You’ve worked your tail off brewing your beers, now that you’re going to make the leap and enter a beer or two into an upcoming competition, you need to make sure to follow the correct procedures to ensure that your beer is properly entered and stands the best chance of success and of course, accurate judging.
First off, do not take it personally. Although this is a "competition", it is also a very valuable tool for you to use in future beers as well as invaluable feedback from your current brews. The feedback you receive from the BJCP judges will allow you to see from someone else's point of view exactly what your beer is doing right and where it could be improved in future batches. You will also receive feedback from multiple judges on the same beer(s) you enter into the competition. This method really shows the difference in people's pallets and even tastes in beer when you see the differences, however subtle or contradicting they may be. And please, please remember, in the vast majority of situations, you are entering a competition run by volunteers. These people are donating their time and energy to help support their club, friends, and the homebrew movement at large. This is being done for your benefit!
When the scoring is finished, you will receive your beers score sheet back from the judges with their scoring of each of the categories [Aroma, Appearance, Flavor, Mouthfeel and Overall Impression] as well as notes on what they tasted, if you hit the mark or missed in certain categories. Below are two examples of score sheets. The first is a blank sheet and the second is a score sheet returned from the competition, just to give you an idea of what your beer(s) will be judged on.
Now that you know what to expect, let's look at some simple guidelines to follow before entering your first home brew competition.
1. Read the Rules - This may sound like a no brainer but you would be surprised how many entries a single competition receives that are not following the stated rules for that competition. Don't just skim over the rules and send in beers that may not be allowed at a competition. You don't want to risk disqualification because you failed to read through the rules before entering and sending your beer off.
2. Packing Your Beer - In most cases, competitions will require an entry to be two or three bottles at the most. Typically in 12 oz. green or brown non labeled bottles, making sure there are no identifying marks. Most competitions request that bottles be free of any labeling, professional or otherwise, and that the bottles do not have any embossing, raised lettering, etc.
Also, it is illegal to send your beer via the United States Postal Service (USPS). So make certain you use a shipping company such as UPS or FedEx to ship your beers. PACK YOUR ENTRIES WELL: Line the inside of your carton with a plastic trash bag. Partition and pack each bottle with adequate packaging material. Clearly state "GLASS-FRAGILE. THIS SIDE UP" on the package. Your package of NON-PERISHABLE FOOD should weigh less than 40 pounds. It is not necessary to state specific contents of your package of non-perishable food.
3. Entry Labels - Most competitions will request you fill out an entry label and affix it to each submitted bottle. You will want to attach this entry labels to your bottles with a rubber band. DO NOT use tape for this process. Rubber bands make it easy to remove the label and dealing with the hundreds of entries they receive. Again, these are volunteers not paid help. Make it easier on them when you can.
4. Classifying Your Beer - Make sure when you send your beers off to competitions they are properly classified for that competition. If the competition is a BJCP-sanctioned competition, then there are very specific styles of beer from which you must select. If you are in need of a list of beer style guidelines, one can be found here, http://beerborg.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=72&t=1771
Properly classifying your beer is very important as your beer will be judged against a specific set of guidelines. Even a great beer that was classified incorrectly can score rather poorly, regardless of how much the judges enjoyed it.
5. HAVE FUN !!!! - It may be labeled a competition but they are meant to be fun, educational and to help improve your brewing.
I hope this helps those that have never entered a home brew competition in the past and will shed some light on how much fun they can be. Participating in your first competition as I said can be a little intimidating. Just remember this -- Regardless of how your beer ends up in the competition you will benefit greatly. Accredited and qualified judges will provide you with very beneficial input on your beer, giving praise where warranted and aspects where it could be lacking.
Good judges will be able to not just tell you what could be wrong with your beer but offer their advice and tips to help you create a better version of that beer on your next brew day. It's not about medaling or finishing best in show. The entire point of competitions is to benefit your brewing and point you in a direction that could help you brew better beer.
