was screamed out loud)

How can a bloke knock back a challenge like that. If my Mild looses, i'll see you behind the shitter at potters! 

Dont make me dig out the Old Ale  

Bloody hell i hope i have this infection issue sorted. I will be pulling out of a lot of comitments if i dont. Im confident though.




goatherder said:


> Tony, did you know that APAs have cascade in them?
> 
> Just thought I'd point it out before you do something you might regret later.



Oh shit......... what have i done :icon_vomit: 

It had cascade, simcoe and some amarillo at the end. FWH's with B-SAAZ flowers. Smells good into the firmenter. Here's hoping it still smells good in a week.

Im going to see how i go with it. If i have trouble drinking it...... i wont bother again. I cant knock them if i dont try brewing them can i?

cheers


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## Weizguy (4/3/08)

Tony said:


> Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh (that was screamed out loud)
> 
> How can a bloke knock back a challenge like that. If my Mild looses, i'll see you behind the shitter at potters!
> 
> ...



Hmmm, I believe that I have an APA for the comp just about ready to bottle. It's not my forte, but easy enough to knock one out.

It's a fairly basic SFPA with a tweak to give it that caramel background I like. Tastes great from the fermentor, all yeasty and such.
Worst case scenario...you don't like your APA but you like mine :super: 
Everyone's a winner! :icon_cheers: 

BTW, Mark has a 120 kg bag of rice gulls. Now if I can convince him to label it as "Rice Gulls". hahaha  

Les out


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## Sammus (4/3/08)

Tony said:


> Ive been thinking of doing an APA to see if i can make one i like to drink. I tried a couple in the case swap that were nice so it can be done.



Tony, I've recently I've began to steer away from the yankee hops. For so long I couldn't understand how someone could say theyre not into 'em, but I finally see where your coming from! All hail goldings!


And not entirely (or at all) related to Tony's comment... I've been out of brewing action for a couple months now (as I'm sure MHB can back up, no hour long weekly visits from me for a while! ), so I don't have much in the way of beer left for entry. I must say though I ended up a big fan of my case swap beer - and I also happen to have a single longy left of it. is it bad form to enter a HAG case swap beer into a HAG comp... I'm pretty sure everyone involved would have tasted it already, I think I only remember reading one or two brief comments in the swap tasting thread though and I want more feedback 

Cheers

Sam


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## Weizguy (4/3/08)

Sammus said:


> Tony, I've recently I've began to steer away from the yankee hops. For so long I couldn't understand how someone could say theyre not into 'em, but I finally see where your coming from! All hail goldings!
> 
> 
> And not entirely (or at all) related to Tony's comment... I've been out of brewing action for a couple months now (as I'm sure MHB can back up, no hour long weekly visits from me for a while! ), so I don't have much in the way of beer left for entry. I must say though I ended up a big fan of my case swap beer - and I also happen to have a single longy left of it. is it bad form to enter a HAG case swap beer into a HAG comp... I'm pretty sure everyone involved would have tasted it already, I think I only remember reading one or two brief comments in the swap tasting thread though and I want more feedback
> ...


Sam,

I have a bottle left, but I might enter mine in the HAG comp. Hey, it's my beer isn't it? Surely that's not cheating?

Regarding the "Hail Goldings" comment...I have tasted beer which was, to my palate, over-hopped with Goldings. IMHO, as bad or worse than an OTT APA. Balance is the key. Seek the middle way, young Sam, and always Testify!!!

Les out


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## shmick (5/3/08)

Sammus said:


> I must say though I ended up a big fan of my case swap beer - and I also happen to have a single longy left of it.



I have a few single longies from past brews which I could dig out but don't you need 2 x bottles for each entry?

I'm down to the last HAG swap bottle and it just happens to be Sammus'  but if it's as good as you say I'll have to drink it tonight just in case you get any funny ideas of getting it back  

Looks like I'll dust off a few old ones anyway to make up the numbers - any extra points for Redbacks??


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## Weizguy (5/3/08)

shmick said:


> I have a few single longies from past brews which I could dig out but don't you need 2 x bottles for each entry?
> 
> I'm down to the last HAG swap bottle and it just happens to be Sammus'  but if it's as good as you say I'll have to drink it tonight just in case you get any funny ideas of getting it back
> 
> Looks like I'll dust off a few old ones anyway to make up the numbers - any extra points for Redbacks??


Schmick,

The requirement for 2 bottles applies if you hope to get through to the BoS round. If you think that your beer is worthy of the BoS prize/award, then you should supply two bottles. If not, why are you entering?

All jokes aside, you can get away with one bottle, but there will be no entry for the BoS round when you qualify. How disappointing would that be?

Les


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## Sammus (5/3/08)

I thought the entry was 2x 330ml or equivalent. So I guess a longy should be a OK... but it mean they'd get opened dregs for the BoS round - probably not the best chance of winning! 

And Shmick - even though I said I thought it was good, your not allowed to expect anything great! I was hoping everyone had finished so I didn't build up anyones expectations! that can only lead to disappointment :lol:


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## Trent (6/3/08)

Sammus
It was I who was sensitive to the 1968 yeast, but I found your beer to be quite palatable (I am only sensitive to the odd bottle in a whole batch). I cannot recall exactly the comments I was gonna give it, it required a little improvement here or there, maybe it was not bitter enough, or too sweet? Either way, it was a very nice colour, IIRC, and I enjoyed the whole bottle. If I wasnt putting a pale ale of some description into the comp myself, I would have been able to try it and give you better feedback.

As far as the comp goes, I am in Sydney on th efriday night for a wedding, and hence will be coming back up on the sat. the mrs has already ok'ed the stop and stay at the backpacker, on the proviso that she gets to buy lots of wine! So yes, it looks like I will be there. Is all the judging done on the saturday or sunday? Or both? I would like to be part of it all, and hopefully get to taste Keith's "7 day beer".
All the best
Trent


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## leeboy (6/3/08)

So currently my wife is in early stages of labour, so the fresh hop brew penned in for tonight isn't going to happen. Looks like those fresh hops (picked this morning) won't be quite as fresh by the time i use them. Anyway that won't be ready for comp anymore, birth of firstborn is definately going to be more exciting than my first home grown wet hop ale. 
Got three that give dug out that are comp worthy though. Hope to see you all up there for the w-end, might be sleep deprived though.
Lee


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## Tony (6/3/08)

Sammus said:


> Tony, I've recently I've began to steer away from the yankee hops. For so long I couldn't understand how someone could say theyre not into 'em, but I finally see where your coming from! All hail goldings!



Well Hooooooly sheep Poop

I never thougt i would ever see someone say that...... wipes tear from his eye 

I had a taste of the APA just then. Its fired well and is charging along at 19 deg. It tastes really good actually. I like the simcoe influence. Its a bit smoother that cascade.

