# Merri Mashers Specialty IPA Comp 2016



## Cerevisius (28/4/16)

In 2015, The Terminus Hotel (North Fitzroy) hosted the inaugural *Merri Mashers Specialty IPA Comp*. It was a highly successful event that confirmed the Merri Mashers’ place among Melbourne’s home brew clubs as a vibrant and innovative collective of Inner North brewers.

We are back in 2016 with the only competition dedicated to the BJCP’s newest category of Specialty IPA, with judging at The Terminus Hotel (North Fitzroy) on the 19th of June. Details can be found at http://merrimashers.org/ipa-comp-2016.

Described by some as “a vague and nebulous” category, *Section 21B* of the updated _2015 BJCP Style Guidelines_ covers an exciting arena for competitive brewing, with these styles continuing to grow in popularity. As the BJCP contend:

*Specialty IPA isn’t a distinct style, but is more appropriately thought of as a competition entry category. Beers entered as this style are not experimental beers; they are a collection of currently produced types of beer that may or may not have any market longevity…*

*The only common element is that they have the balance and overall impression of an IPA (typically, an American IPA) but with some minor tweak. The term ‘IPA’ is used as a singular descriptor of a type of hoppy, bitter beer. It is not meant to be spelled out as ‘India Pale Ale’ when used in the context of a Specialty IPA. None of these beers ever historically went to India, and many aren’t pale. But the craft beer market knows what to expect in balance when a beer is described as an ‘IPA’ – so the modifiers used to differentiate them are based on that concept alone.*

The six styles covered by Section 21B include:

· *Black*
· *White*
· *Red*
· *Rye*
· *Belgian*
· *Brown*

Prizes will be offered for winning beers in each of the six style categories, as well as for *Champion Beer*, *Champion Brewer*, *Best Novice*, and if they agree again, Carwyn Cellars *Carwyn's Choice Award*, as well as a prize for *Club of Show*.

All entries must be via Compmaster (http://www.compmaster.com.au). *Online entries close on the 11**th** of June, 2016*.

Entries can be dropped off at the points listed below no later than *1 pm, Saturday, the 11**th** of June*.

Drop-off points include Wallington Rural Home Brew (370 Grubb Rd, Wallington), Grain & Grape (5/280 Whitehall St, Yarraville), Home Make It Reservoir (265 Spring St, Reservoir), Keg King (2/33-35 Smith Rd, Springvale) and The Terminus Hotel (492 Queens Parade, North Fitzroy).

*Beers may be delivered to The Terminus until 1 pm on Saturday, 18**th** of June, *but must have been pre-registered in CompMaster by midday on the 11th of June. *Entries will not be accepted on the day of judging*.

Anyone interested in judging this competition (whether you are BJCP-accredited or not) can contact the Judge Director David Wilton at: [email protected]

Experienced stewards are invited to contact Head Steward Matthias Isaksson at [email protected]


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## dave.wilton (28/4/16)

Planning my Red IPA recipe now!


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## Cerevisius (29/4/16)

Looking forward to it, David


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## Cerevisius (6/5/16)

Sponsors have been confirmed and prizes will be listed shortly.. That is all


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## VP Brewing (6/5/16)

Can entries be sent in the post?


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## Cerevisius (6/5/16)

Hi VP Brewing - 

Postal entries can be sent here: *Home Make It, 265 Spring Street, Reservoir, 3073*


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## Cerevisius (13/5/16)

Major Categories, Sponsors & Prizes

Champion Brewer: 1-year supply of White Labs yeast - thanks to Full Pint.
Champion Beer: Voucher/Bar Tab to the value of $250 - thanks to The Alehouse Project. The Champion Beer will also be re-brewed at the Clifton Hill Brewpub and then tapped at The Alehouse Project.
Best Novice: Voucher to the value of $250 - thanks to Grain and Grape.
Carwyn's Choice Award: Voucher/Bar Tab to the value of $250 - thanks to Carwyn Cellars.
Club of Show: Awarded to the Brew Club that polls the most points throughout the comp. Voucher/Bar Tab to the value of $250 - thanks to The Gertrude Hotel.
Category Prizes (worth ~$100 each)

Black IPA: thanks to The Terminus
Brown IPA: thanks to Brewcult
White IPA: thanks to Home Make It
Rye IPA: thanks to Carywn Cellars
Belgian IPA: thanks to Moon Dog Brewing
Red IPA: thanks to Thunder Road Brewing.
Thanks to all sponsors and volunteers for their support - best of luck to all entrants!


