How far can your brewing abilities take you in creating the best-tasting brew?
Year 4: Process
We'd like to invite you to join in the Fourth Annual Variant Brew Competition and design the best-tasting beer possible with a limited set of ingredients. Since we at Boeing are adept at making small improvements to our line of aircraft, we should be able to do the same for our beers. In this contest, competitors will be given a kit of ingredients, all of which must be used in the brew. The kits will include malt extract or base malt (brewer's choice), specialty grains, hops, yeast, priming sugar and bottle caps.
This year's Variant focus will be on process. The participating brewers must brew the exact recipe given. No additional variations may be added (besides water). It is up to their brewing techniques and processes to create the best brew possible. This year we will also be doing a two-phase judging. First there will be a BJCP judging of the beers assessing the technical and stylistic accuracy of the beer. Then there will be a "tasters favorite" vote at the Winter Social where the attendees will taste all entries and vote for the beer that they enjoy the most, regardless of style or technical merit. The brew with the highest average score will win the title of Supreme Variant Brew and the brewer will be dubbed Supreme Variant Homebrewer (complete with trophy).
To enter the competition, please register online at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=PE0Cnt9SFWXCg3GYH0NcyQ_3d_3d or contact Mark Emiley (206-251-1344 or markemiley @earthlink.net) to register and receive your ingredient kit. Requests must be made by September 30th. They will be prepared and available for pickup at Larry's Brewing Supply in Kent, WA. There is a $10 entry fee for extract kits and a $5 entry fee for all-grain kits, payable to BEWBC.
This year's base style will be an English Mild (BJCP Cat 11A)
Contest Rules
- All ingredients provided in the ingredient kit must be used in accordance with the recipe.
- Processing aids such as Irish moss, gelatin, and water treatments may be used.
- The batch size is 5 gallons. The brewers must provide six brown, unmarked 12 oz bottles. Entries must be dropped off at Larry's brewing supply before 5:00 pm on the day before Winter Social or chilled bottles can also be brought to the Winter Social but must arrive at the starting time of the social (you can come up to 30 minutes early as people will be setting up). The bottles must be capped with caps provided in the ingredient kit and should be labeled with an AHA/BJCP bottle ID (http://www.bjcp.org/SCP_BottleID.pdf).
- There are no limitations on brewing techniques provided nothing else is added to the beer. The only limitation is that the techniques used must accommodate the recipe.
- Competitors must be registered BEWBC and BEEWBC members (family too). One entry per person.
Supplied Ingredients
(Core recipe based off of English Mild, BJCP Cat 11A)
5.25 lbs Light Malt Extract (Bulk Briess) or 6.75 lbs Gambrinus Pale Malt
0.5 lbs 60 L Briess Crystal Malt
0.375 lb 120 L Briess Crystal Malt
0.25 lb Pale Chocolate Malt
0.125 lb Black Patent Malt
1 oz EKG @ 4.0% AA - 60 minutes
¾ Cup Priming Sugar
60 Bottle Caps
1 Pack Dry Yeast