Results from 17th Annual Peach State Brew Off

I got the scores and judging sheets back from the PSBO a while back. A surprising thing is that only one bier was noted as having a flaw which was a mild astringency in the 3.2% abv super hoppy specialty ale. Generally the comments were the wood aged bier and weizen were good but not 'enough' to style. The specialty bier was judged as being out of balance and received the lowest score. The results and a few comments are as follows:

Wood Aged Northern English Brown - Score 28 - This bier was 13-14 months old, about 6 months beyond it's prime but still a fine bier. Judges commented the bier was good or very good but the wood and bourbon which were fairly well done over-powered the base bier. Plus my bier was first in the flight which might have effected this perception. All in all I couldn't disagree with their assertions.

Weissbier/Weizenbier - Score 26.5 - This score was to be expected. I did learn the bier is a bit too bitter for style which I hadn't previously realized. Otherwise the judges properly dinged me for excessive fruitiness, slight bubblegum, and low spice. I agree with all except the spice as I get an almost perfect amount of clove spice up front and a hint in the finish.

Specialty Bier Americanized Ordinary Bitter hopped to IPA levels - Score 24 - A big thing which hurt this bier is judging from the judges notes which didn't mention IPA hopping levels I believe this information didn't make it to the judges table. Otherwise they are correct that the bier is a bit thin but dinged me for it being hop centric or out of balance which was much of the point to the bier. I'll be making an updated version of this with a darker crystal malt, higher mash temp, & adjusting the hopping.

Conclusion... I entered a bunch of biers made for flavor not bjcp events and the judging showed. I don't have a big gripe with any of the judges conclusions though I do differ on a few points. All in all they did a great job judging, I see the biers 90% or so as they do. Now to brew more and enter another event! I'm currently mixing up many BIG biers and session ales. For instance I've got a RIS aging, am brewing a Scotch Strong, and will follow that up with a smoked porter. Next the redo of the Specialty bier from above, then I'll be putting a 1.100 Barleywine on the yeast cake before returning to another session brew! Finally I've got to get around to that Imperial IPA!

Peach State Brew Off Results

Checked online this morning as I have the past couple of days, I'm so impatient, and the results for the 17th Annual PSBO are in. As expected none of my entries placed. I can't wait to get the results back to see what the judges feedback looks like.

I'll venture a guess at where my 3 biers fell short.

1-Hefeweizen - Only 30 something percent wheat, too high ferm. temps, too estery. This was an attempted clone so I knew these were flaws/potential flaws.

2-Wood Aged Brown Ale - Overcarbed, otherwise a very nice bier, we'll see what the judges say.

3-Specialty OB/APA/IPA - Fine bier, but not a brew that'll pull off a good showing in a category with all types of over the top style interpretations.

Froo Froo Beer Drink

Bier appreciation can be about accepting things as they are and judging them as such. It can also be about thinking totally different when it comes to bier. For instance most people have never thought of bier mixed drinks with the exception of bier with liquor as in an Irish Car Bomb. Yet bier is a great medium to explore as you would a punch or lighter summer styled drinks. After all one of the advantages the average bier has is it's relatively low alcohol. By taking something hovering around 4-5% abv and thinning it with a non-alcoholic liquid such as juice in an amount of 10-25% or more it becomes easier to imbibe without overdoing. Plus when working with an already fairly un-bitter and quite fruity ale like a Bavarian Hefe or Belgian Wit it's a natural fit to make mixed fruit drinks. The video below was done on a whim while I was trying to RDWHAHB during a recent brew day. The application of such a method would seem to be quite extensive with the use of watermelon, strawberries, berry medleys, etc.

I hope you enjoy the rather simple video below and are motivated to try a mixed bier of a different kind soon!

Competition Update & More

I received a mass email from the organizer of the Peach State Brew Off today. Seems this competition is a good bit larger than I first thought. Through earlier emails I had learned the competition was expecting 400-430 entries. Well they saw a big jump in entries this year. 582 entries was the final count, 582! I aint got a prayer! Apparently this makes this year's edition of the PSBO the 75th largest homebrew competition ever in the US, the 45th largest regional competition.

