Surly Bitter Brewer BJCP?

Has anyone ever entered NB’s Surly Bitter Brewer Pro Kit into a BJCP sanctioned event, if so what category/subcategory did you enter it into? Any results? I’ve brewed some up and I quite like it, however I’m not sure if it fits into the British Pale Ale category/subcategories very well due to the aggressive hop profile?

Any suggestions?

I haven’t tried this beer but looking at the recipe, I think it is a hybrid between American Pale Ale (10A) and British Pale Ale (8C ESB). If I made this beer and wanted to enter it in a competition, I would enter it in both of the above categories. I have had hybrid beers place in both categories in some comps and had the same beer dinged as being out of style in both categories in other comps.

I was thinking the same thing. The aroma and initial mouthfeel/taste are quite similar to an APA but there is that consistent bitter profile as well like the ESB from the malt/hop profile. I feel like the citrusy/marmalade flavors also meld well with the APA. I’ll definitely take your advice and enter them into both categories and see how I do.

Well I finally got my bjcp feedback for this brew. It faired much better in the American Pale Ale category (10A) than the British ESB category (8C). I scored only a 19 in 8C but a 29 in 10A. It certainly does fall in between categories. The 8C group took the marmalade/American hop aroma/taste to be a sanitation flaw which I found interesting and one 8C judge said he could taste clove which I don’t pick up at all and I believe was mistaken for the fruity character of this beer perhaps? Definitely interesting to compare the two results. I’ve tasted the real version of this beer and my take was pretty close.

Surly is very good about not keeping to style, but Damn they make good beer. Maybe the specialty category next time.

They certainly do make a kick a** beer! I’ll definitely have to throw a couple of the remaining bottles into another comp in the specialty category to see how they do.

P.S. your signature says you’ve got an APA made with zythos, what do you think of that varietal? One of my local breweries uses them in their American wheat beer and I love them!