Just got results back from my first time entering a competition - entered 8 beers in the AHA National Comp. through the St. Paul regional. I have to say that I was pleased with the comments and feedback. There were some very constructive comments that I think I can apply to the next batches of those beers. That was the main reason I entered - to get my beers assessed in an unbiased fashion. Also, I have never really spent much time “brewing to style” so it was interesting to see how the beers came in compared to style guidelines. One of my favorite beers, that tastes great and I could drink all day long came in as my lowest scorer - because it had several areas where it did not fit the style well.
I did manage one beer at 41.5, four at 31.5-34.5, a 28 and two at 22.5. The two 22.5’s basically missed the mark on style. Not sure what those scores really mean as I have not entered before, but it is certainly something I think I will do more as the feedback is interesting to get and read through.
One question - if it says “this beer advanced to mini-BOS round” - what exactly does that mean? Is there a certain number that advance? Or a certain score and above?