I'm currently working on a short video of a fruit drink I made using the Explication wheat ale. Also I've got baby chicks hatching and will probably post up a few pics on them and perhaps an article on farm life. Might be nice to catalog my little homestead!

Small Batch Parti-gyle

So all-grain brewing is a mystery... too complicated... takes to much equipment or perhaps you're confused about how a parti-gyle brew session works. Not so fast my friend! In the video I demonstrate just how easy counter top all-grain brewing can be. I purposefully skipped being too detailed in the how and exactly why of what is going on in the video because that information is available in spades across the net.

Also this is intended as entertainment as much as it is informative. Hopefully it's at least a minor success in both regards.

What you need to know, this is my first parti-gyle brew of any size. I read Randy Mosher's informative article available here, Click Here The three tables Randy provides are extremely helpful as they address several areas one needs to address when attempting a split batch/parti-gyle estimating O.G., estimated extract, & estimated color.

Beers of the SEC

While reading an online post ascribing characteristics of a certain bier to a certain person I thought, why not apply the analogy to the world of sports? Of course the world of sports for me starts with the Southeastern Conference, particularly football, let's be honest only football.

So if each school were a bier, which bier style would they be, and what's the best commercial example to ascribe to each school? Here are the biers of the SEC in alphabetical order.

Alabama - The Tide needs a bier with staying power that can withstand the test of time. They also need a bier steeped in tradition yet thoroughly modern and in vogue. Wow this is a hard choice between a BIG bold barleywine and an age old yet thoroughly modern classic like a Trappist ale. Not being able to decide I'm going with Alabama as the Russian Imperial Stout of SEC football, dark and imposing. Commercial example - Ten Fidy or Oak Aged Yeti.

Arkansas - Woo Pig Sooie! Along with South Carolina the Razorbacks are the newest addition to the SEC, yet they have a long history of athletic success on the gridiron and beyond. Arkansas is best described as competitive, entertaining, and withstanding the test of time fairly well. Thusly Arkansas is something of an entertaining quaffable ale, perhaps they're best described as a tasty Brown ale. Best commercial example is possibly Turbodog.

Auburn - The Tigers deserve something fitting of their status as a strong program with lots of star power, think Bo Jackson one of collegiate athletics all-time greats. Given the current editions failures on defense and creative prowess on offense I think the Tigers would best be described as a Belgian Pale Ale. Commercial example - Pranqster.

Florida - With brash Gator-Chomp in tow, the Gator faithful stand behind their team. Something of a johnny-come-lately in SEC athletics, they've certainly made a statement! Bold & fresh are what come to mind when I think of Florida so I equate them to a big bitter spicy India Pale Ale. Commercial example - Racer 5 or Hop Rod Rye.

Georgia - With Heisman winners Frank Sinkwich & Herschel Walker being among the south's favorite sons the Dawgs have produced some memories over the years. Much like LSU, capable but rarely living up to the possibilities this is still an enjoyable team to pull for. Filled with complexity and entertainment the Bulldogs are absolutely a bier deserving of respect but left grasping for truly elite status. They are a Dopplebock. Commercial example - Paulaner Salvator.

Kentucky - One of the best coaching jobs in the business of late has been done by Rich Brooks, and I respect that! Yet this is the university that could have had Paul Bryant & Adolph Rupp as it's coaching legends but decided to give one a new car and the other a cigarette lighter. Curious move indeed. Watching the Wildcats in a good year is medicine for the soul as the perpetual underdogs continually impress with their level of good fundamental play. Kentucky is the Wit Beer of SEC football, straight forward with just a hint of spice. Of course this makes the Wildcats a Hoegaarden.

Louisiana State - The mirror image of Georgia, only with much more success of late due to the resurrection performed by Nick Saban and Co. One of the all-time classic college football clips is Heisman winner Billy Cannons long weaving touchdown run in the mud against a top flight Ole Miss team. Much like that run the atmosphere before a game outside the stadium is also legendary in college football circles. Anything to do with the Bayou Bengals needs to have bold flavors yet a smoothness to go with good cuisine. LSU is the Porter of the SEC, dark and robust! Commercial example - Anchor Porter or Fuller's London Pride.