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## Spiesy (13/5/16)

Looking forward to brewing tomorrow - been 2.5 months since I last got to brew... Red IPA here I come!


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## Dan Pratt (13/5/16)

How many vials of yeast is that for 1yr supply??

P.s. Awesome prize!


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## sixfignig (13/5/16)

If I can figure out how to bottle from the keg well enough I'll definitely be entering an IPA.


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## Grainer (13/5/16)

Pratty1 said:


> How many vials of yeast is that for 1yr supply??
> 
> P.s. Awesome prize!


About 25..i didnt use all mine last time I won a similar prize...doh... ran outta brewing time


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## Yob (14/5/16)

im sure you could get some > freeze some right?


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## Cerevisius (14/5/16)

Pratty1 said:


> How many vials of yeast is that for 1yr supply??
> 
> P.s. Awesome prize!


The winner of Champion Brewer is entitled to *26 packs of White Labs yeast *over 12 months - that is, one pack of yeast every fortnight.


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## Cerevisius (14/5/16)

sixfignig said:


> If I can figure out how to bottle from the keg well enough I'll definitely be entering an IPA.


Hi sixfignig - 

You need something like the Blichman BeerGun - http://www.blichmannengineering.com/products/beergun

Merri Mashers can borrow one of these from our equipment library - http://merrimashers.org/equipment-library/blichman-beer-gun

or build your own - http://www.brewersfriend.com/2009/08/26/how-to-bottle-beer-from-the-keg/

or you can take a look at this vid from Brew Dudes - https://youtu.be/q6FS-QxH_no


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## Grainer (16/5/16)

Grainer said:


> About 25..i didnt use all mine last time I won a similar prize...doh... ran outta brewing time


But I must say.. excellent service by the boys at Full Pint.. always had yeast delivered when it was required ! And it inspired me to brew a lot of different recipes to try and use the yeast !


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## timmi9191 (16/5/16)

Im trying pay for my entries and keep getting the following error message

zip error: Nothing to do! (/webroot/c/o/compm001/compmaster.com.au/www/sites/default/files/entrylabels/bulk/bulk_14040_1.zip)

Can anyone help?


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## Cerevisius (16/5/16)

timmi9191 said:


> Im trying pay for my entries and keep getting the following error message
> 
> zip error: Nothing to do! (/webroot/c/o/compm001/compmaster.com.au/www/sites/default/files/entrylabels/bulk/bulk_14040_1.zip)
> 
> Can anyone help?


timmi9191 - I have contacted Andy at Compmaster and his reply was:

"I'll dive in tonight and find out what's happened."


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## Andyd (16/5/16)

Timmi, could you please PM me your compmaster username?

Thanks,

Andy


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## Andyd (16/5/16)

Problem solved Timmi - we had an old competition that hadn't been closed properly which, combined with having to archive the older competition scoresheets, caused the problem you encountered.

I'm in the middle of a platform upgrade which will bring new life to CompMaster and should see the older scoresheets restored.

Let me know if you hit any other problems.

Regards,

Andy


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## Dan K (7/6/16)

When sending entries by post to Home Make It. Should we put an ATT Name. Or will just MM Comp or something like that do? I think I put ATT Cade last year but that was after a bit of correspondence on here. Just want to make sure my entry ends up in the right hands that's all.

Cheers


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## Cerevisius (8/6/16)

Dan K said:


> When sending entries by post to Home Make It. Should we put an ATT Name. Or will just MM Comp or something like that do? I think I put ATT Cade last year but that was after a bit of correspondence on here. Just want to make sure my entry ends up in the right hands that's all.
> Cheers


All mailed in entries can be marked Attn: Merri Mashers Specialty IPA Comp. Thanks


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## Cerevisius (8/6/16)

Sad news, folks - due to unforseen circumstances, Full Pint will no longer be sponsoring the Champion Brewer prize. This means we can no longer offer the year supply of White Labs liquid yeast as the prize for this category. The replacement prize will be announced as soon as it has been confirmed. Watch this space...