And ITS NOT INFECTED....... Yet  

Keith.......... i have yeast in the tight arse stir plate but i cant brew till next week.

Will be interesting to see how i goes.

cheers


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## MHB (6/3/08)

Lee
You can have a free hop replacement or a fairly good cigar - you choice.

Luck and congratulations

Mark


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## Tony (6/3/08)

:lol: :lol: 

After having twins.......... none of both of those is going to numb the lack of sleep.

Our third kid was a single job and we didnt know what to do......... we could actually get some sleep compared to the twins.

Each time you better half gets up and you keep sleeping, imagine having 2 that wake up the same time ...... every time.

Zombie city!

I had 2 brews firmenting when we had our kids. They sat for a while after but they were ok.

I used to brew late at night. I was awake anyway between kids and work so why not brew beer in the garage with the baby moniter in my pocket.

and one other bonus......... once the kids start sleeping better........... you never do again.

But..... kids are the best thing that will ever happen to you. Enjoy them while thay are little and "like" cuddles 

Congrats and best of luck.

cheers


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## n00ch (6/3/08)

Hey Trent, The judging should be Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday including the BOS. Will be great to see you there. I'm sure I will have a hop flower filled beer for you to judge  :lol: 

Would be great to have you up there to Lee but Im sure all will understand with the circumstances! Good luck with the new bub mate.

Tony HTFU and take up Keiths challenge!  Hey being a mild (a style I quite like) I'd take it up but I don't consider myself good enough to be in the same class as you guys!


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## Trent (7/3/08)

What class is that, n00ch? The HAG class? Then HTFU yourself and just tag along as a mystery entrant, or take up the challenge publicly, I think you'll find that you will do quite well (I like your beers - and I know to mark up the ones with hop flowers!). 
Looking forward to catching up
Trent


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## Tony (9/3/08)

n00ch said:


> Tony HTFU and take up Keiths challenge!  Hey being a mild (a style I quite like) I'd take it up but I don't consider myself good enough to be in the same class as you guys!



I thought i did take up the challenge. I have a yeast culture going nuts and will probably deprive myself of sleep and brew one night through the week.

n00ch...... HTFU yourself and brew one! I never considered myself a good brewer either till i entered some comps and found out the beers weren't to bad after all. Im my own worst critic.

Who else is going to chuck in a mild?

cheers


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## goatherder (9/3/08)

I might have to now. I was going to brew a stout on the weekend. I may have to brew a stout and a mild.


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## schooey (9/3/08)

Tony said:


> Who else is going to chuck in a mild?



Why the freakin' hell not, guess it will give me a yardstick against some blokes who know what they are doing, and make it easier for the judges to find a bad one


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## Tony (9/3/08)

know what were doing ?????????

Ive never brewed one, tasted one, seen one, smelt one ect

Im just going off what i can find in guidelines and books.

Will be interesting

Its always good when you find a recipe for a mild ale on the net and its brewed using Cascade and Amarillo

cheers


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## goatherder (9/3/08)

Tony said:


> Ive never brewed one, tasted one, seen one, smelt one ect



Me either Tony. I love making beers like this. :super:


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## schooey (9/3/08)

Tony said:


> know what were doing ?????????
> 
> Ive never brewed one, tasted one, seen one, smelt one ect
> 
> ...



Well that makes two of us 

umm.. Can you save me some google time and link me to the recipe..


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## Tony (9/3/08)

Ummmmm .... no i cant. I dont get recipes from the net. as i said before, i found one that used cascade and amarillo.

I would say the best way to do it is to enturprite the BJCP guideline and brew a beer to fit that best you can. The beers are judged to the guideline so thats the rule you will have to follow

I think the tricky bit will be matching the grist to a mash temp that will compliment the yeast used to give the best ballance. Matching bitterness with the malt and adjusting it to fit in with any roast maly you may use.

Im with Scott.......... i love brewing off the cuff like this........ only one shot.

cheers


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## Trent (10/3/08)

If ya's dont know what a mild tastes like, see if ya can get in touch with Mitch, he makes a really nice mild. it is a very loosely guidelined beer. It can be reasonably pale (for an english crystally beer) or quiote dark. It can finish dry or sweet. It really only needs to be fairly malty, and moderate to low bitterness. BJCP says pale, crystal and darker malts should comprise the grist. Too easy - may the best mild win! (notice I only say too easy when I am not making one :lol
All the best
Trent


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## newguy (10/3/08)

I posted a mild recipe some time ago. It took BOS at our club's comp a few years ago.


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## Weizguy (10/3/08)

newguy said:


> I posted a mild recipe some time ago. It took BOS at our club's comp a few years ago.


Sorry to be such a didact, but the recipe you gave falls outside the gravity guidelines, here.  

Maybe it could be diluted or brewed at a reduced gravity. Hmmmm (wonders to self if others will use this recipe...).

Les


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## newguy (10/3/08)

You're right, it's a bit on the strong side. However, being a little stronger than the other beers in a flight usually works to your advantage.


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## shmick (11/3/08)

Are the guidelines a little confusing on this issue or is Beersmith is getting the calcs way wrong?

Anybody with a bit more style guideline savvy care to comment

Mild:
OG 1.030 - 1.038
FG 1.008 - 1.013
ABV 2.8 - 4.5%

1.038(maxOG) / 1.008(minFG) = 3.9% ABV (0.6% less than allowed)

Would a 1.042 OG / 1.008 FG still qualify (4.4% ABV)?

Maybe I've just missed something in the BJCP FAQ section


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## Stuster (11/3/08)

I think that the guidelines say that amount of alcohol so as to include some beers which are just outside the guidelines but which could still be called a mild. There are some commercial examples which exceed the guidelines for a start. I doubt I could pick up if the beer was just that much over the guidelines. Personally, I'd try to keep it within the guidelines, just so I knew I'd won fair and square, but if a beer that I'd made just outside the guidelines fitted that style, I'd probably enter it.


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## Weizguy (11/3/08)

I agree that there are commercial examples that fall outside the guidelines (Sarah Hughes Ruby Mild , IIRC), but if you enter, you must abide by the guidelines.

There was talk of bringing along a commercial refractometer and a hydrometer to the comp, as well as a spectrophotometer (IIRC), to ensure that the entries are inside the guidelines.  

Les


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## Stuster (11/3/08)

Les the Weizguy said:


> There was talk of bringing along a commercial refractometer and a hydrometer to the comp, as well as a spectrophotometer (IIRC), to ensure that the entries are inside the guidelines.



I hope that you've got your technique down pat for measuring the IBUs with that spectrophotometer.


