Competition Corner – March, 2011
Raise a toast to Timothy Golden, who earned the first point in the 2011 hunt for Brewer of the Year. His Special Bitter beat out a field of two other entries to win our Battle of the Bitters. His beer was submitted to the national Club-Only Competition taste-off.
Speaking of COC’s, don’t forget to bring your entries to the Club meeting on March 17th. This month’s style is Bocks, BJCP Category 5, which includes Maibock, Traditional Bock, Doppelbock and Eisbock. If you have any one of these (or more than one) bring three 12 oz. bottles to the meeting and make sure you let Carl know they are here. If possible, please also fill out an entry form, which you can download from http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/attachments/0000/0326/entry_recipe.pdf. The club picks up the entry fee, so it is free to you. If your entry is selected, we’ll ship off the two remaining bottles to the national judging site. If you lose, you can take back the two extra bottles. Or if you prefer, you can pop them open to console your losses. Looking forward, we will be judging Wood-Aged Beers at the April meeting.
Coming up quickly is the entry deadline for the AHA Nationals, due at the Culver City shop on Friday, March 25th. Only one bottle is needed for each entry, though if your beer advances to the second round, you need to send in three more. Entries fees are $9.00 for AHA members and $14.00 for non-members. Complete rules and on-line entry registration can be found at http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/pages/competitions/national-homebrew-competition.
Winners have been announced for America’s Finest City competition, hosted by QUAFF in San Diego. Congrats and the Gold go to Kristofor Barnes & John Rockwell for their Roggenbier “Roggen Hungersnot”. Also, an atta boy for Nathan Martell for a bronze medal for his American IPA. Kristofor & John’s gold means they edge out Tim for the early lead in the Brewer of the Year race with this award.
The thick part of the competition season is almost upon us. Entry deadlines have been announced for California State Fair (April 17th) and Mayfaire (April 22nd). There is still time to brew for the LA County fair. And, don’t forget Pacific Brewer’s Cup in September. Pacific Gravity will be running the competition this year. Look for a separate article on how to volunteer for this prestigious event.
2011 Brewer of the Year Competition Schedule
March 17th COC – Bock, BJCP Category #5
March 25th AHA Nationals
April 17th California State Fair – Must be packed for shipping
April 21st COC – Wood-Aged Beers, BJCP Cat #22c
April 22nd Mayfaire
July Los Angeles County Fair
August COC – Meads, BJCP Cats 24, 25 and 26.
September Pacific Brewers Cup
September COC – Specialty/Experimental/Historical Beers, BJCP Cat. 23.
October California State Homebrew Competition
November, 2011 COC – Hefeweizen, BJCP categories 15A, 15B, 15C, and 15D.
