Australian Amateur Brewing Championship 2007

[chovain]

for a national comp it is turning into a bit of a joke.

Yes - I expect absolute perfection from volunteer-run, amateur competitions like this. When judges are sick, they should just get over it and judge anyway. Ray should have called Mr Howard and asked him to move the election to another weekend. And as a last resort, if the judging couldn't be finished on the assigned weekend, Ray should not have gone to bed until he had personally judged all the remaining entries.

I'm not aware of any offers to run the 2009 comp yet. Are you offering?

Edit:

 

[beachy]

no i dont expect perfection . if i did i would have posted long before now.

yes there was an election but another full weekend has passed since then and the last update from anyone remotely related to the comp was four days ago

if one sick judge puts everthing on hold then total judge numbers must be very thin

no i am not offering for 2009 because i dont have anywhere near the expertise required but then i think the "f you can do a better job '' argument has already been done to death earlier in the thread.

 

[chovain]

if one sick judge puts everthing on hold then total judge numbers must be very thin

Well if you won't run the 2009 comp, then will you be helping out at the 2008 comp? The competition is run entirely by volunteers. If there aren't enough judges, then that's our fault for not putting our hands up (I'm a first-time competitor this year, but will be helping out as much as I can from next year). Clearly the judges were spread very thin - otherwise the judging would've been completed on the first weekend :huh: . How easy do you think it would be to get enough judges to complete 3 flights in Bulli on short notice: even if you could judge, would you be making the journey?

How exactly is complaining going to make things better? It's not going to get the judging done any faster; in fact it's only going to make it harder in future as prospective helpers start thinking, "Why would I want to help run a competition for trolls like that?". If you have any solutions, then feel free to contribute them once the competition is over - I'm sure they'd be gratefully accepted.

 

[Paul H]

Trivia item #1 ... In past AABC results where I could find a "Best of Show" (sometimes "Best Mash") the same class has never won twice ...

2006 Imperial Stout
2005 APA
2004 IPA
2003 ESB
2002 ---
2001 Trappist Ale
2000 Bitter Ale
1999 ---
1998 Porter
1997 ---
1996 ---
1995 Pale Ale

 

[chovain]

So you think there may be some hope for a dodgy Pilsner?

You've gotta get past my Weizen first!

 

[lonte]

The key thing that has to come out of this is that a full analysis of where things went wrong must be made and strategies put into effect to mitigate those incidents in 2008 and ongoing. This will require honest input from this years organisers and fault (NOT BLAME) to be identified and addressed. I understand this comp is to be run in conjunction with a National Conference next year. This will give the whole competition a much higher profile with much higher expectations from entrants, the press and general public.

So one positive input I would like to make, from a brewer who feels tagged as "impatient" from earlier posts in this thread is to improve the communication. A high percentage of the posts in this thread post-competition weekend could have been avoided if an acknowledged member of the organising committee took the time to honestly communicate the state of play and the plans going forward to finish the comp. It's only a brew comp, it's not _that_ important, but passionate people are frustrated because we just don't know what is happening.

I plan to contribute to the success of next years competition by actively participating in the organisiation and hopefully judging of the Queensland qualifier. I am not sure where the National comp is to be hosted next year but unless it's Brisbane that is the end of the committment I can make at this time. I hope that others do pitch in, learning from the mistakes, misjudgements or incorrect assumptions of this year and making the 2008 Comp the success it (and we as brewers) deserve.

Now, any chance of a one sentence post from someone in the committee on how things are going AND ASKING FOR HELP IF IT IS NEEDED.

Prost!!

 

[lonte]

So you think there may be some hope for a dodgy Pilsner?

Why not? However on reflection if we think of an APA as a Pale Ale, and an ESB as a Bitter, my whole premise goes down the toilet.

 

[sluggerdog]

You've gotta get past my Weizen first!

Or my Dortmunder using the traditional NZ hops

 

[Jye]

Or my Dortmunder using the traditional NZ hops

pfft... GO ROGGEN

 

[Tony]

Or my No chill Botubeer English Old Ale that wasn't made with an english ale yeast

 

[Jye]

Or my No chill Botubeer English Old Ale that wasn't made with an english ale yeast

So its your fault the judge was sick

 

[Tony]

BbBBBBBBBBBBBBBBbbWWWAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhahahahahahahaha

I think i just pissed myself :lol: :lol:

didnt make me sick when i shared one with family and friends on saturday. Wa all sat around sniffing and sipping and decided it was good.

Imaging how good it would be if i had of chilled it.

Ho god..... here we go again :lol:

cheers

 

[beachy]

How exactly is complaining going to make things better? It's not going to get the judging done any faster; in fact it's only going to make it harder in future as prospective helpers start thinking, "Why would I want to help run a competition for trolls like that?". If you have any solutions, then feel free to contribute them once the competition is over - I'm sure they'd be gratefully accepted.

i am not a troll i am an impatient and frustrated comp entrant

So one positive input I would like to make, from a brewer who feels tagged as "impatient" from earlier posts in this thread is to improve the communication. A high percentage of the posts in this thread post-competition weekend could have been avoided if an acknowledged member of the organising committee took the time to honestly communicate the state of play and the plans going forward to finish the comp. It's only a brew comp, it's not _that_ important, but passionate people are frustrated because we just don't know what is happening.

the exact point i am trying to make!

 

[dr K]

I really should not comment, bu comment I shall.
I was not able to judge at the 2007 Nats, nor for various work, time and financial reasons at the two preceding, I did however, judge at the three before then.
There is no doubt, in my mind, that the Election played a significant role in screwing up a lot of events, the Nats amongst them.
Now is not the time to complain, goodness the results are not even out yet. Nor is this an appropriate venue to discuss what you or billy or fred "think" should happen at next years or the years after.
Get involved in your local comps, put your hand up to help at the State comps, even join a BJCP study group, you don't have to take the exam and importantly get in and help with the organisation of events, help with the actual running of the event, if you have not judged or stewarded before volunteer to be the chief cook and bottle washer.
Amateur Brewing in Australia, as it explodes in size, needs all the help and the encouragement of the members of the community that call themselves amateur brewers that it can muster.
The success of an event so often relies on the run up rather than the event itself.
A rampaging cane toad will not devour a silent Grasshopper..be patient.

K

EDIT: This is / was a general comment it was not directed at anyone political party or individual...K

 

[Weizguy]

<chop>
EDIT: This is / was a general comment it was not directed at anyone political party or individual...K
</chop>

Come on, Herr Doktor. Your department is no longer in "caretaker" mode, so U don't have to be so discreet.

As we both know: with patience, we learn tolerance of all things.

Les Tafari

P.S. go the XXXXXX ***** beer, or the other 2, which also will not be mentioned here, in case of severe embarrassment and disillusionment.

 

[dr K]

P.S. go the XXXXXX ***** beer, or the other 2, which also will not be mentioned here, in case of severe embarrassment and disillusionment.

Sometimes I think I have been disillusioned since birth, then a post like yours brings a smile to my face.
Thank you....seriously

K !!!! (I cannot use those stupid smilllliiieee things)

 

[lonte]

Now is not the time to complain, goodness the results are not even out yet. Nor is this an appropriate venue to discuss what you or billy or fred "think" should happen at next years or the years after.

Strongly disagree ... this is exactly the forum where the future of this event needs to be discussed, and given the hiccups of this year there's no time like the present to start the planning.

 

[chovain]

there's no time like the present to start the planning.

The present is a really bad time to start discussing this. Ray is still trying to get the competition finished. Don't you think he may want to take part in any such discussions? This is definitely not the right time, and probably not the right forum.

 

[PostModern]

lonte, which state or national committee are you a member of? They are the bodies that organise these comps and those are the bodies that will undertake the necessary corrections to the running of these comps and they will do it thru their usual media. It is not up to AHB's posters to do this. Planning is done and decisions are made off AHB. It is the state and national bodies that organise and run these competitions, not the grassroots brewers. AHB is just a brewing community website, not a national representative body. You can give all your opions here of course, but you won't be changing what happens to the comp next year.

 

[Fatgodzilla]

The present is a really bad time to start discussing this. Ray is still trying to get the competition finished. Don't you think he may want to take part in any such discussions? This is definitely not the right time, and probably not the right forum.

Correct Mark. Complaining is very very useless anyway. It has been quite clearly spelled out that this year's Nationals have suffered from Murphys Law. What could go wrong, did. A blame game is unnecessary and frankly uncalled for. What will help will be for some people to simply have patience and let things play themselves out. Then in the wash up, assessments will be made and solutions found.

The 2008 Nationals in Melbourne will not have the lack of judges that we had at Wollongong this year, so any post mortems are likely to be very irrelevant anyway.

Again, patience. Having a ***** about things won't solve the problems. Getting three busy men with tight working and family schedules in the same room at the same time three times to judge the last three flights is not an easy task.

I would thank everyone to stop warring amongst ourselves on this matter, just bite our tongues and let this thing play itself out.