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## MHB (11/3/08)

Next year we might be able to offer feedback on Colour and OG/FG, the spectrophotometer arrived this morning.

To do bitterness you need a UV/Vis thats $2-3000 (second-hand) more than I have to spare, you also need a shaker and centrifuge as well as some very interesting solvents and a fair amount of familiarity with the procedure. (Or an HPLC but lets not go there)

I dont think we will be doing IBU's tests any time soon.

But if I have one criticism if the BJCP it is that it encourages brewing out of style, to me its a bit like bending the arm when bowling, I wouldnt have a problem with it if it wasnt against the rules.

What do you call people who deliberately enter out of style beers?

I suppose it depends wether you think wining comps or brewing better beer is the most important.

MHB


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## Stuster (11/3/08)

I agree, MHB. I certainly would not think of making beers deliberately that are out of style. I was thinking more of beers that you don't brew particularly to fit a style, then have to shoehorn into one if they don't exactly fit anything. I made a beer a couple of years ago, an ale, that was too light in colour for an APA, but marginally too hoppy for a blonde (fine for gravity in both). I ended up entering it as a blonde, though it probably would have done better as an APA. I was really after feedback on the beer which I got and that was fine.

I do see your point though and agree that the categories can easily be bent to the brewer's advantage (in the competition!). It'd be great to get the sort of feedback you are talking about on alcohol and colour from a comp. Hopefully, you'll be able to broaden your comp to include Sydney next year.


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## newguy (11/3/08)

Pretty much every brew a person makes isn't 100% adherent to any style. There are glaring deviations from the guidelines and relatively minor ones. I think that minor colour deviations are probably the most common issues, with major colour deviations being quite common as well. Next comes hop character/bitterness/hop variety, then gravity.

When you sit down and fill out the competition's entry form you generally have to balance what you tried to make with what you actually ended up with. So if your aim was to make a 1.038 mild but your efficiency jumped for some reason and you ended up with 1.043.....whoops. Do those 5 points make a huge difference? Not really. Is it still a mild? Probably. Is it fair to enter it as a mild? Sure. Why not?

We all take our chances when we enter beers in a competition. Will the judges pick up on the fact that your gravity was 5 points too high? Probably not. If it was 15 or 20 points too high they probably would. But every other entrant probably did something similar with one of their entries. "It's not quite an x, but yet it isn't really a y....What should I enter it as?"

My club's most prolific (medal-wise) brewer has a saying: "A successful brewer can't be proud." In other words, feel free to change the category if the beer turned out different from what you were planning. If you were aiming for a Dortmunder Export and the beer turned out too malty sweet, enter it as a Munich Helles instead. If it had instead turned out too bitter, enter it as a German Pilsner. Just keep in mind that brewing isn't an exact science; for confirmation of this just get 10 people to brew the same beer using identical ingredients - 10 totally different beers will result. Hell, I can't turn out exactly the same beer twice in a row. And the BJCP style guidelines aren't set in stone, either. They change along with changing tastes. They're just that, guidelines, not hard and fast rules. And they're subject to the most fallible instrument in the world: human perception.

I guess I should keep quiet about the wit I entered as a stout last year just so that I wouldn't have to judge that category. You'll be relieved to know that it didn't win any medals. B)


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## Tony (11/3/08)

Tony wispers in his mind...................

while they fight about rules i will concentrate on brewing a great Mild, somehting special, something within the specs and fair to my fellow competetors, something that will make the judges go..........MMMmmmmmmmmmmmmmm and smile!

I will brew, not argue

hehe

cheers


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## Tony (12/3/08)

Kettle is comming to the boil right now........ smells great! Hope it works out.

Here is my recipe............. oops that was close  :lol: 

cheers


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## goatherder (12/3/08)

Careful you don't get an infection there Tony...


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## Keith the Beer Guy (12/3/08)

n00ch said:


> Hey being a mild (a style I quite like) I'd take it up but I don't consider myself good enough to be in the same class as you guys!



:lol: You big fibber you!. It's not like a bunch of people out there didn't try my last couple of case swap beers and go, "Hmmmm, that's pretty crap - now how do I say that a little more nicely?"

I haven't laid down a homebrew since those case swap beers in november, I am very much looking forward to a brew day in sunny Medowie. I just want to leave it to a bit closer to the competition, you know give myself four or five days or so. You can't rush these things.

If you don't want to brew yourself one for a comp Mitch, how about just brewing a batch of _private selection _and sharing it with your close buddies? I seem to recall a crackin' good mild you made, that got mighty fine reviews, for a case swap not so long ago.

Happy Brewing,

Keith


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## Keith the Beer Guy (12/3/08)

Tony said:


> Kettle is comming to the boil right now........ smells great! Hope it works out.
> 
> Here is my recipe............. oops that was close  :lol:
> 
> cheers



Whats the go Tony, brewing today? Are you makin' trial batches or something?  

Good Luck,

K.


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## MHB (12/3/08)

Newguy

Just 2 points

This is a "Club Sub Forum" probably not the best place to undertake a review of what we think of the BJCP or style guides and our attitude to them.

Secondly; if and I repeat IF we decide to offer feed back based on measurement of beers entered all entrants will be fully informed of this and of what will be done with the results of said measurements before they enter.
It won't be happening this year - just something mooted for next year's comp.

I think being able to get good quality information on the beers we brew can only help us fine tune our brewing processes.

Seriously if you can't hit a gravity with in 5 points (SG) of target you got bigger problems than "style guides".
In the case of the much talked about milds that we will be seeing - you would have to be taking pre-boil gravity; from there its not going to be too hard to adjust to be on target.

If you want to discuss this further please open a new thread in an appropriate forum.

MHB


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## Tony (12/3/08)

Keith the Beer Guy said:


> Whats the go Tony, brewing today? Are you makin' trial batches or something?
> 
> Good Luck,
> 
> K.



Trial batch.......... whats that?

Its called Oportunistic brewing. I knocked off early, the wife is at work, the kids are in bed, i can brouse the net for............ummm...... brew a Mild for something to do.

I really dont think im good enough to have a beer ready and bottle conditioned in 5 days from brewing!

unless i brewed, filtered, kegged and force carbed it, but it just wouldnt be an old style english ale would it?

who knows, good luck to you to mate, youve got me nervous 



MHB said:


> I think being able to get good quality information on the beers we brew can only help us fine tune our brewing processes.



:beerbang: :beerbang: :super:


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## n00ch (12/3/08)

> If you don't want to brew yourself one for a comp Mitch, how about just brewing a batch of private selection and sharing it with your close buddies?



Well I knocked off at 12 today and thought that I may as well brew something (first free time to brew in 6 weeks....), so dropped into Marks and picked up some ingredients for a mild. A bit of a revised/different recipe so see how it goes. 