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## Spiesy (10/6/16)

Heads up, AHB Posse, entries close midday tomorrow (Sat 11th June) for the *2016 Merri Mashers Specialty IPA Comp*.

The good news: entries are a little light on compared to last year, which means you stand a good chance of winning.
The bad news: entries are a little light on compared to last year, c'mon guys and gals!

http://merrimashers.org/ipa-comp-2016

_Please note, that whilst online entry closes at midday tomorrow, entries can also be physically dropped off at the Terminus Hotel until 1pm Sat 18th June - as long as you have registered your entry online by cutoff tomorrow._


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## Grainer (10/6/16)

Does that mean 11th June at the drop off points?


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## Spiesy (10/6/16)

Grainer said:


> Does that mean 11th June at the drop off points?


Yes. 

All is explained within Compmaster - but here's a quick rundown:


*Entry Instructions:*


Entries close midday, June 11. Entries are $8 each. Min entry size 500ml.
See below for drop off points and further details regarding drop off dates.
Entries are being judged against category 21B of the new 2015 BJCP Style Guidelines.
21B includes Black, White, Belgian, Brown, Red & Rye IPA's.
As per those guidelines, you may enter your IPA as a Session, Standard or Double IPA. If you do not specify one of the three, standard will be assumed.

*Drop-Off Dates:*

Entries can be dropped off at the listed points no later than 1pm, Saturday June 11
Entries can also be dropped off at the Terminus Hotel (only) until 1pm June 18 BUT must have been pre-registered in CompMaster by midday June 11. No entries will be permitted on the day.


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## timmi9191 (10/6/16)

Spiesy said:


> The good news: entries are a little light on compared to last year, which means you stand a good chance of winning.
> The bad news: entries are a little light on compared to last year, c'mon guys and gals!


What are the numbers thus far?


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## Cerevisius (10/6/16)

We have over 50 beers, fairly uniformly spread across 6 categories, meaning (as Spiesy notes above) entrants stand a good chance of picking up a prize!


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## Siborg (17/6/16)

Kegged my entries last night. Was going to drop them off tomorrow at the venue, but I think I left them on the hops/trub for too long. It tastes BAD (astringent/medicinal). Reckon I should still enter them? I don't care about my entry fees, I just don't want to put the judges through having to taste it.


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## Cerevisius (17/6/16)

Get your entries in, Siborg - things might settle in bottle by Sunday! Remember, taste is subjective!


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## Siborg (17/6/16)

Is the comp on sunday? I thought it was sat?
Edit: never mind - re read the dates/times.


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## timmi9191 (19/6/16)

Hows it all going today?


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## timmi9191 (19/6/16)

Anyone? Bueller..


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## NealK (19/6/16)

Winners are on the merri mashers Facebook page. No places posted yet.


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## droid (19/6/16)

timmi9191 said:


> Anyone? Bueller..


is your name Tim Armstrong?


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## timmi9191 (19/6/16)

Can neither confirm or deny but im pretty dam stoked atm


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## Spiesy (19/6/16)

We had an awesome time at our annual Specialty IPA Competition today. A big thanks to everyone who helped out, and to everyone who participated in the comp.

*RESULTS*
Champion Brewer: Deon Smit and Maggie Rose
Champion Beer: Tim Armstrong (White IPA)

*Section Winners *(placegetters coming soon)
Rye IPA: Deon Smit and Maggie Rose
White IPA: Tim Armstrong
Brown IPA: Julian Robinson
Black IPA: Deon Smit
Belgian IPA: Briony Dowling
Red IPA: Julian Robinson
Club of Show: Merri Mashers (awww yeaaah!)
Best Novice Brewer: TBC
Carwyn's Choice: TBC.


A big thank you to all of our awesome sponsors:

Terminus Hotel (thank you for hosting us again)
Clifton Hill Brewpub
Alehouse Project
Grain and Grape
Carwyn Cellars
Gertrude Hotel 
Brewcult
Home Make It
Moondog Brewing 
Thunder Road Brewing.
Congratulations to all entrants and winners - look out for the comp next year as its going to be bigger and better with some exciting changes!

All results will be uploaded to Compmaster in the coming days.


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## bronson (21/6/16)

Any word on placings yet?


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## NealK (23/6/16)

Any idea when we will see the scoresheets on compmaster?


