CSB Pro-Am: Advanced to the final field

[swenocha]

Well, I entered a beer into the CSB Pro-Am competition. It is an open-field tournament format competition, which is very different than most I've been involved with. Beers are randomly paired and tasted in a double-blind tasting. Favorite beer advances. The first rounds pare the entries down to 64, from which the beers will be slotted NCAA tournament style into a 64 beer bracket for the second weekend of competition. The challenge, of course, is that you aren't being judged to style, you may get paired with a beer that is a favorite style of the judges, and you don't get any judging feedback. The good news, if you should happen to win, is that you get to brew your beer on the CSB equipment, put the beer on tap in the restaurant, take home a 5 gallon portion of the brew, submit the beer to the GABF pro-am, and you get to make the trip, all expenses paid, for the GABF. Though the odds are long, it is a prize well worth pursuing.

I entered a few last year but none advanced to the second weekend. I knew when I submitted them that they were not quite ready. I liked both of them much better a month or so beyond the competition. This year I submitted a Belgian that I did last year, so that wasn't a problem. Pretty happy it got out of the first weekend, and though the odds are long, I hope it can advance at least a couple rounds (I feel like a mid-major in the NCAA). I think I may attend the judging, if schedule permits...

[Gymrat]

Cool! Sounds like you will be going to the GABF this year.

[BigPapaG]

Awesome Swen! Very cool, congrats!

Best of luck in the final field!

[BlackDuck]

That is awesome! Good luck in the upcoming rounds.

[Inkleg]

That sounds pretty cool swen, you know we're rooting for ya.

[FrozenInTime]

Nice! I wish you the best of luck!

[swenocha]

Well, so far I know that I didn't win (of course, the odds were long for that happening), but I'm waiting for the blog post to see where I finished. I've had the beer that has won, made by the head of one of the local homebrew clubs, and there was no shame in losing to such a fine beer.