Friday, June 09, 2006
BUZZ OFF feedback - GDS
So I figured I would share the feedback I got from the 13th annual Buzz Off competition from last Saturday. Several folks from our club entered beers, and several of us walked away with ribbons... YAY! I figured I'd type up the feedback in its unedited and raw form for folks to see.
Queen's Darkness:
Entered as: Cat 13-F (Russian Imperial)
Judge #1:
Aroma: 8/12 (Malt, very little Roast)
Appearance: 2/3 (Opaque, head OK)
Flavor: 13/20 (Malty sweet with good roasty balance. Good recipe. Very smooth through finish.)
Mouthfeel: 4/5 (Medium body – could use a bit more)
Overall Impression: 8/10 (Raise Mash temp – good recipe. Very Drinkable).
Total: 35/50
Judge #2:
Aroma: 7/12 (high fruity esters – raisins, plums – sweet malt, low malt)
Appearance: 3/3 (fine tan head that persists, black and opaque)
Flavor: 13/20 (malt dominates the initial flavor, firm hop bitterness that persists through the finish, roasted flavor is moderate, slight sourness detected, could use more roasted character)
Mouthfeel: 3/5 (mod body, moderate carbonation, some apparent astringency from hops / dark grains)
Overall Impression: 7/10 (good beer. Could use a bit more body and increased malt bill. Balance between malt and hops is nice).
Total: 33/50
Judge #3:
Aroma: 7/12 (dark roasted malts, fruity esters, no hops)
Appearance: 2/3 (opaque , almost black. Thin head of fine moussy bubbles was long-lasting)
Flavor: 15/20 (very little malt up front but the finish is drying and the roasted barley comes out very string in the drying finish. No esters.)
Mouthfeel: 3/5 (medium body, medium carbonation, no astringency)
Overall Impression: 8/10 (good beer, but needs more malt & alcohol for a RIS. Up the malt and hops. Needs more body, malt & alcohol).
Total: 35/50
Overall: 34/50 (Took second place)
My Wife’s Nutty Brown Ale:
Entered as: Cat 11-C (Northern Brown)
Judge #1:
Aroma: 7/12 (mild malt aroma, no hops, no esters.)
Appearance: 3/3 (red-amber color, excellent clarity, good head retention)
Flavor: 12/20 (moderate malt flavor, no noticeable hop flavor, low-med hop bitterness, sweet finish)
Mouthfeel: 4/5 (med body, med carbonation)
Overall Impression: 6/10 (nice malt character but needs a little more hop balance for a Northern. Would score better as a Southern.).
Total: 32/50
Judge #2:
Aroma: 6/12 (Malty sweet, caramelly hints of raisins or plums, little to no hop aroma – malt definitely dominates)
Appearance: 3/3 (Med brown with ruby highlights. Great clarity, low tan head good retention.)
Flavor: 10/20 (Malty sweet caramel toffee flavors, low hop presence in bitterness and flavor. Some dark fruit flavors – raisins – nut in the background. Needs more hope presence to balance malty sweetness.)
Mouthfeel: 3/5 (Creamy medium bodied beer with a moderate to low carbonation for style)
Overall Impression: 8/10 (a really nice beer but not to style. Malty sweet caramel flavor needs more hops to balance, or enter as a southern brown. Complex malt profile is real nice and fruity esters as well – just not for a northern English brown.).
Total: 30/50
Overall: 31/50 (Didn’t place)
So I guess here are some of the things I take away from the experience:
In addition to these I am obviously walking away with a few other constructive criticisms that I’ll use to improve in the future, but all in all I think that I did pretty good. Not as good as Mike Castagno that walked away with FIRST for IPAs…. But there is always next year. Oh woe to ye who hath not anticipated the HOPOCALYPSE. Your time will come… Mwaaa haaa haaa.
Queen's Darkness:
Entered as: Cat 13-F (Russian Imperial)
Judge #1:
Aroma: 8/12 (Malt, very little Roast)
Appearance: 2/3 (Opaque, head OK)
Flavor: 13/20 (Malty sweet with good roasty balance. Good recipe. Very smooth through finish.)
Mouthfeel: 4/5 (Medium body – could use a bit more)
Overall Impression: 8/10 (Raise Mash temp – good recipe. Very Drinkable).
Total: 35/50
Judge #2:
Aroma: 7/12 (high fruity esters – raisins, plums – sweet malt, low malt)
Appearance: 3/3 (fine tan head that persists, black and opaque)
Flavor: 13/20 (malt dominates the initial flavor, firm hop bitterness that persists through the finish, roasted flavor is moderate, slight sourness detected, could use more roasted character)
Mouthfeel: 3/5 (mod body, moderate carbonation, some apparent astringency from hops / dark grains)
Overall Impression: 7/10 (good beer. Could use a bit more body and increased malt bill. Balance between malt and hops is nice).
Total: 33/50
Judge #3:
Aroma: 7/12 (dark roasted malts, fruity esters, no hops)
Appearance: 2/3 (opaque , almost black. Thin head of fine moussy bubbles was long-lasting)
Flavor: 15/20 (very little malt up front but the finish is drying and the roasted barley comes out very string in the drying finish. No esters.)
Mouthfeel: 3/5 (medium body, medium carbonation, no astringency)
Overall Impression: 8/10 (good beer, but needs more malt & alcohol for a RIS. Up the malt and hops. Needs more body, malt & alcohol).
Total: 35/50
Overall: 34/50 (Took second place)
My Wife’s Nutty Brown Ale:
Entered as: Cat 11-C (Northern Brown)
Judge #1:
Aroma: 7/12 (mild malt aroma, no hops, no esters.)
Appearance: 3/3 (red-amber color, excellent clarity, good head retention)
Flavor: 12/20 (moderate malt flavor, no noticeable hop flavor, low-med hop bitterness, sweet finish)
Mouthfeel: 4/5 (med body, med carbonation)
Overall Impression: 6/10 (nice malt character but needs a little more hop balance for a Northern. Would score better as a Southern.).
Total: 32/50
Judge #2:
Aroma: 6/12 (Malty sweet, caramelly hints of raisins or plums, little to no hop aroma – malt definitely dominates)
Appearance: 3/3 (Med brown with ruby highlights. Great clarity, low tan head good retention.)
Flavor: 10/20 (Malty sweet caramel toffee flavors, low hop presence in bitterness and flavor. Some dark fruit flavors – raisins – nut in the background. Needs more hope presence to balance malty sweetness.)
Mouthfeel: 3/5 (Creamy medium bodied beer with a moderate to low carbonation for style)
Overall Impression: 8/10 (a really nice beer but not to style. Malty sweet caramel flavor needs more hops to balance, or enter as a southern brown. Complex malt profile is real nice and fruity esters as well – just not for a northern English brown.).
Total: 30/50
Overall: 31/50 (Didn’t place)
So I guess here are some of the things I take away from the experience:
- My beers give good head (* snicker *)
- No one really had anything overly negative to say about them
- BJCP judges like hops. Period. The wife doesn’t, and these were two of “her” beers (I brewed them to please her)
- I need to pay more attention to style if I want to enter more contests in the future (or at least match them up better)
- The overall scores all fall within the “Very Good” category (30-37), so I must be doing something right.
In addition to these I am obviously walking away with a few other constructive criticisms that I’ll use to improve in the future, but all in all I think that I did pretty good. Not as good as Mike Castagno that walked away with FIRST for IPAs…. But there is always next year. Oh woe to ye who hath not anticipated the HOPOCALYPSE. Your time will come… Mwaaa haaa haaa.
