Dave, Desiree, Beer & Wine

Entries from FOAM Cup 2009

Being an organizer for homebrew competitions sometimes makes you forget that not everyone has entered a competition before. So I thought it would be a good idea to go over some common questions I get about entering competitions.

Do I need to be present in order to enter?

No, you don’t need to be at the competition.  In fact, most competitions receive entries from all over the country so being present would be impossible.  To be honest, you would probably be a bit bored watching judges methodically going over the beers writing their feedback.

How do I enter?

Most competitions have online registration to enter your beers.  This is really the best way to enter your beers.  You go to their website, register and create your entries.  Once you have created your entries, you will print the bottle labels and attach them to your beers. It is very straight forward once you know what you are supposed to do.

The FOAM Cup website is http://FOAMCup.us

What bottles can I use?

Virtually all competitions accept green and brown bottles between 12-14 oz.  Clear bottles are not acceptable. The bottles usually are allowed to have raised lettering but the bottles MUST have all labels and identifying marks removed.  However, all competitions have their own rules so you should always read their requirements before entering.  If your bottle cap is labeled you should mark it out with a sharpie.

How many bottles to I need to send?

You will need at least 2 bottles per entry.  Some competitions ask for 3 bottles.  Check the rules for the exact requirements.

Why so many bottles?

One bottle is needed for the actual judging of the beer in its category.  If your beer wins a gold medal then the second bottle is used for the “Best of Show” judging.  The BOS takes all the gold medal winners and they are all judged against each other to determine who the best of the best is.  Some competitions are so large they have to split the categories into smaller groups. The top 2-3 beers form the smaller groups are then brought together and the winner is selected from these beers.  It is referred to a mini best of show round.  Sometimes these competitions request three bottles so that they can have a fresh bottle for the mini BOS and still have one for the actual Best of Show judging.

What if I don’t know what category my beer should be entered in?

When in doubt, track down the local expert.  Bring your beers to a homebrew club meeting and ask for advice.  If you have a local homebrew store, take your beers there and ask them for feedback. (If they seem irritated by your request, start using a different supplier.  Homebrew shops are there to help homebrewers and should never act putout when advice is needed.)  Beers are judged against a defined set of style guidelines.  You can have an excellent beer but if it is a pale ale and you enter it as an American Light Pilsner, it is going to score poorly.  For a complete description of the BJCP style guidelines go to http://www.bjcp.org.

How are entries identified?

Entries are initially identified by the bottle label that is printed and attached to the bottle with a rubber band by the person entering the beer.  Once an entry is received, the entry is checked in and the bottles are marked on the bottle caps with an anonymous number along with the style category and sub-style it belongs to.  The bottle labels are removed prior to being judged so the judges have no idea who the brewer is of beer they are judging.  This is only way to be truly impartial.

What can I expect from my score sheets?

Well, since we all can’t win the gold, what other reason would we have to enter competitions? The answer is feedback.  The mission statement for FOAM Cup is feedback feedback feedback.

Beers are evaluated by certified beer judges that can help point out what is wrong and what is right about your beer.  They will comment on aroma, appearance, flavor, mouthfeel and give an overall impression of your beers. Keep in mind that your beer is being judged against standardized style guidelines.

When will I get my score sheets back?

That depends on the competition.  The FOAM Cup announces the winners the evening of the competition and score sheets are mailed back along with prizes and medals the following week.  This is generally that way most competitions work.

Cheers,
Desiree Knott
desiree@highgravitybrew.com
http://www.highgravitybrew.com
http://www.examiner.com/x-16115-Tulsa-Home-Brewing-Examiner
http://www.facebook.com/highgravitybrew

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This entry was posted by Desiree Knott on Thursday, October 21st, 2010 at 6:31 pm and is filed under Homebrew Competitions, Homebrew Related Posts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.