Second Annual ABC Brews Crews Competition
Official Rules
1. Any non-commercial, home-produced beer brewed by a person living in the U.S. is eligible for entry. Mead and cider may not be entered.
2. The official style guidelines for this competition are the latest Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) Beer Style Guidelines. These guidelines can be found on the BJCP website at http://www.bjcp.org/.
3. Entrants may submit as many beers as they wish, but are limited to one entry per BJCP style subcategory (e.g., BJCP Style 8A, Ordinary Bitter).
4. Entries may not be submitted in the name of another person. An entrant is defined as the person or persons who have actively contributed to the brewing of the entry. An entrant may not be an entire homebrew club.
5. No member of an entrant may submit another entry of the same subcategory, whether as an individual entrant, a member of the same entrant, or a member of another entrant.
6. Every entry must be declared a particular category and subcategory according to these guidelines and designated this way in the on-line registration process. For entries in BJCP Categories 20-23 (fruit, spice, herb, vegetable, smoked, wood-aged, and specialty beers), the entrant must also specify the underlying style of the beer and the special ingredients used.
7. Each entry must consist of two bottles of at least ten ounces from the same batch of beer, which have no labels or identifying marks. Caps with any markings must be blackened with a marker. Commercially available bottles from widely distributed beers are acceptable. Unique bottles will be allowed only at the discretion of the Competition Director.
8. Every entry must be registered via the on-line registration system found at this address:
http://www.HordsOfFun.Com/hbc.rw/regwiz.aspx?w=04090B0A18
After registering the entry, the system will generate a completed bottle identification label for each bottle. These labels must be printed and attached to each bottle with a rubber band. Do not use glue or tape to secure the labels to the bottles.
9. Entries must be shipped to arrive at the Corner Brewery, 720 Norris St, Ypsilanti, MI 48198 between Saturday, May 17, and Sunday, June 1, 2008. Hand-delivered entries may be brought to the Corner Brewery between 2-5pm on open days. A competition registrar will be present at the Corner Brewery to accept hand delivery of entries on May 31 and June 1, 2008. Recipe submission is not required at the time of entry.
10. The entry fee is $6.00 per entry. Make checks payable to Aron Butler, Competition Director, and include them in the package with the beer and entry labels.
11. BJCP styles that receive a small number of entries may be aggregated to make competition for prizes more meaningful (see additional information below).
12. A panel of at least two judges will judge each entry. No judge will be assigned to a category in which they are an entrant. First, second, and third prizes may be awarded in each category at the judge's discretion.
13. Once submitted, all entries become the property of the Competition Director and will not be returned.
14. Failure to observe these competition guidelines may result in disqualification of the entry.
15. The Competition Director will settle any questions or disputes and all decisions are final. Remember, this is all in the name of fun and friendly rivalry.
Aggregation of Styles
Certain BJCP styles will initially be combined into prize categories to make for a better competition, as shown in the table below. Individual styles may be split out into their own flights if there are sufficient entries in that style. This decision will be made by the competition organizers after all entries are received.
Note that while prize categories may be combined, each beer is judged according to the BJCP guidelines for the style under which it was entered.
BJCP Style Numbers
BJCP Style Names
1, 6
Light Lager, Light Hybrid
2, 3, 4, 5
Pilsner, European Amber Lager, Dark Lager, Bock
7, 15
Amber Hybrid, German Wheat/Rye
8, 11
English Pale Ale, English Brown Ale
9, 19
Scottish and Irish Ale, Strong Ale
10
American Ale
12, 13
Porter, Stout
14
India Pale Ale
16, 17
Belgian/French Ale, Sour Ale,
18
Belgian Strong Ale
20, 21, 22, 23
Fruit, Spice/Herb/Vegetable, Smoke/Wood Aged, Specialty
Judging and Awards
Beers will be judged according to the current BJCP (Beer Judge Certification Program) style guidelines for the appropriate subcategory. These guidelines will be used to determine how closely your beer matches the style. Thus, it is very important that you choose the style that your beer most closely matches. The standard BJCP 50-point rating scale will be used for judging, with a minimum of 21 points required for an entry to be eligible for an award.
All judging will take place on June 7th, including determination of the Best of Show (BOS) entry. First place winners in each prize group will receive engraved mugs, and second and third place winners will receive medals stating the competition name and year. An informal awards presentation will be held immediately following the BOS judging round (approximately 6pm), where prizes will be presented to any entrants present. Remaining prizes and score sheets will be mailed to winners unless other arrangements are made with the competition organizers.
The Best of Show winner will have the opportunity to work with staff at Arbor Brewing Company in Ann Arbor, Michigan, to brew a batch of the winning beer on the house system. Note that the winning recipe may have to be modified due to characteristics of equipment, availability of ingredients, or other considerations as determined by Arbor Brewing Company staff. Details of scheduling brewing activities and a release party for the finished beer will be negotiated between the winning entrant and Arbor Brewing Company staff.
We welcome people interested in judging or assisting as stewards. Prior experience with competitions is not necessary. BJCP points will be awarded to those registered with the Beer Judge Certification Program. Those interested in participating should register via the judge/steward on-line registration system at this address:
http://www.HordsOfFun.Com/hbc.rw/judgewiz.aspx?w=04090B0A18
General
Members of the Ann Arbor Brewers Guild (http://www.aabg.org) have volunteered their time and expertise to organize this year’s competition. Please direct any questions to the relevant individual(s) below.
Aron Butler, Competition Director
brewscrews gmail.com
Alex & Claudia Pettit, Registrars
alexjpettit gmail.com
Spencer Thomas, Judge Director
spencer spencerwthomas.com
This competition is sponsored by Arbor Brewing Company, Ann Arbor, Michigan (www.arborbrewing.com and www.cornerbrewery.com), and is sanctioned by:
The Beer Judge Certification Program (http://www.bjcp.org)
The American Homebrewer's Association (http://www.beertown.org/)
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