Ran into schooey getting the gear to brew the same thing so looks like it should be a pretty big category which is good. 

I thought after egging Tony on I may as well come good also.

Cheers


----------



## Tony (12/3/08)

good on ya mate.

Mine will end up being a flop and you will kick keiths arse........... just wait and see 

cheers


----------



## schooey (12/3/08)

I got home and had to work.... Bah! But the boil just started so I have 120 mins to keg and bottle the Kolsch thats in my fermenter fridge so i have some room to put this one in :blink: 

What did you end up doing for yeast, Nooch?


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## n00ch (12/3/08)

So you did end up going the 120 mash 120 boil then? I did and it has just been put into one of the fermenting fridges.

I ended up having to down a few smoked porters I brew a bit ago to use the 1028 in the bottom. So fingers crossed the starter kicks in and it should work out nicely.


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## schooey (12/3/08)

Yep 120 all round... Took me an age to sparge... bloody flaked barley <_< 

Mate, you should end up with a great beer if your 1028 works out.


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## Tony (12/3/08)

a protein rest helps it mate


----------



## schooey (12/3/08)

Yep... 30 mns at 50 C, but still.... :wacko:


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## n00ch (12/3/08)

Yeah I didn't actually add any myself I just wanted to screw up your sparge  :lol: Seriously, thats a shame. Mine sparged fine thankfully. 

Cheers


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## Tony (12/3/08)

mine too, its chilled and in the firmenter

juat about to add the yeast.

cheers

Edit: I do a protein rest at 52 for 15 min and works a treat. Dont know why, it just works.

cheers again


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## schooey (12/3/08)

Niiiiiiiiice... <_< I think it has more to do with my mash tun set up at the moment. I seriously need to just HTFU and make the time to build my rig. I walk past the lovely pile of shiny stuff twice a day on my way in and out of the shed and admire how good it all looks and think about how good it will be ... *sigh*


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## Tony (12/3/08)

NIKE


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## Offline (12/3/08)

Couldnt help myself, had to join the mild high club :lol: 

While looking after sick kids this week managed to put down a mild and an Irish red.
The kids have been begging to go to school tomorrow :lol: 

Offline


----------



## schooey (13/3/08)

Tony said:


> its chilled and in the firmenter



Yeah so is mine now... Game on :super:


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## Weizguy (13/3/08)

Offline said:


> Couldnt help myself, had to join the mild high club :lol:
> <chopped>
> Offline


Me too! Mild high club. Maybe that can be a separate division, or a separate comp (for later)?

I haven't brewed it yet...but still time to make a weizen *and* a mild, I reckon.

Brewed my infamous choc porter yesterday. Will pitch in a few daze.

Les out


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## Tony (13/3/08)

Wow.......... Im feeling less and less confident all the time 

at least the judges will only have a Mild headace the next day.

Ahhhh here we go with the crap jokes 

On another note.......... Is there a time and date the entries have to be in by or can we turn up with a schooner and hand it to the judges 

Oh and place as well........... im thinking the obvious will be potters or Marks shop.

cheers


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## schooey (13/3/08)

Says 5 pm Wednesday before on the website at MHB or Potters


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## n00ch (13/3/08)

Its all on the website mate


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## Tony (13/3/08)

Ahhhhhhhh that helps!

thanks


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## Gough (13/3/08)

G'day Hags...

As an honourary and founding Hag I've been talking to Mark and am planning on heading down to Potters on the weekend in question to say G'day and do some judging with any luck. I'm really looking forward to having a few beers with you blokes again and to meeting some of the new members I haven't met yet. Hope to see a few of you there and looking forward to some great beers,

Shawn.


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## goatherder (13/3/08)

Great news Shawn!


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## Tony (13/3/08)

Hey Shawn........... if i can make it there we may finally meet 

cheers


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## Gough (13/3/08)

Tony said:


> Hey Shawn........... if i can make it there we may finally meet
> 
> cheers



Yeah, looking forward to meeting you finally Tony and to meeting you again Goatherder. Bring on the beer! Can't wait... 

Shawn.


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## schooey (13/3/08)

So now the big Mild challenge has been taken up by all and sundry, who's up for a weizen too? I know Uncle Les is, but someone else has to plonk one in


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## goatherder (13/3/08)

Not for me schooey, too many beers, not enough time to brew them!


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## Tony (13/3/08)

+1


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## n00ch (13/3/08)

The thought did cross my mind schooey but I think I'd be pushing it for time also...

Glad to hear you're coming Shawn, would be good to catch up again.


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## schooey (13/3/08)

Pfft.. Sleep is for normal people


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## Tony (13/3/08)

and firmentation fridge space is minimal.

I could always enter a bottle of the Old Ale 

Im going to see if i can get out there on saturday arvo, but no promises.

I will be luck to get time to drop off what entries i might have.

cheers


----------



## leeboy (15/3/08)

Hey folks, yet another mild is entering the frey. Just couldn't let this chance go. Like most though I have never brewed a mild before so spent a fair amount of time reading the bjcp and looking up commerical examples. Anyway only brewed a 15L batch since I've never brewed one before and subsequently felt a little silly picking up a 3kg grist from mark today, And felt a little cheated only doing 1 hop addition. 

Anyway brew day went well, yeast now pitched, just hoping it ferments out quick so that I have a bit of time to keg it/quick condition it and then bottle.
Lee


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## schooey (15/3/08)

leeboy said:


> ..and subsequently felt a little silly picking up a 3kg grist from mark today..



I saw that cute little package on the counter waiting to be picked up...


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## schooey (15/3/08)

I brewed my weissen today and just got it in the fridge, will be good to see how it goes. I'm really starting to look forward to the comp days, should be great fun.


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## schooey (20/3/08)

Racked my weissen to secondary last night. It was my first time using Wyeast 3068 and it smells like someone ran over the Bananas in Pyjamas with a steamroller :unsure:


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## Tony (20/3/08)

Its better than that crappy new dried one hey mate!


you dont need to put banannas in the beer, it does what a wheat yeast should 

cheers


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## schooey (20/3/08)

Yeah.. I have a free packet of WB-06 free to anyone who is a fan of it. PM the address and I'll even spring for the 50c stamp.


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## goatherder (20/3/08)

c'mon guys, I thought wb06 was tops. I agree there wasn't enough nana but it was as clovey as hell with a lovely lemony ester profile. If the comp was another week away I'd put a wb06 wheaty in...


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## SJW (20/3/08)

> c'mon guys, I thought wb06 was tops. I agree there wasn't enough nana but it was as clovey as hell with a lovely lemony ester profile. If the comp was another week away I'd put a wb06 wheaty in...



Yeh I liked it, even when I fermented at 32 deg C I got some funky Banana and bubblegum flavours, just dont ferment too cool.

