I
have been brewing for about 15 months now and I have made some pretty
good beers if I do say so myself. A few of them have tasted rather
similar to what I have bought off the shelf. Whether that is a good
or bad thing is in the mouth of the beer holder.
A
few months ago I enter my saison and bourbon barrel quagmire in a
small local competition and including me; there were only 13
participants. So instead of being a 1st, 2nd,
and 3rd place, as well as a best of show; there was only
1st place and best of show. I was kind of discouraged by
this because I didn't really get to find out where my beer stood. I
did get some decent feedback which is a primary reason why someone
new at brewing should consider competitions.
This
past weekend, a friend of mine talked me into going to the KC
Bier Meister's 32nd Annual Homebrew Competition.
Though he entered a few beers, I did not. I did register as a judge
though (as did he), which was my first experience as such and I must
say this weekend I changed as a homebrewer. I found that I do not
want to just brew good beer; I want to brew REALLY good beer and put
it in these competitions!
The
experience was amazing! I will say that what I was expecting was some
kind of comic con spectacular in a big arena with spectators crowded
in bleachers watching the judges decide the fate of their
masterpiece. It was nothing of the sort, which was just fine.
After
waking up at 4am to drive from Joplin, MO to Kansas City; I found
myself in the Communication
Workers of America Union Hall of KC. It looked more like my wife's
scrap booking crops with a dozen banquet tables laid out for all beer
geeks to sit around and analyze all 480+ beers entered into the
competition. I should also add that the competition had been going
on each evening since Tuesday so we didn't actually judge that many
that day.
Nonetheless,
it was fantastic! There was local and home brew (including my beloved
Tank 7) on tap for everyone to enjoy at their leisure. We got there
at 7:30am, just in time to pour our first glass of beer, register,
and enjoy a fantastic breakfast. We picked out the items on the
raffle wall that we could not live without and placed all of our
money on a bad ass wood barrel lid with the Boulevard smokestack
painted on it (neither of us one it...damn it!)
By
9:00am I was paired up with a master BJCP judge. For a relatively
new brewer, this is where the magic starts. The first category in
which I was placed was 'Spice/Herb/Vegetable'. With the help of
Scott, the judge I was paired with, I really learned for the first
time how to see, smell, taste, and feel a beer. It seems weird but I
think it has opened up something in my head that allows me to taste
things like I have never before, even beyond beer.
After
the first round, we had lunch and then settled in for the second
round for the day. My category was 'Specialty Beers', but
unfortunately there was not much that was special about this...sorry
to say. However, this was another good learning experience as I was
able to pick up where these beers went wrong!
I
sat down at a table with five other gents, all of them BJCP judges.
At the table next to us was a guy looking mildly agitated. The other
judges he was paired with were a no show. He sternly points to the
chair in front of him and tells me I am with him. My first
impression was that this was not going to be an overly fun
experience. That changed quickly, however one thing was clear; Mike
knew his shit! Like Scott, he showed me how to pull smells and
flavors out of the beer that I didn't know how to find before.
After
tasting some mediocre beers, evaluating them, rating them, and
ultimately deciding their fate; my view as a homebrewer changed.
Though I long to make beers someday good enough to offer to the
public, my entire perspective of making beer has changed from this
single experience. I now look at every aspect of the beer, from the
ingredients, to the water chemistry, the mash, the boil, the yeast
used, fermentation temperatures, the whole damned thing! Of course
you are thinking, “You should have been doing that the whole time!”
And I guess I have but now it kind of feels like Neo coming to the
realization that he is the one and becomes one with the Matrix. Sorry
went too geeky there but that's what it feels like: Some great
awakening!
So
with this fantastic experience, I believe my craft can go nowhere but
up. I also know that I can make a beer that has the potential of
winning competitions! That is my goal. That is what I have taken
from this weekend. I think that every brewer should have this
experience and should continue having this experience. Compete,
judge, get as much involved as you can if you are really serious
about your brewing. This has really changed my outlook for this year
on what I need to accomplish as a homebrewer!
So
going back to the event. After my judging sessions were done comes
the Spiegelau presentation. Without going into a lot of detail,
(because it deserves a post all to itself), I feel like with the
judging experience and this presentation; I tasted beer for the first
time that day. If you have not drank from one of these spectacular
pieces of glassware; DO IT! It makes a beer taste the way the brewer
intended it to! I am a believer in Spiegelau glassware!
After
the presentation, it was time to drink! My buddy and I were standing
around the beer taps sipping on our suds with a couple of other
people when someone brought in a box filled with a variety of Belgium
wild beers from Crane
Brewing Company.
The few of us soon became about twenty people all trying to get a
taste of this fantastic beer. Which by the way, forced me to
purchase AmericanSour Beers by Michael Tonsmeire.
I can't wait to dive into this book!
Finally,
after twelve hours of homebrew competition bliss, came an even more
blissful dinner paired with MORE BEER! The food was amazing! Again,
the pairing is enough for another post by itself.
The
point of this blog......oh yes! Challenge yourself! Make a beer
worthy of competition and be mindful of the BJCP category you are
entering. One thing I noticed when judging was people were entering
beer in WRONG CATEGORIES! Know your beer style and its
characteristics according to BJCP standards! Also, be a judge! It is
so eye-opening to be on the other side of the competition to see
exactly what is to be expected. Does it mean that you are guaranteed
to win because of it? If you pay attention and learn from it; you
stand a lot better chance in my book! If anything you get to carry
away from it an incredible experience.
