What is a good score for a first time home brew competitor?
I would say any score 20-30 is outstanding.
Many competitors will score 16-25 on first to 1000th try.
If you are scoring 20’s to mid 30’s your process must be sound and
may/ may not need adjustment. This is for you to ignore or pickup on IF insightful
feedback was given regarding a true fault. Many times comments can be noted that are far from what needs to be addressed/thus ignored etc…
If you hit a 40 etc… Sure all is subjective but very rarely do judges including myself award 36-45 points unless this beer meets high standards thus you are at the top of your game and can usually receive honest feedback on possible tweaks or just rave reviews when the beer enters these points levels.
Because true faults such as Contamination, Fusel Alcohols, Extreme Diacetyl, Young/ Old flavors depending on beers etc… will be the majority of points lost and comments on. Honestly at lower point levels (<16) someone cannot give honest assessment unless you can get past immediate faults that will typically earn a 16-20. Then most comments can be taken for bond about what to look at in process to improve.
Well then I guess I did alright then for my first time. I have been brewing for about 2+ years now and finally decided to try a competition. I entered 3 beers and got a 22,28 and 34. These were all first time recipe brews that were not intended for competition. Two of them were extract batches and one was my first all grain batch. My lowest score was a RIS that is a little over a year old and I think the reason for the low score on that was because I entered in the wrong category. The highest ranked beer was an IPA that I brewed back in September. The beer that scored the 28 was a NE brown ale that was my first AG. I have also improved my brewing process since then by adding a temp controlled fermentation fridge.
Sounds pretty good! I’ve been thinking about doing this lately but just haven’t gotten around to it. Did you get any good comments/feedback on your brews?
I’d say it’s more about when you enter your first competition rather than it just being your first. Getting comfortable with your process first is important. And then using the feedback you get to fine tune that process will help you make better beer and hopefully get you excited to compete again. I had been brewing about 4 years before my wife talked me into entering my first competition so I had a bit of experience under my belt already. I scored a 42 on my Boh Pils and the judges were certified, certified, and non-BJCP. So I was very happy with my results and got some nice feedback from the national judges who judged the best of show.
This past year I entered again and had AJ deLange (BJCP - National) judge my Light Lager and Tom Cannon (BJCP - Grand Master) judge my barley wine. I scored a 38 and 37 respectively and got some really great feedback on the scoresheet. I must say it’s great to get your beer into the hands of a really experienced judge and have them enjoy your beer.
And I’m even more pumped up for this years competition! :cheers:
One exercise i have taken to doing is scoring the beer myself… sit down with the categroy specs and taste your beer and score it out blindly, around the date of the actual comp. Then you will know if your score is “good” or not. If you think a beer is a 40 and it scores a 26, then, the score is not as good. Notice I didn’t say the beer is not as good.
I am still waiting for my score sheets to come in the mail. The competition website had my results posted when I logged in to my account. All I could see was the score. I am hoping to get score sheets today in the mail.
This is from a bjcp cover sheet; 0 to 13 points-- problem. 14 to 20-- fair. 21 to 29–good. 30 to 37-- very good. 38 to 44-- excellent. 45 to 50-- world class. This is from a bjcp scoring form; aroma is worth up to 12 points, that is malt, hops esters and other aromatics. appearance is worth up to 3 points, that is color, clarity and head. flavor is worth up to 20 points,that is malt, hops, fermantation flavors, balance and finish/aftertaste. Mouthfeel is worth up to 5 points, that is body, carbonation, warmth, astringency and palate sensations. And the last one wich is overall impression is worth up to 10 points, that is comments on overall drinking pleasure. the judges will give feedback on all categories. happy brewing!
[quote=“ITsPossible”]I would say any score 20-30 is outstanding.
Many competitors will score 16-25 on first to 1000th try.
If you are scoring 20’s to mid 30’s your process must be sound and
may/ may not need adjustment. This is for you to ignore or pickup on IF insightful
feedback was given regarding a true fault. Many times comments can be noted that are far from what needs to be addressed/thus ignored etc…
If you hit a 40 etc… Sure all is subjective but very rarely do judges including myself award 36-45 points unless this beer meets high standards thus you are at the top of your game and can usually receive honest feedback on possible tweaks or just rave reviews when the beer enters these points levels.
Because true faults such as Contamination, Fusel Alcohols, Extreme Diacetyl, Young/ Old flavors depending on beers etc… will be the majority of points lost and comments on. Honestly at lower point levels (<16) someone cannot give honest assessment unless you can get past immediate faults that will typically earn a 16-20. Then most comments can be taken for bond about what to look at in process to improve.[/quote]
I’m glad to hear this. I’ve entered beers into non-BJCP comps where no actual scoring is done, so there’s no real feedback. I did enter a Patersbier into a BJCP comp (my first every entry) and I got scores of 26, 28, 28. Not understanding the scoring process very well these scores seem crappy. But now I understand they’re not bad, especially for a first time entry and at that point under 1 year of brewing.
What’s the best source of info on competitions, timeframes, processes, etc?
I am not ready to enter anything, but curious.
[quote=“HaleBrewer”]What’s the best source of info on competitions, timeframes, processes, etc?
[/quote]
Right here:
http://www.bjcp.org/compcenter.php
Cheers!!!
I was very pleased with the comments I got from judges at this years Cascade Brewers Cup/Puget Sound ProAm. The comments were very helpful and give me some good pointers on improving my entries next time around. Scored a 43 for a stout (honorable mention) a 40 for an apa and several other beers in the mid to upper 30’s