Steve


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## Tony (20/3/08)

Ross said:


> If you want bananas then use a Bavarian style wheat yeast




I do Ross........ I do! 

Just because you sell it doesnt mean i cant express my feelings towards it mate. I tried it in schooeys wheat beer a while back and didnt like the all clove profile it threw.

There are different yeasts out there, we all have different tastes and i choose not to use it.

I will be interested to try a bavarian dried wheat yeast though.

cheers


----------



## Weizguy (21/3/08)

BTW, I brewing my Weissbier today for the HAG comp. Pretty much the same as the Schneider recipe here, except using Aussie JW (not Jehova's Witness) wheat malt.


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## Tony (21/3/08)

My mild is finally slowing down. Its been bubbling away in the garage for over a week now. Its not like its a 7% beer.

Should have used S-04 <_< 

Ahhhh it will be ready.

cheers


----------



## Weizguy (21/3/08)

Tony said:


> My mild is finally slowing down. Its been bubbling away in the garage for over a week now. Its not like its a 7% beer.
> 
> Should have used S-04 <_<
> 
> ...


Gee, I hope mine doesn't take that long. The comp is afoot, and I have been reading about "beer in a week" in BYO mag.
Hmmm, do I have enough fermentors to split the mild between W1187 and W1028, as suggested by my daughter last night, when I asked which yeast I should use. Clever girl! :icon_chickcheers: 

Let's hope I'm not entering another flat Weissbier again, though...even if it did well at the B&T comp.
Either way, I'll have plenty of drinking beer at home for a while (mild, weissbier, porter, blonde, APA).

Beerz
Les


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## Tony (21/3/08)

just tasted my mild now that its just about finnished.

I took it out of the fridge to finnish off but obviously too early and a couple of warm days have spoiled it.

Its not infected, it smells good but it has that "hot yeast" taste to it that i hate.

maybe i will have a beer to enter next year. Thats what i get for rushing....... more time and money down the drain.

going to go tip it out and save some of the yeast to make my stout i just mashed.

sorry folks.

cheers


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## Tony (23/3/08)

Decicided id be an idiot to tip it out.... so i let it sit and it seems to be coming good. This yeast is a frustrating beast. It seems to change character daily and just wont stop firmenting.... it will be 2 weeks on wednesday night.

Ive run a bit out into bolltes and primed it. Will see how it goes. Might still enter it if its drinkable.

With all this trouble ive been having brewing ive become a bit jumpy <_<  

fingers crossed

cheers


----------



## goatherder (23/3/08)

good news Tony!

which yeast did you use?


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## Tony (23/3/08)

1338

Its a bitch to use but god its an interesting strain in the glass.

Trying to use up all my old stocks and not crack new yeasts while im having troubles. Thinking of brewing an Altbier with it at 15 deg. at that temp it will take 3 months :huh: 

Might do it for the case swaps and if it works out ok i will put my name back down if there is room.

cheers


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## grod5 (23/3/08)

I am thinking about entering my IPA but I like it so much I don't think I can save some of my keg. I'm sure its about to blow and 700mls is a lot ot waste (enter).

Where do you guys get your yeast?

By the way there is a Belgian beer special at The Brewing Network tomorrow.

daniel


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## Trent (24/3/08)

Dan
The majority of us get our yeasts through Mark at marks Home Brew shop, and he is MHB on here. He sells liquid wyeast, which is supplied to him by bigfridge, and he also sells a full range of dried yeast. SO, depending on what kind of yeast you are after, you will find it there. It is on Maitland Rd, islington, right next to the Byrnes surf shop, or ya can call him on 49 696 696. No affilliation, just a happy customer, and you asked.
If you feel like you just want feedback on your IPA, why not sanitise the tap really really well, along with a bottle, and pour it into a bottle straight from the tap, and cap it immediately. It is not the optimal way to do it, but it can be done. Just get a 330mL bottle, so ya can save more IPA for yourself, and send that in. The only reason they request 2 x bottles, is we have a first round comp, where every beer is judged, and feedback given, with the first bottle. The beers that take first place in each of the 9 or 11 categories go into what is called a Best of Show (BOS) round, where experienced judges taste them all side by side and determine which is the best beer at the comp. For example "is this IPA a better example (to style) of an IPA than this dry stout is an example of a dry stout. And is this beglian dubbel a better example of it's style, than the IPA and stout?" etc... until all the judges agree on the best example of style, according to the judging guidelines. 
SO, if you feel you only want feedback on how to improve, and dont think it will get through to the BOS round, or even if you do think you will win your category, but dont care about the BOS, where no feedback is given to the brewers, it is decided solely between the judges, then by all means, just put a stubby in. Who knows, you might do well.
Hope that helps
Trent
EDIT - If you DO decide to bottle a stubby, keep that puppy stored in the fridge until it is time to get to the drop off points. If you happen to get some bacteria in the beer during the transfer, keeping it cold will prevent the infection becoming too dominant, and thus you will receive good, accurate feedback on how you can improve your IPA the next time around. All the judges are experienced, and most of them are very good brewers, so you will be in good hands.
T.


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## Weizguy (24/3/08)

grod5 said:


> I am thinking about entering my IPA but I like it so much I don't think I can save some of my keg. I'm sure its about to blow and 700mls is a lot ot waste (enter).
> 
> Where do you guys get your yeast?
> 
> ...


Maybe you only need 375 ml. Can U spare that much? You only need a second bottle if you plan on making it to the BoS round :lol: 

Some of us get our yeast from MHB, and Case swap bottles. Others get it under the lid of supermarket (kit) cans. Others buy from other shops, both online and physically located stores.

Sometimes I make a sample of a re-cultured yeast available from my collection. What strain are you after?

Beerz (I wish I had some brekky Weissbier right now) :beer:


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## goatherder (24/3/08)

While you are here Les, do you have any further details on times for the comp? Will it be held on both or just one day? When will you need judges/stewards etc to be there? Do I need to be booking a day off from work on Monday?


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## Thethirstywench (28/3/08)

Evening, I won't have an entry in the comp but I'm happy to help out anyway I can. I have registered on the HAG page. I'm looking forward to it.

Ms Wench


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## joshuahardie (28/3/08)

Got my entry boxed up and ready to post today.

I won't be a contender, not even close, but looking forward to the critisism.

Funny story, I was going to enter a 2IPA, but the missus took my last bottle out of the 'cellar' and used it in a damper reciepe that asked for a non bitter beer.

Couldn't of picked a worse one....

so alas only one entry.


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## bigfridge (28/3/08)

goatherder said:


> While you are here Les, do you have any further details on times for the comp? Will it be held on both or just one day? When will you need judges/stewards etc to be there? Do I need to be booking a day off from work on Monday?