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## Black n Tan (24/6/16)

Still waiting for the full results. Someone must know something, throw the dog a bone.


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## Cerevisius (24/6/16)

Please be patient, folks - full results and individual scoresheets will be available soon!


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## Benn (24/6/16)

Are we there yet?....are we there yet?...are we there yet?


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## Spiesy (24/6/16)

We're hoping Compmaster will be finalised soon - apologies for the delay, we've hit a few snags.

RESULTS

Champion Brewer: Deon Smit and Maggie Rose
Champion Beer: Tim Armstrong (White IPA)

CATEGORY PLACINGS:

Rye IPA: 1. Deon Smit and Maggie Rose (Merri Mashers). 2. Grant Morley (Westgate Brewers). 3. Mark Connors (Merri Mashers).
White IPA: 1. Tim Armstrong (No Club). 2. Tim Messina (N/C). 3. Deon Smit and Maggie Rose (MM).
Brown IPA: 1. Julian Robinson (MM). 2. Brook Petrie (MM). 3. Elwyn Holloway (MM).
Black IPA: 1. Deon Smit and Maggie Rose (MM). 2. Sye Declerck (N/C). 3. Kris Nilsen (N/C).
Belgian IPA: 1. Briony Dowling (Westgate). 2. Deon Smit and Maggie Rose (MM). 3. Brook Petrie (MM).
Red IPA: 1. Julian Robinson (MM). 2. Kris Nilsen (MM). 3. Lukas Clews (N/C).
Club of Show: Merri Mashers (MM)
Best Novice Brewer: TBC
Carwyn's Choice: TBC

A big thank you to all of our awesome sponsors!
Congratulations to all entrants and winners - look out for the comp next year as it's going to be bigger and better with some exciting changes!

http://merrimashers.org/ipa-comp-2016


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## mezz94 (24/6/16)

Dale Messina - White IPA second place. 
Cheers


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## NealK (27/6/16)

Good to see the results and score sheets up on compmaster but I'm a bit confused about my scores. The judges scored me 32, 29, 25. But the published result is 64.5 and I can't work out how that figure has been calculated.


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## Grainer (27/6/16)

WoW.. LOOKS disappointing that the only entries come from non club members and Merry Mashers.. with a smattering of Westgate.. MM members good work in supporting your comp! Other clubs have to get on board a little more.. sorry but bad timing for me this year as I am in South East Asia atm and was brewing a few stouts and barleywines over the last 6 months..I will be in next year !

Merry Mashers looks like you have some potential recruitment of those non-club members !


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## Grainer (27/6/16)

NealK said:


> Good to see the results and score sheets up on compmaster but I'm a bit confused about my scores. The judges scored me 32, 29, 25. But the published result is 64.5 and I can't work out how that figure has been calculated.


Maybe they just assumed you would be last? lol.. 

just contact the organisers to make an enquiry ... I would and if it is right congratulations.


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## Spiesy (30/6/16)

Grainer said:


> WoW.. LOOKS disappointing that the only entries come from non club members and Merry Mashers.. with a smattering of Westgate.. MM members good work in supporting your comp! Other clubs have to get on board a little more.. sorry but bad timing for me this year as I am in South East Asia atm and was brewing a few stouts and barleywines over the last 6 months..I will be in next year !
> 
> Merry Mashers looks like you have some potential recruitment of those non-club members !


Yeah, the turn out wasn't great, particularly from other clubs - but I hear that all clubs are suffering from this right now. I think all clubs need to make a more concerted effort to support each other and promote each others events. The Mashers will be improving on this from now on.


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## Spiesy (30/6/16)

NealK said:


> Good to see the results and score sheets up on compmaster but I'm a bit confused about my scores. The judges scored me 32, 29, 25. But the published result is 64.5 and I can't work out how that figure has been calculated.


Very sorry, Neal. We had a bit of a hiccup on the day where the club had to run Compmaster ourselves, due to unforeseen circumstances. We have all the score sheets on hand, as soon as we sort this out we will update. Very sorry for the delays.


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## A.B. (30/6/16)

Any chance of the winners posting their recipes or is it too secret?


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## Spiesy (30/6/16)

A.B. said:


> Any chance of the winners posting their recipes or is it too secret?


We'll see. We did this with Champion Beer last year.


