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Competitions

C

Cosh

I hear a lot about competitions and people who have won awards, etc.  Is the AHA the only venue for these things?

Any coming up?

Have any of you entered, placed or won?

Just curious.  Maybe I'm getting a big head, but a few of the last batches have turned out pretty tasty.  Thought I would throw my name in the hat.

Mike
 
Mike,

I had the same question about 8 months ago. Everyone told me to find out about the local home brew clubs in the area.

That turned out to be the best brewing move I made. I am in southern california and we have dozens of clubs. The club I joined has several brew masters from the local brew pubs and high profile micro brews. The meetings are very professional and lectures are held on different topics each month.

Anyway, they hold club level competitions all the time. They are affiliated with BJCP and AHA so all of your points are tracked. Check out BJCP.org. Also on BJCP web site are the STYLE guides. Review them and only submit your beers to the styles they fit. This is critical. You will also have somewhat of an advantage if you have taken the time to match your brew up to the categories before submitting.

Well, I can't say enough good things about the home brew clubs and the wealth of knowledge they posses. Needless to say I have COMPLETELY changed my brewing habits/procedures based on the "pros" advice and my beer that has always been good is now SUPER!

Hope this helps.
 
Brewzoo's advise to join a club is a great idea and will definately help your brewing. Many clubs sponsor club competitions which are a good place to get your feet wet. If you don't want to dedicate the time to participate in a club you can still enter competitions.

I don't know of any competitions that are not governed by AHA rules. You might want to check with your local County Fair and see if they sponsor a Home Brew Competition, or check on line, there is a miriad of competitions out there.

Don't be afraid to to "throw your brew" into the ring. For a lot of years I was afraid that my brew was not up to the "pros" but some friends convinced me to go ahead . . . I was amazed that I placed a second with the first brew that I entered. Needless to say I was hooked. Since then I have entered many and have been fortunate enough to place at least one brew every time.

I have found that the largest benefit of competitions is that your brews are judged by experts and they provide valuable feedback on your entry when you get your score sheets back. Some of the judges may even invite you to contact them for more detailed input. As the result of competitions I have improved my brewing in many areas.


Good luck, Go for the gold!     U.J.
 
Thanks folks!

I think it's time to get hooked, hey, it's only my pride.  I can always drown my sorrows (if no place) in a homebrew.

Things could be worse, right?
 
Here is a San Diego competition...

http://www.quaff.org/AFC2005/AFCHBC.html
 
The local (so cal) competetions are usually the AHA regionals in May, Orange Co. Fair in June, LA Co. fair in July/Aug., Mammoth BrewAPalooza in Aug/Sep, Pacific Brewers Cup in Sep/Oct.

I'd also took the plunge in 2000 by entering in the OC fair, and since have got at least one ribbon each year. Last year I took 2 blue first place ribbons with the same beer (Belgian Ommegang clone).

In 2003, I entered in the AHA and took a 3rd in American Pale Ale with an off the shelf extract kit!

I have also started judging at these contests (in other categories that I did'nt enter in) and find that is the best way to understand the different styles and build knowledge of how a beer should be.

Check out a club, or ask at the local homebrew shop for info on  club/competition dates. Also Zymurgy and BYO list competitions for the country.

Go for it!
 
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