Castle Hill Brewing Competition

[RobboMC]

We decided to introduce a kit section as a trial and welcome any suggestions. My guess is that we could look at a Australian Pale Ale as well, but it will depend on the response from kit brewers to this year's comp.

Cheers

T

Tseay suggests the possibility of an Aussie Pale Ale class. Well I for one would definately enter an Aussie PA, whether it was a K&K class or open. Looks like petesbrew is also looking for a similar class.
I hope there is an Aussie PA class in the next comp. It looks like there is sufficient interest to run a class.

 

[Linz]

Tseay suggests the possibility of an Aussie Pale Ale class. Well I for one would definately enter an Aussie PA, whether it was a K&K class or open. Looks like petesbrew is also looking for a similar class.
I hope there is an Aussie PA class in the next comp. It looks like there is sufficient interest to run a class.

Why not in this class

6B. Blonde Ale

Aroma: Light to moderate sweet malty aroma. Low to moderate fruitiness is optional, but acceptable. May have a low to medium hop aroma, and can reflect almost any hop variety. No diacetyl.

Appearance: Light yellow to deep gold in color. Clear to brilliant. Low to medium white head with fair to good retention.

Flavor: Initial soft malty sweetness, but optionally some light character malt flavor (e.g., bread, toast, biscuit, wheat) can also be present. Caramel flavors typically absent. Low to medium esters optional, but are commonly found in many examples. Light to moderate hop flavor (any variety), but shouldn't be overly aggressive. Low to medium bitterness, but the balance is normally towards the malt. Finishes medium-dry to somewhat sweet. No diacetyl.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light to medium-full body. Medium to high carbonation. Smooth without harsh bitterness or astringency.

Overall Impression: Easy-drinking, approachable, malt-oriented American craft beer.

History: Currently produced by many microbreweries and brewpubs. Regional variations exist (many West coast brewpub examples are more assertive, like pale ales) but in most areas this beer is designed as the entry-level craft beer.

Comments: In addition to the more common American Blond Ale, this category can also include modern English Summer Ales, American Klsch-style beers, and less assertive American and English pale ales.

Ingredients: Generally all malt, but can include up to 25% wheat malt and some sugar adjuncts. Any hop variety can be used. Clean American, lightly fruity English, or Klsch yeast. May also be made with lager yeast, or cold-conditioned. Some versions may have honey, spices and/or fruit added, although if any of these ingredients are stronger than a background flavor they should be entered in specialty, spiced or fruit beer categories instead. Extract versions should only use the lightest malt extracts and avoid kettle caramelization.
Vital Statistics:
OG FG IBUs SRM ABV
1.038 - 1.054 1.008 - 1.013 15 - 28 3 - 6 3.8 - 5.5%

 

[RobboMC]

Thanks, this looks pretty close to Aussie Pale Ale though I'll have to tone down the hop additions somewhat.
What is the difference between this and 6a, Cream Ale; they look very similar.

Would Sparkling Ale fit into either of these categories?

 

[petesbrew]

Tseay suggests the possibility of an Aussie Pale Ale class. Well I for one would definately enter an Aussie PA, whether it was a K&K class or open. Looks like petesbrew is also looking for a similar class.
I hope there is an Aussie PA class in the next comp. It looks like there is sufficient interest to run a class.

Yeah, I had no idea what to enter my Aussie Pale Ale as. Ended up just throwing it in the K&K Aussie Lager section, but surprise surprise it wasn't to style. But at least it wasn't totally written off by the judges.
Next time with any comp I'll either enter it in exactly the right class. If no class exists i'll give it a miss.

 

[DJR]

Thanks, this looks pretty close to Aussie Pale Ale though I'll have to tone down the hop additions somewhat.
What is the difference between this and 6a, Cream Ale; they look very similar.

Would Sparkling Ale fit into either of these categories?

Cream ale usually has some rice/corn added, less IBU as well. Cream ale should really use noble hops, blonde ale can use anything.

I think sparkling ale would *just* fall outside 6B Blonde Ale, since it's 5.7% ABV rather than the limit of 5.6% ABV, but who's noticing. It would still be fine in that category.

Personally i think the BJCP rules in cat 6 are sufficient for Cooper's style beers, and it saves the hassle of being either lumped with the British pales (too estery) and the American pales (too hoppy)

 

[Tseay]

If we proceed with the comp this year, it would make sense to adopt the Anawabs spec for Australian Pale Ale. You can check it out via the link in Wee Stu's Anawabs post on this forum. The style along with the Dark Ale could also be part of the open as well as the kit section, if there was enough interest.

http://www.anawbs.org.au/index.php?mode=entry