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ozbrewer

im ozzing flab
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Being that my other post has been hijacked

Is there anyone that wants to get together drink some beers, talk about other peoples beers, win a real crappy prize, and have a good time?




or are we all just happy to complain and and abuse each other? :beer: :party: :beerbang:
 
Hi Ozbrewer.

This is the exact philosophy behind the WestCoast Brewers Local Comps that we run in Perth. You could easily run something similar at any get together I can send a copy of our score/discussion sheets etc if you like.

In the Clubs hey-day (before my time) comps used to be very formal, with only a couple of judges doing all the work. Points were tallied and trophies given ay the end of the season. This kind of fell by the way side as people grew disheartened with results & having to brew beers to fit the guidelines required for the next meeting.

When I took on running the comps some changes were made. The new comps became a lot less formal with a more interactive discussion of the beers and an emphasis on participation

- Firstly. There are a lot less comps, maybe two or three a year with a very broad range of styles loosely covered in each comp. for example our next comp is All Light(er) Ales
- Everyone at the meeting is a judge. Blind tastings (Beers are entered at the start of the meeting. The steward then orders and pours then in a different room ) of each entry are assessed by everyone around a table. Discussion is encouraged about the beers good and bad points. This works really well as knowledge from the more experienced can be passed on to the newbie. For example: can you taste that buttery flavour in this one. yeah what is it. thats diacetyl. Aah I wondered what that was..etc do you recon thats a toasted or a roasted flavour ;).
- After the discussion everyone scores the beers (except the steward) as they see fit on their own private score card. At the end of the comp all scores are averaged and the winner is revealed. There are some points awarded for style as in most comps, but not many. People are encouraged to brew to an AABA Style though most dont! and just pick something close on the night or bring along their own style guide to be judged against. A lot less formal
- Commercial examples are also randomly thrown into the comps. This is a great way for the more frugal members to try some amazing beers. (Im also the treasurer and spend plenty of the clubs cash at the International beer shop;))
- Prizes usually entail more beer. Foe example Ill buy a mixed case of weihenstephaner. First place gets first choice of beers. Last place gets whatever is left emphasis on participation.
- And their good fun

If anyone in Perth is interested in coming along (as a guest) to our next meeting (13th June) and be a part of the comp (dont need to enter a beer If you havent got anything you can still judge) you are more than welcome.PM me Ill be entering my Mash paddle Aussie Ale or American Ale. Depends whats left by then

Asher for now
 
ozbrewer said:
Being that my other post has been hijacked

Is there anyone that wants to get together drink some beers, talk about other peoples beers, win a real crappy prize, and have a good time?
[post="58610"][/post]​

Ozbrewer, apologies for my part in the hijacking of your other thread. Good luck with your idea. I'm sure it has promise, but I also give you fair warning that as soon as you call something a competition, you begin to run into snags that will do what you refer to as "take the fun out of it". Asher's low-key, informal, fun approach still involves quite a bit of organising, scoring etc., all of which contributes incrementally to reducing the fun when compared to just sitting around chugging on some good beer. If you just want to get together and discuss each other's beers, that's a different thing altogether than judging and giving awards. Your idea could work and could remain enjoyable and fun if you don't do it on too big a scale. Have you given any thought to the format of how you would run this Happy Times approach to competitions? If you lay out a few more details you might get some more responses.

Steve
 
thanks Asher, and Steve.

Asher you have hit the nail on the head, can you email me the details.


your right Steve, i should have put up more details, but for the exhact reason i didnt happend anyway, i was hoping to stir up a little interest befopre everyone commented on how dumb comps are and this rule is no good, and that one sux because of this that and the other.

I will post some suggestions tonight, and hopefully i will get a responce, anyone that has an idea or that is in brissy that can help me out please email me or PM me if you dont want to post here
 
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