Mississippi - The team with a good history that has done little in the modern era. Sadly that's a fitting description for the Rebels. On the bright side, or dim depending on how you want to look at it, Ole Miss fans like to brag, 'we may lose the game but we never lose a party!' Great attitude for the party, not so much for athletics. The beer that best fits Ole Miss is probably an easy drinking Scottish Ale, Scotch ale's smaller less complex yet more versatile brother. Besides a St. Andrews cross fits right in at an Ole Miss game! Commercial example - Pyramid's Tilted Kilt.

Mississippi State - Depending on your perspective the Bulldogs are arguably the most sickly program in the SEC, Vanderbilt being the main competition. But that's not to say they are without merit or unworth of being considered for a quaffable ale! MSU is like an American Dark Lager, mild flavors not quite interesting and quaffable. Commercial example - Leinenkugels Creamy Dark.

South Carolina - The team with the best fan support for such a mediocre program. Sure there's been a bright spot or two, but producing a consistent winner at South Carolina has proven to be tougher than a box of nails. The good news is that few fan bases pack out the stadium year after year after year after year after each year is considered a failure. Gotta love persistence and can-do attitude so the Gamecocks are the mixed bag of the sports world just like California Common AKA Steam beer. Commercial example - Anchor Steam

Tennessee - How many times do you have to watch a Tennessee game before you know that Rocky Top is gonna blare with the most marginal of accomplishments, ONCE is the answer. Given the perpetual playing of Rocky Top, running out of the T, and the checked endzones the Volunteers are one of the most recognizable teams in collegiate athletics. That doesn't even mention their particular shade of orange which is surprisingly close to hunters orange. Recognizable, long lasting, and historic are terms one could use to describe Tennessee or an English Barleywine. Commercial example - Anchor Old Foghorn.

Vanderbilt - I typically save the best for last, not today! Undoubtedly the most failure prone program in the long history of the SEC. Sure they were a fine team way back in the leather helmet day, but if asked what have you done for me lately the answer would return, "mostly nothing". With passion matched by a church mouse the fan base is sometimes outnumbered in their own stadium. Now I like most find it easy to root for the Commodores when they're not playing my team. There can be only one antidote for the wine sippers in Nashville, Malt Liquor! Commercial example - Three Floyds Dolemite.

Competition Time

Earlier today I shipped my entries to the Peach State Brew Off. I had 3 entries:

Category 15A Weizen - Entered my recently brewed Explication hefe brewed with T-58

Prospects: I expect it'll be judged as too fruity for style, too high a fermentation temp.

Category 22C Wood-Aged - Entered 15 month old Northern English Brown wood-aged with hand selected & cured Hickory wood spiced with Bourbon.

Prospects: I feel best about this beer's flavor profile, but it's terribly over-carbed, otherwise it has a shot.

Category 23 Specialty Beer - Entered a 4 month old First Wort Hopped multi-styled ale. Ordinary Bitter strength (3.2% abv), Am. Pale Ale grain bill, and IPA bitterness (70+ smooth IBUs).

Prospects: Have no idea how this one will fair. It's a solid flavorful offering, depends on how the judges approach it.

I have no idea of exactly how large the competition is. However my entries were issued a number 1096-1098. I'm doubting this is a competition with over 1000 entries thus I'm guessing I'm entering biers 96-98. If this is true I'm guessing the competition will have less than 200 entrants, possibly substantially fewer. The cost is $7 per entry thus my cost are as follows:

$7 x 3 = $21 + $9.60 Shipping = $30.60 Competition cost

Plus cost of each bier at $.60 x 6 = $3.60 + $30.60 = $34.20 Total cost

Being honest I'm hoping to do well, but considering this is my first competition I have NO idea of what to expect. No matter the results it's pretty exciting!