Times and days will depend on how many entries come in. I will have more info by next week. 

I am thinking that we will kick off at 10am on the Sat and we will try to get it done on the one day, but can flow onto Sunday if required. But, rather than rush for the sake of squeezing it in to one day we will take our time and do it properly.

Judges and helpers definitely needed so please let me know via the HAG website. Please don't just turn up on the day as all the jobs (other than emptying the slop buckets and mopping the floor) will have been already allocated.  

All helpers will be richly rewarded (with beer and good company). Helpers can also bring their entries with them rather than send them - the only limitation is that the entry form still needs to be received at Mark;s shop by 5pm Wednesday and the beers will need to be at Potters by 9:30am.

Hope to see you there,

David


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## leeboy (28/3/08)

Sucessfully dropped my 4 entries at Marks today. Football starts next weekend so gotta sort out what time the game is. Usually they are at 3pm so I might be able to stay till 1ish. Would that be enough time to be of any help big fridge? Otherwise I'd still like to come and just watch.
Lee


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## bigfridge (28/3/08)

leeboy said:


> Sucessfully dropped my 4 entries at Marks today. Football starts next weekend so gotta sort out what time the game is. Usually they are at 3pm so I might be able to stay till 1ish. Would that be enough time to be of any help big fridge? Otherwise I'd still like to come and just watch.
> Lee



Hi Lee,

What day are you referring to ie leave by 1pm Sat or Sun ?

If you haven't done so could you please register at the HAG Brewers site and put your availability in the "Any Other Information" box. That way I have everyone's details in the one spot.

Thanks
Dave


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## Tony (28/3/08)

bigfridge said:


> emptying the slop buckets



Sold!!! :chug: :chug: :lol:


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## Weizguy (28/3/08)

Tony said:


> Sold!!!


Tony,

I suppose you're assuming that the slops bucket contents will taste better than your recent batches?  

I think you'll find that David was joking about the slops bucket, anyway. 
There will be nothing in them coz the beer will be so good that none will be wasted.
Any (...if any) leftovers will go back to the kitchen for "blood alcohol" experiments and "recycling". :lol: 

Les out


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## Tony (28/3/08)

My Mild might be in it mate........... its a bit fruity <_< Hopefully in a good way.

Ahhh only one to find out. I dont care if it comes last, im still entering it.

cheers


----------



## schooey (28/3/08)

I put mine in today, along with a maibock and a weizen. I even threw in a Kolsch for Keith to pick to pieces...


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## goatherder (28/3/08)

My mild will be in on Wednesday, along with a few others. I'm still not sure about the mild. 4 schooners wasn't enough tonight, I might have another just to check it's OK...


----------



## Weizguy (29/3/08)

Tony, it's good to see that you're not outta here yet. Come in, mild!

Schooey, that looks like the Trifecta of German beers there, to accompany the mild.

Goatherder, that mild of yours might be a bit old before the comp date. I'm just brewing mine today. It should be finished quickly though (3 days, I reckon), as it's going to be split across 2 yeast-cakes of the split batch of choc porter I made. One is the London ale yeast and the other is the Ringwood.

I'll be listening to the comments from the porter judging table and the milds too, I reckon. Can anyone say Frrrrruity?

Beerz.
Old Uncle Seth - off to brew the double-secret Mild ale (only the lhbs knows for sure, and he's not likely to tell...hehehehehehe)
:chug:


----------



## Tony (29/3/08)

let me guess mate...... your using pilsner malt and POR ?????

is that your secret

cheers


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## SJW (29/3/08)

Sounds like we may have a fair few brews in this first time event?


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## Tony (30/3/08)

Well the mild has a very "Mild" infection....... its just not completly right and i just found a few bits of something forming on the surface in secondary :angry: 

IT seems to happen between prinary and secondary.

I have had a bout of those little fruitfly kind of bugs that get in your beer and stink it up. They were in the tap outlet from primary and it smelt like squashed ants in there. I cleaned it out with iodophur a few times with a spray bottle but im wondering if these little [email protected]#kers are spoiling my beer.

Anyway, good luck to all enterants...... maybe i can play next year.

cheers


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## shmick (31/3/08)

Hey Tony

Try wrapping up your tap in cling film - keeps most of the smaller bugs out.

Secondaries are way over rated for English Ales anyway  

Shmick


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## Offline (31/3/08)

Is there going to be any car pooling occurring on the weekend? 
Im in the Cardiff area and would prefer not driving, 
I can't see my wife dropping me off and picking me up either

Offline


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## schooey (31/3/08)

Les the Weizguy said:


> Schooey, that looks like the Trifecta of German beers there, to accompany the mild.



It kinda just turned out that way Les, but I can't wait to get some feedback from some officianado's on the subject 






> Can anyone say Frrrrruity?



Nope... But I tasted mine again tonight and I can say crrrrrrrrrrreamy


----------



## Tony (31/3/08)

shmick said:


> Hey Tony
> 
> Try wrapping up your tap in cling film - keeps most of the smaller bugs out.
> 
> ...



I made a cover with some silicome tube that was doubled over on the end with a cable tie. This will keep them out. THey were in the frimary airlock too...... this wouldnt have helped. I changed the water and put a rag over it to keep themo ut but i fear it was too late.

never mind.

cheers


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## SJW (31/3/08)

Maybe go back to a more simple brewery design mate? From memory I recall u had a lot of hard plumbing in your system. Maybe try using the HLT, MASH TUN and BOILER with a more simplified tranfer method and see if that irons out the problems.

Steve


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## Sammus (31/3/08)

SJW said:


> Maybe go back to a more simple brewery design mate?



Yeah why not go over to BIAB? h34r: :lol: just kiddin 

And for a bit of on topicness, I just realised deadline is this wednesday, so I guess my entry won't be making it this time  next time maybe.

And back to off topicness... my kegs are slowly emptying, so MHB I should be dropping in to pick up my first grain order in quite a while... all this talk of milds has got me all pumped to try one!


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## Gough (3/4/08)

I'm looking forward to heading down the highway and tasting/judging your beers on Saturday fellas :beerbang: How many of you will definitely be there on the day/night? It'll be an early start for me leaving Nambucca to be there for the 10am kick off but I'm up to the challenge...

See you all then,

Shawn.


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## n00ch (3/4/08)

I'll definately be there Shawn. Keith gave the heads up you were coming down so I might end up staying there as well. 

See you there.


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## Gough (3/4/08)

n00ch said:


> I'll definately be there Shawn. Keith gave the heads up you were coming down so I might end up staying there as well.
> 
> See you there.




Top stuff Mitch! Looking forward to seeing a few of you blokes again. Has been a while between drinks!

Shawn.


