First Round of 2010 NHC

[TastyMcD]

I big thanks to Brian Cooper organizer for the NHC West region and assistant organizer Jon Koerber for the great job they did running the competition and getting the scoresheets into our hands today. I just made a starter for a re-brew that I will do this weekend.

My Imperial American Brown (Janet's Brown) will get a chance to defend category 23. My IPA (Celebration Clone) will be looking for its second final round ribbon and my fruit beer (Peach Dortmunder) will be going for it's third. (This is my seventh year entering.)

Scoring well but left in the dump bucket were my Tasty APA (45.5) and my category 10c Janet's Brown (40). That was a little painful but I rationalize they were victims of the AHA recapping on oxygen beer abuse and disrespect methodology.

I hope to see a whole bunch of my BN brewing brother's beers in Minnesota for the second round. No recapping station there.

Tasty

rub it in tasty....
so do you know that your APA and janet's brown did not make the second round despite good scores?

Yes, I received my scoresheets and in addition to my score, there's an indication as as to whether the beer advanced to the second round.

The first round of the AHA-NHC is a one bottle competition where judges use the first half of the bottle to decide if the beer is worthy to be re-capped and advance to a second, side-by-side tasting, called mini Best Of Show. It's a complete rationalization to think that the beer (by my experience, especially the hoppy ones) isn't getting screwed up by recapping and subsequent degassing. This is a real beer competition to the participants and volunteer judges. I've been involved a number of years and we go to great efforts to make sure the beers are treated very well prior to judging. We take it very seriously. I'm not convinced everyone does.

Sorry for the rant, I have a deep respect for the competitors and their well made beers. Not just their nine dollars.

Tasty

[hopbumpingbrewer]

Well said Mike.

[glasseye]

It would be nice if the online entry system was updated with scores once judging is complete and the database has been processed.

[TapItGood]

I big thanks to Brian Cooper organizer for the NHC West region and assistant organizer Jon Koerber for the great job they did running the competition and getting the scoresheets into our hands today. I just made a starter for a re-brew that I will do this weekend.

My Imperial American Brown (Janet's Brown) will get a chance to defend category 23. My IPA (Celebration Clone) will be looking for its second final round ribbon and my fruit beer (Peach Dortmunder) will be going for it's third. (This is my seventh year entering.)

Scoring well but left in the dump bucket were my Tasty APA (45.5) and my category 10c Janet's Brown (40). That was a little painful but I rationalize they were victims of the AHA recapping on oxygen beer abuse and disrespect methodology.

I hope to see a whole bunch of my BN brewing brother's beers in Minnesota for the second round. No recapping station there.

Tasty

rub it in tasty....
so do you know that your APA and janet's brown did not make the second round despite good scores?

Yes, I received my scoresheets and in addition to my score, there's an indication as as to whether the beer advanced to the second round.

The first round of the AHA-NHC is a one bottle competition where judges use the first half of the bottle to decide if the beer is worthy to be re-capped and advance to a second, side-by-side tasting, called mini Best Of Show. It's a complete rationalization to think that the beer (by my experience, especially the hoppy ones) isn't getting screwed up by recapping and subsequent degassing. This is a real beer competition to the participants and volunteer judges. I've been involved a number of years and we go to great efforts to make sure the beers are treated very well prior to judging. We take it very seriously. I'm not convinced everyone does.

Sorry for the rant, I have a deep respect for the competitors and their well made beers. Not just their nine dollars.

Tasty

Are you saying sometimes the best beers don't advance?

[InsaneInTheGrain]

Damn Tasty, a 45.5 on the APA and it lost... damn!

From what I can see the single bottle testing is pretty rough! Lots of time for problems to set in or flavors to be lost.

[nahthan]

Good point Tasty.. Seems to me like the 1st round should really be a 2 bottle competition. More work to cellar and deal with, but considering most other competitions are 3 bottles, the volunteers who are used to dealing with this sort of thing won't be completely blindsided..

[TastyMcD]

Good point Tasty.. Seems to me like the 1st round should really be a 2 bottle competition. More work to cellar and deal with, but considering most other competitions are 3 bottles, the volunteers who are used to dealing with this sort of thing won't be completely blindsided..

Exactly, it's barely any more work for two bottles. My beers are getting better treatment and as good an evaluation (same judges) from the regional compeititons I enter. I would expect the AHA comp to be the epitomy of well designed and executed competitions. I don't think that's possible when a judge tastes 6-9 beers then has to sit on a mini-BOS panel and taste another 4-8 poorly treated beers. I think the single bottle approach was instituted to maximize the number of entries. Okay, that worked already. Now lets make the focus finding the best beers in the country, not how many $9 entry fees you can collect.

Tasty

[leaky_porch]

Good point Tasty.. Seems to me like the 1st round should really be a 2 bottle competition. More work to cellar and deal with, but considering most other competitions are 3 bottles, the volunteers who are used to dealing with this sort of thing won't be completely blindsided..

Exactly, it's barely any more work for two bottles. My beers are getting better treatment and as good an evaluation (same judges) from the regional compeititons I enter. I would expect the AHA comp to be the epitomy of well designed and executed competitions. I don't think that's possible when a judge tastes 6-9 beers then has to sit on a mini-BOS panel and taste another 4-8 poorly treated beers. I think the single bottle approach was instituted to maximize the number of entries. Okay, that worked already. Now lets make the focus finding the best beers in the country, not how many $9 entry fees you can collect.

Tasty

well said, tasty.