BJCP guidelines and Beer Competitions

The BJCP guidelines also change over time to reflect what people are submitting to competitions. Have you seen the new proposed 2014 guidelines?

 

This is happening here. Southern English Browns and Milds are winning BOS regularly in New England. One factor not mentioned is that hoppy beers don't hold up well in BOS rounds. By the time the judges get things sorted out, that fantastic DIPA has lost 90% of its aroma. This is true to a much lesser extent for sour/wild beers. The best still win the BOS round but the time factor diminishes them too. A perfectly presented beer vs how things happen in competition is a vast difference.

 

There are some disastrous changes in the proposed guidelines. Lumping Mild with Porter is just so wrong on every level.

 

At least there's now a better chance that a Mild (that is actually a Porter) will win a medal.

 

Copied and pasted from the draft guidelines...
"The larger categories are arbitrary groupings of beer, mead, or cider styles, usually with similar characteristics but some subcategories are not necessarily related to others within the same category. The purpose of the structure within the BJCP Style Guidelines is to group styles of beer, mead and cider to facilitate judging during competitions; do not attempt to derive additional meaning from these groupings. No historical or geographic association is implied."

 

Smaller competitions will consolidate categories to expedite the judging. Less popular homebrew styles will get lumped together to have enough beers to make a flight for the judges, 8 to 10 is usual, sometimes you get a few more in the flight.

 

So exactly what characteristics does a Pale Mild share with Porter?

Despite the disclaimer, some are bound to misinterpret the groupings and think they have some historical basis.

 

Why do you ask? Pale Mild isn't part of the proposed category 13, which includes Dark Mild, English Brown Ale, and English Porter.

People who don't bother to read or understand the guidelines may do that. The world is full of self-inflicted ignorance. The guidelines have a specific purpose.

 

So lump mild and porter together, but separate Munich-style Kellerbier and Franconian Kellerbier? What, exactly, is a Munich-style Kellerbier (well, besides an Ayinger-brand Kellerbier)? Not to mention there are multiple variations, from pale to amber to brown to nearly jet black, of Franconian Kellerbier. Not sure what they are "guiding" homebrewers to with these such classifications. IMO, it's more confusing than helpful in cases like this.

 

So Pale Mild and Dark Mild aren't related? Which is odd, because Barclay Perkins Mild went from pale to dark.

I realise they have a specific purpose. But I've seen how they've been misinterpreted and misused in the past.

 

Is this a joke? Is it April 1st ?
Don't those guys know anything about beer?

Might as well categorise cats with dogs. After all, they both have four legs, teeth at one end and a tail at the other.

 

Since 99% of the English beers I drink are homebrewed by me, I may not be in the best position to comment, but I think dark milds and porters have more in common with regard to taste than pale milds and dark milds. If trying to categorize these beers according to sensory perception, it makes sense to me.

Of course, I would prefer to see porters and stouts in a single category for this reason.

 

Did you even read the guidelines or is this just your normal "americans are idiots" position? Dark Mild and Porter are in the same category, for flight/judge scheduling purposes. They are not in the same subcategory. They are not judged by the same criteria. Nobody thinks they are the same beer.

 

I can only offer this in response:

 

To be fair, people who compile (and adhere to) these guidelines without bothering to visit and fully explore the cultures that produce these beers are not going to have a very good understanding of them. Plenty of that type of willed ignorance going on, too....

 

Yes, most of us here are aware of what the guidelines exist for.But I think the vast majority of those who quote the BJCP see it as the Bible of beer styles.

I've had countless milds over the last 50 odd years and a fair few porters too. They are two different animals.

 

Pale and Dark Milds were/are often the same beer, just with caramel added to one. Timothy Taylor does this - Golden Best and Dark Mild are the same beer.

 

Sounds like you agree with the BJCP guideline drafters...

 

"Noblesse Oblige" is alive and well...some threads are just destined for greatness

 

I had Gordon Strong come around my place. Unfortunately, he managed to free himself and escape. After we'd shared some of the weirder bits of my beer floor. (The cellar is reserved for captives.) Really nice bloke. Glad he got away, really.