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## goatherder (3/4/08)

I'll be there, bright and early.


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## schooey (3/4/08)

I'll be there, will be great to meet a few more HAG's


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## Gough (3/4/08)

Good stuff! Sounds like we'll have a good roll up on the day. See you there,

Shawn.


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## bigfridge (3/4/08)

Offline said:


> Is there going to be any car pooling occurring on the weekend?
> Im in the Cardiff area and would prefer not driving,
> I can't see my wife dropping me off and picking me up either
> 
> Offline



Hi Offline,

I am in Cardiff and will be driving up - at 8am. You are welcome to a lift.

Just PM me your number and we can chat.

Dave


----------



## Weizguy (3/4/08)

Gough said:


> I'm looking forward to heading down the highway and tasting/judging your beers on Saturday fellas :beerbang: How many of you will definitely be there on the day/night? It'll be an early start for me leaving Nambucca to be there for the 10am kick off but I'm up to the challenge...
> 
> See you all then,
> 
> Shawn.


I'll be there too, but I expect to be there by about 9:30 ish.

Giddy up!


----------



## Offline (4/4/08)

PM not sent, your inbox is full apparently Dave. A lift would be great though thanks. Send me a PM with your phone No. or Mark (MHB) should have my Phone No.

Oh yep, Ill be there Shawn

Offline




bigfridge said:


> Hi Offline,
> 
> I am in Cardiff and will be driving up - at 8am. You are welcome to a lift.
> 
> ...


----------



## SJW (5/4/08)

How did it go fellas?


----------



## MHB (6/4/08)

What a top afternoon - shame I had to stay and keep the shop open for the morning, I would love to have been there for the whole day.

Great to see so many of the local (and a couple of not so local) brewers in there natural habitat; - surrounded by beer.

Hopefully the results will be up on the *HAG website* today or tomorrow, all the judging forms and certificates should arrive in the mail this week.
I dont want to pre-empt the official results, but congratulations to all who entered and especially to those who won their classes.

Thanks also to all those who gave their time to steward and judge, there will be another BJCP course starting in the next couple of months so hopefully next year there will be more judges; we are going to need them, because I am dam sure that there will be a lot more entries.

Special thanks to:-
Potters for the venue, lunch, prizes and their ongoing support of craft brewing in the Hunter.

Keith (the beer guy); for his time and effort as part of the organising comity and for his ongoing support of the local brewing community. I know how busy Keith is as head brewer at Potters, we all appreciate his time and effort.

Shawn (Gough);another local gone Pro, great to see you again mate, thanks for making the long drive, your time and effort as a judge and for the prizes donated by Murray's (not to mention a few "tasters" we consumed after the judging).

David (bigfridge) without whom this whole thing wouldnt have happened. 

Again thanks and congratulations to all involved.

Mark
MHB


----------



## MHB (6/4/08)

Ooh that was fast, the *results* are up

Stephen very good beer, congratulations on the BOS

MHB


----------



## bigfridge (6/4/08)

MHB said:


> Thanks also to all those who gave their time to steward and judge, there will be another BJCP course starting in the next couple of months so hopefully next year there will be more judges; we are going to need them, because I am dam sure that there will be a lot more entries.
> 
> Special thanks to:-
> Potters for the venue, lunch, prizes and their ongoing support of craft brewing in the Hunter.
> ...



Mark has pretty much summed up the day.

All that remains to say is that the results have been uploaded to the HAG website.

Thanks to all entrants and officials.

Dave


----------



## leeboy (6/4/08)

Wow that was very very impressive how quickly you guys got those results out!! Would of loved to of made it out for the day but with a 4 week old and the first game of football starting that afternoon it was never that likely i guess. A big job well done guys from a mate who was a steward up there for the day, it sounds like it was fun, educational and well ran.

Thanks mark, david and keith, It's always great to get feedback. Looking forwards to the next one and also the BJCP course. that will be great.

Also for those that won a class I would love to swap one longneck of my beers that won for another winning entry
I took out best pale Lager (kolsch)
Best Strong Ale (american barleywine)
and tied for best dark ale (english mild)\

Let me know if your interested in any of them
Lee


----------



## bigfridge (6/4/08)

leeboy said:


> Wow that was very very impressive how quickly you guys got those results out!! Would of loved to of made it out for the day but with a 4 week old and the first game of football starting that afternoon it was never that likely i guess. A big job well done guys from a mate who was a steward up there for the day, it sounds like it was fun, educational and well ran.
> 
> Thanks mark, david and keith, It's always great to get feedback. Looking forwards to the next one and also the BJCP course. that will be great.
> 
> ...



Lee,

Well done on your results.

I will let a little secret slip - If you got a first there is a prize waiting for you at Mark's shop. These were generously donated by Potters and Murray's breweries.

David


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## Weizguy (6/4/08)

G'day Lee, other entrants and all beer fans.

It's no surprise that Dave (bigfridge) is a techo/chip-head, and he knows how to apply it to practical applications, such as collating and publishing brew comp results.
As the results came to hand, David was entering the data into the laptop. It would have been a bit quicker, but there was one table of judges dragging the chain... (Sorry, David  )

I didn't have a beer worthy of getting into the BoS round. What a shame that I was available to judge in the BoS round. I got to taste the best in each class and compare them all, for stylistic correctness and the "wow factor".
Huge congrats to Stephen Brown with his Orval-ian Brett beer, proving that all beers are equal, but some are more equal than others.

Big ups to David, Mark, Keith, Potters, all the helpers (judges, stewards and sundry attendants) and the Mild High clubbers.
It was a great day with some quality refreshments provided by Potters, Murrays and South Coast Real Ale. Jealous, anyone?

Let's do it again soon. :beer: 
Les the not-Weizguy but the APA-guy <_<


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## Tony (6/4/08)

Congrats to all place getters. Wish i had of had something brewed to style to enter.

Sounds like another well run HAG event.

Wish i could have been involved, just too many family comitments.

Now..... on to the state comp.

are we going to form up a club entry? Im planning some beers to style for the september comp rounds to brew through winter. Looks like we have plenty of other brewers up to the mark.

Certanly is a strong brewing region.

cheers


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## schooey (6/4/08)

What a fantastic day. I was lucky enough to be a pseudo steward for the day and got a taste of some really good beers, the quality coming out of the Hunter is superb.

As everyone else has said, big thanks to David, Keith and Mark for doing all the organising and background work. Big thanks from me to all the judges I got to glean some knowledge from yesterday, which was most of you, and was also great to meet those who I hadn't had the pleasure of meeting before.