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## Black n Tan (30/6/16)

Spiesy said:


> Yeah, the turn out wasn't great, particularly from other clubs - but I hear that all clubs are suffering from this right now. I think all clubs need to make a more concerted effort to support each other and promote each others events. The Mashers will be improving on this from now on.


Well Westgate has just confirmed the final numbers for this weekends Stout Extravaganza and we are down 40% on last year. That is quite dramatic given we have had 25% year on year growth over recent years. So this is not just a Merri Mashers issue and may be the clubs need to come together to work this through?


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## Spiesy (30/6/16)

NealK said:


> Good to see the results and score sheets up on compmaster but I'm a bit confused about my scores. The judges scored me 32, 29, 25. But the published result is 64.5 and I can't work out how that figure has been calculated.


Neal, your published result should be 86. We had a judge that was a no-show in the Brown category, which altered calculated results. Sorry about that. 

The *Brown Category* has now been edited: http://merrimashers.org/ipa-comp-2016

Congratulations to Deon Smit and Maggie Rose (Merri Mashers) for winning the *Carwyn's Choice* award for their Rye IPA.

Just waiting on news from Compmaster regarding *Best Novice*.


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## DU99 (30/6/16)

:icon_offtopic: Let's see what happens at VICBREW


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## Black n Tan (30/6/16)

Did Matt Collinson (Compmaster) or Briony Dowling (MM webpage) win the Belgian IPA category?


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## Spiesy (30/6/16)

Black n Tan said:


> Did Matt Collinson (Compmaster) or Briony Dowling (MM webpage) win the Belgian IPA category?


Good get. They are one and the same. The winner, Mr. Matt Collinson, initially entered his beer under his wife's name (Briony), for fear of it being shit. When it won, he wanted bragging rights. 

And just in case anyone was wondering, that was his only entry in the category that we are aware of.

We have now updated the MM website with the requested edit.


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## Black n Tan (30/6/16)

Spiesy said:


> Good get. They are one and the same. The winner, Mr. Matt Collinson, initially entered his beer under his wife's name (Briony), for fear of it being shit. When it won, he wanted bragging rights.
> 
> And just in case anyone was wondering, that was his only entry in the category that we are aware of.
> 
> We have now updated the MM website with the requested edit.


Sneaky little bugger. I say keep it in his wife's name.


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## Grainer (30/6/16)

Black n Tan said:


> Well Westgate has just confirmed the final numbers for this weekends Stout Extravaganza and we are down 40% on last year. That is quite dramatic given we have had 25% year on year growth over recent years. So this is not just a Merri Mashers issue and may be the clubs need to come together to work this through?


Damn.. that is a huge reduction.. Sorry I only entered 2 at request as being overseas makes it a little difficult.. usually I would enter at least 6-8 in this comp as it is one of my favourite styles, but my next big/dark beer batches aren't quite ready for a comp and wasn't worth putting in stuff that has already done well in the past as I already know what needs to be done with those beers - they just need to be rebrewed now. Also you have to remember the specialty section was removed, which would have counted for quite a few as well as it tends to be a draw card for people entering! Lets see if the Bayside comp is down as well as that is coming up soon, cant say I have had the time to brew anything for that yet.. think I have too many brews in my shed, but not the required styles!


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## Cerevisius (8/7/16)

I can now announce the winner of the *Grain and Grape* sponsored *Best Novice* award goes to... (drum-roll):

*Matthew Collinson, with his Belgian IPA scoring 115 points*. Well done Matt.


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## Black n Tan (8/7/16)

Spiesy said:


> Good get. They are one and the same. The winner, Mr. Matt Collinson, initially entered his beer under his wife's name (Briony), for fear of it being shit. When it won, he wanted bragging rights.
> 
> And just in case anyone was wondering, that was his only entry in the category that we are aware of.
> 
> We have now updated the MM website with the requested edit.


In all fairness to Matt, he explained to me that he inadvertently entered under his wife's name on comp master due to an autofill error and when he realised (and before he won) he contacted the organisers to correct the result.


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## Spiesy (11/7/16)

Black n Tan said:


> In all fairness to Matt, he explained to me that he inadvertently entered under his wife's name on comp master due to an autofill error and when he realised (and before he won) he contacted the organisers to correct the result.


I was just re-iterating what was told to me. Maybe it was said in jest.


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