National Homebrew Competition

Having brewed full-mash beers for nearly four years, I thought I might have a crack at the National Homebrew Competition.

I don't expect to win, but I'd be interested to get some valuable feedback on my beers, especially now that I've got familiar with my new gear. And fortunately for me, it's taking place in Bristol.  Just 50 mins from me in the car.

I've decided to enter three beers;

1. Old Ale - this was actually my attempt at a barley wine, but it came in at the lower end of the BW scale with an OG of 1.080. As a result, it might do better in the old ale section, so that's where I've entered it.

2. Pale Ale - This was a brew I put together with various hops, including Citra. I blogged about it here - the bottles I'm taking are from the second batch I brewed.

3. Best Bitter - I would have preferred this to have gone in the 'Ordinary Bitter' category because it's not overly hoppy or malty, just a straightforward, easy-drinking beer.

Trouble is, you have to adhere to style guidelines in the competition and with an OG of 1.045, it doesn't fit - it will have to go in the special/best/premium bitter category. It's bound to get overpowered by more sexy, hop bombs, but hey, I think it's a good beer and I'd be interested to see how it scores.

I've never entered a competition before, so I'm not sure what to expect but I'll post about how I get on next month. It's on September 3rd.