Congrats to all the category winners and place getters and thanks to David, Keith and Shawn for the beers they kindly donated. I can still taste the chocolate porter and the Grand Cru .. :icon_drool2:


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## bigfridge (6/4/08)

Les the Weizguy said:


> It's no surprise that Dave (bigfridge) is a techo/chip-head, and he knows how to apply it to practical applications, such as collating and publishing brew comp results.
> As the results came to hand, David was entering the data into the laptop. It would have been a bit quicker, but there was one table of judges dragging the chain... (Sorry, David  )



Les,

I like to think that the table that appeared to drag the chain was actually just putting more work into getting the scores and feedback right. I also know that all the judges were pretty generous with their time as I heard a lot of you chatting to the stewards about the many different flavour components that were in the glass. It certainly bodes well for the next crop of judges to come through.

I don't know about the 'techno head' bit but I have been involved in participating and running beer comps for probably the last 10 years. But perhaps the best training that I have had was running the scoreroom for gymnastic competitions (yeah I know I am built like a female Bulgarian weight lifter - but my kids aren't). Having 400 entrants competing in up to 6 apparatus in 6 sessions per day teaches you a lot about the importance of having the results calculated quickly and accurately. The biggest comp that I was involved in was the 2001 Youth Olympics run to IOC rules at Homebush. I was in-charge of the score room working with 6 scorers to ensure that everything was done just right in front of the international audience. But the biggest thrill is being part of an event where you can sit just metres away and watch the champions of tomorrow.

I got this same feeling yesterday !

Dave


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## bigfridge (6/4/08)

leeboy said:


> Would of loved to of made it out for the day but with a 4 week old and the first game of football starting that afternoon it was never that likely i guess.



Lee, I know that they start young these days, but isn't 4 weeks a bit too young to be playing footy <_< 

Sorry, couldn't help myself !

Dave


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## Cam66 (6/4/08)

Hi all. 

Well I've been lurking around here for quite some time and never really had anything to add until today. I entered my first AG (APA) into the comp and was totally blown away with the result. As with many others my first experience with AG brewing seemed like a total disaster (water and wort all over the show, nothing going to plan, convinced I'd ballsed it up big time) so I was rapt when the brew turned out the way it did. Too bad it's all been drunk (sorry Lee, my old man reckoned it was an alright drop too and between us it went way too quickly). 

Much thanks to all of the organisers, judges, sponsors and other entrants. Being relatively new to brewing I appreciate the chance to enter local comps and look forward to the feedback.

Cheers guys,
Cameron.


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## n00ch (6/4/08)

I'd like to echo all the comments above, was a fantastic day that was run exceptionally well. I felt the beers were of an exceptional quality also. Thanks to all the organisers, judges, stewards and sponsors for making it such a success.

Lee I have a Mild left that I'll swap you, would be interesting to try yours seeing as they ended up with the same score. The Rauch however is at an absolute minimum (I only have 1 left I think) so I don't think I can swap you that unfortunately. 

Cheers


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## SJW (6/4/08)

A big thanks to all the guys who got this event up and running, and a special thanks to Mark, Les, Dave, Keith and Potters. I think the quality of the entries just proves that the Hunter is brewing some great beers. Three cheers for HAG! Next yrear will be bigger and better.
I some how ended up with a:

1st place - Schwarzbier
2nd place - Std Bitter
2nd place - Wheat Beer
3d place - Belgian Dubbel
4th place - Begian Golden Strong

Sorry I don't have any to share around as all my entries were just whatever I had botled at the time.


Steve


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## leeboy (6/4/08)

Hi Nooch, I would love to swap a mild with you. I have tuesday off work so will go to MHB that day to pick up some grain so will leave a longy there for you. I only have it on keg at the moment so I'll fill it to the brim with no head space for you (growler style). Hopefully it holds carbonation well. 

Otherwise I live at waratah if it would be more conveinient for you to just swap that way?


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## Trent (6/4/08)

Again, just to echo the above sentiments, and give a massive thanks to the organisers (especially Dave Lamotte) for giving us one of the best run competitions I think I could imagine. everything went so smoothly, I think people will be very happy with their feedback, and there were some sensational beers entered.
Big ups to MHB for being a drop off point (and any organising he did), really big ups to Keith and Potters for getting us a great spot to run the comp, and showing us exceptional hospitality, including donating prizes and post comp drinks. Cannot leave out Shawn and Murrays Brewing Co, who donated some great prizes to the winners of each class, excellent to see 3 quality micro's supporting homebrewing like they did (including South Coast Real Ale brewing co.)
Above all, thanks to all the helpers on the day, without you guys, and the impeccable direction from David Lamotte, none of this would have happened.
Congrats to all winners, and I look forward to participating again next year.
All the best
Trent
PS Cameron, that APA was excellent, and only narrowly lost to the bret beer in the BOS - keep on messing up all yer brews like this one, and you will go far!


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## Gough (6/4/08)

What a top weekend fellas! Made it home and am looking forward to the next one already.

This was a very well run comp. Congratulations to Dave Lamotte in particular - Hunter brewers don't know how lucky they are to have someone like him prepared to put the time and effort into organising and running comps like these. Send that man a bottle of your best!!

The area is also really well served by Keith and the Potter's Brewery crew. It is a fantastic venue and Keith is another great asset to the local brewing community. Buy a few of his beers wherever you can find them. Great beer (esp that Choc Porter mate) and a great supporter of Hunter brewers. 

Thanks also go to Mark and Les for their efforts in organising and running the day - and great work Mark for making it up on the busieist day of your week to support the Hags.

The standard was very high overall and it was great to be involved in the B.O.S. round of judging - some really excellent beers. Stephen's BOS winner was a worthy champion - great brewing mate. And the APA that came second overall was one of the best examples of the style I've tried. Great balance and fantastic flavour and aroma. Keep it up!

Thanks again for a top weekend fellas. Count me in for the next one!!

Shawn.


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## joshuahardie (7/4/08)

Wow, those results were up fast.

In my first competition, entering a style I have never made before, I score 74.5. 
I am absolutly thrilled with my maiden effort.

Thanks to all who, organised, helped, judged and entered.

Look forward to the next event.

Cheers 
Josh :icon_cheers:


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## Cam66 (10/4/08)

Just picked up my feedback, certificates and prizes (thanks to Potters and Murrays - totally unexpected) from Mark's. 

Fantastic feedback and quality certificates, and the prizes will be savoured. 
Thanks again to all involved, I'll have to make sure the 4 kids go to Grandad's next year so I can attend. 

Cheers guys,

Cameron.


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## joshuahardie (14/4/08)

Does feedback get mailed to us, or do I have to collect it in person from MHB?


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## Weizguy (14/4/08)

prob best to tune in with bigfridge by pm or on the HAG website here.

I have collected mine and my boss's certificates. Yep the boss is a homebrewer, and he makes a fine Golden ale and a chilli beer.

Les out B)


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