Home Brew Forum Competition Rules.

Rules Edited 16/8/2017


Participants

-All entries have to be submitted by the last day of the calendar month. This means all entries have to be with the judge on this date. Any which arrive after this date will not get included in the competition.
-Winners will be announced two weeks after or earlier on the Homebrew Forum.
-Participants must submit at least 2x330ml bottles (or similar size) or 1x500ml (or similar size) bottle. Each bottle must be labelled as below. If one bottle is submitted, it is up to the judge if they want to include the participant in the competition.

-bottles must contain:
-The brewers name
-Forum alias
-Name of beer
-Style
-ABV%

-It’s not necessary, but the participant may include any other information such as IBU, OG, FG etc. This will not score any extra points though.
-Participants can enter multiple beers per competition, however only one may compete for a winning position. This will be the beer with the highest score.
-Participants can only win up to three competitions in a row. If they win three competitions in a row, they may enter a fourth to get feedback on their beer, but cannot win. The fifth competition they are allowed to compete again.
-Any bottles sent in the post is at the participants’ risk.
-Any costs incurred from creating, posting or packaging the beer is the responsibility of the participant.
-Participants must have active accounts on http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/.
-The winner is at the discretion of the judge and their word is final.
-Winner will go down in the Homebrew Forum Hall of Fame. There may be sponsored prizes as well however this isn’t guaranteed.
-Unless otherwise stated, recipes can be original work, from a recipe or a clone.
-Beers can be all grain, partial, extract or kit, unless otherwise stated.
-Winning beers may require their recipe submitted online. Recipes do not need to be submitted to the judge.
-There is no fee for entering the competition and no money should change hands between The Homebrew Forum, the judge, or any third party in relation to entering the competition.
-Any other notes which will help the judge make the most out of an entry may be included. This could be details on the right temperature to drink it at, the correct glass to pour it in etc. This will not score any extra points.

Judges

-Beers must be judged within 2 weeks of the closing date.
-Every entry needs to have feedback provided. This should be constructive and positive.
-If an entry does not conform to these rules, it is up to the judge whether to include them in the competition. The judge should give feedback to as many participants as possible, even if they are disqualified from the competition.
-Any beers that arrive after the closing date cannot enter the competition. Judges can provide feedback if they wish, but cannot award a late entrant a prize.
-Artwork will not score extra points, unless specified in the competition beforehand.
-If a bottle is broken in the post, or on opening the bottle gushes, it is at the judges’ discretion whether to enter it into the competition.
-The named judge for that competition is responsible for judging and providing feedback. They can ask for help from friends or other forum members to taste all the beers, however it’s their responsibility ultimately that a winner is chosen and feedback is sent on time.
-Entrants must be judged fairly against the competition style for that month. Beers should be similar to the style of the month and it’s the judge’s discretion on a case by case basis whether the beer conforms.
-Judges must give a UK address to participants which can accept parcels before the judging month begins. This address will be given to participants.
-All feedback must be filled out on a supplied feedback form and sent back to the participant as a private message. Unless agreed previously, no feedback can be publically shared.

Something that came up during judging yesterday was that it would be helpful if the entry label indicated if the beer has been fined or if there is an intentional cloudiness so that appearance can be scored correctly. Maybe something to be added to the label?

DoctorMick said:

Something that came up during judging yesterday was that it would be helpful if the entry label indicated if the beer has been fined or if there is an intentional cloudiness so that appearance can be scored correctly. Maybe something to be added to the label?

Click to expand...

Interesting point, but if there are style guidelines, then I think it's best to follow that. For something like an IPA which can be clear or cloudy, then it's left to the interpretation of the Brewer. For a lager, it should be clear, unless it's an unfiltered lager where cloudiness is acceptable.

I can add a note to the rules though as a suggestion to put something like "intentionally cloudy" on the label, but probably best to keep it up to the Brewer if they want to add anything at all on the notes.