VICBREW 2014

[scientzing4beer]

When will we find out where to drop the beers off? I'm excited!

 

[poggor]

ahhh. last for both my beers! a fine start to my competitive brewing career!

 

[syl]

ahhh. last for both my beers! a fine start to my competitive brewing career!

The feedback when you get your scoresheets will be worth it!!!

 

[poggor]

haha I hope the poor judges are still alive. how are the scored done? is it 3 judges giving scores out of 50 for a total of 150?

 

[syl]

haha I hope the poor judges are still alive. how are the scored done? is it 3 judges giving scores out of 50 for a total of 150?

Yes, and they all fill out a score sheet, the feedback is amazingly constructive.

 

[poggor]

so what is the threshold for a respectable score in general?
one of my beers was vile, but the other wasn't too bad i thought. only been in the bottle two weeks at tasting too. (i took a huge risk and submitted the two beers- my first two AG brews without having tasted them myself!)

 

[syl]

so what is the threshold for a respectable score in general?
one of my beers was vile, but the other wasn't too bad i thought. only been in the bottle two weeks at tasting too. (i took a huge risk and submitted the two beers- my first to AG brews without having tasted them myself!)

It all depends mate, if the beer doesn't fit the style of the category you are in, you get marked down. So you could have a ripper beer that doesn't fit in and score 70...

My scores have been quite consistent but I pay attention to getting my sub category right!

 

[poggor]

oh well... goal for next year: best novice brewer!! hahhahah (or just not to finish last!)

i would be interested to hear what brewing techniques/rigs people who scored high used? anyone care to "share their secrets?!" would be interesting to see what kind of spread of gear and techniques resulted in high scoring beers...

 

[syl]

oh well... goal for next year: best novice brewer!! hahhahah (or just not to finish last!)

i would be interested to hear what brewing techniques/rigs people who scored high used? anyone care to "share their secrets?!" would be interesting to see what kind of spread of gear and techniques resulted in high scoring beers...

I've got 110 with extract... mini mash on stove top...

I use a braumeister now, but people who do any type of BIAB can win any comp

Edit: Champ brewer last year was a BIAB brewer I am quite sure

 

[poggor]

so overall, would you consider fermentation and conditioning more important than mashing/boiling?

 

[manticle]

Yes, and they all fill out a score sheet, the feedback is amazingly constructive.

Unfortunately not always. Could be a judge who struggles to eloquently describe what they taste and relate faults to possible causes, could be a lazy judge (rare but possible), could be just at a point in the flight when judge is feeling the effects of 30 beers and maybe the last 3-4 in a row had major issues.
As hard as most of them try, you may get scoresheets with very little you can use for a number of reasons.

 

[poggor]

oh well, not to worry! i'm sure everyone does their best!

 

[syl]

so overall, would you consider fermentation and conditioning more important than mashing/boiling?

It's both. Mashing important depending on style to get the right mouthfeel, etc.

Generally fermenting and conditioning will have a bigger effect, but always on the style.

Just general care.

 

[GrumpyPaul]

so what is the threshold for a respectable score in general?
one of my beers was vile, but the other wasn't too bad i thought. only been in the bottle two weeks at tasting too. (i took a huge risk and submitted the two beers- my first two AG brews without having tasted them myself!)

This is only my third comp - so I am by no means an expert in anything.

But - the BJCP judging sheet has the following scale as a guide on it.

Outstanding (45 - 50): World-class example of style.
Excellent (38 - 44): Exemplifies style well, requires minor fine-tuning.
Very Good (30 - 37): Generally within style parameters, some minor flaws.
Good (21 - 29): Misses the mark on style and/or minor flaws.
Fair (14 - 20): Off flavors/aromas or major style deficiencies. Unpleasant.
Problematic (00 - 13): Major off flavors and aromas dominate. Hard to drink

Hope this helps

 

[manticle]

oh well, not to worry! i'm sure everyone does their best!

Course they (we) do. So do the entrants.

 

[MartinOC]

ahhh. last for both my beers! a fine start to my competitive brewing career!

Only one way for you to go then, eh?

i would be interested to hear what brewing techniques/rigs people who scored high used? anyone care to "share their secrets?!"

No secrets, mate - it's knowledge & experience & making SHITLOADS of mistakes along the way....& learning from them. It's what's between your ears that makes the difference, not what kit you've got.

Unfortunately not always. Could be a judge who struggles to eloquently describe what they taste and relate faults to possible causes, could be a lazy judge (rare but possible), could be just at a point in the flight when judge is feeling the effects of 30 beers and maybe the last 3-4 in a row had major issues.
As hard as most of them try, you may get scoresheets with very little you can use for a number of reasons.

There's one particular judge who will remain nameless that judged my 1st-place-winning Porter. He didn't give me the highest score out of the three on the panel, but he absolutely NAILED exactly what I thought of my beer & gave a lot more narrative feedback than the other two combined. THAT'S a good judge. Mine was 18th-out in the field of 25. BTW, I'm only able to say this, 'cos I grabbed the scoresheets before they went to the scores-collators.

Before anyone asks, NO, I didn't fiddle with the scores!! B)

 

[MartinOC]

When will we find out where to drop the beers off? I'm excited!

There's pills for that, y'know....

Where did you drop your entry? Usually, if you dropped it at one of the collection points, you can do that with your Nationals entry & will be picked-up by one of the Committee members. I'll find-out for sure & get back to you here.

 

[syl]

Only one way for you to go then, eh?

No secrets, mate - it's knowledge & experience & making SHITLOADS of mistakes along the way....& learning from them. It's what's between your ears that makes the difference, not what kit you've got.

There's one particular judge who will remain nameless that judged my 1st-place-winning Porter. He didn't give me the highest score out of the three on the panel, but he absolutely NAILED exactly what I thought of my beer & gave a lot more narrative feedback than the other two combined. THAT'S a good judge. Mine was 18th-out in the field of 25. BTW, I'm only able to say this, 'cos I grabbed the scoresheets before they went to the scores-collators.

Before anyone asks, NO, I didn't fiddle with the scores!! B)

I am more excited about getting my scoresheets on compmaster than AABC right now!!!!

 

[MartinOC]

Andy should have that all sorted by tomorrow night (depending on what he's got on his plate work-wise). I've got all the physical scoresheets sitting in my garage, but they'd all be electronically loaded by now.

 

[scientzing4beer]

There's pills for that, y'know....

Where did you drop your entry? Usually, if you dropped it at one of the collection points, you can do that with your Nationals entry & will be picked-up by one of the Committee members. I'll find-out for sure & get back to you here.

Thanks Martin. I'll have to work out how to get out to my drop-off point then, none of them are close to Coburg...

And the drugs don't work, they just make me worse... :blink: