FOBAB 2014

So I opened one up today at a buddies and it was a gusher and extremely sour. Hate infected beers

 

Did anybody hear about Trinity Brewing from Colorado Springs return the silver they won for the sour category?

 

I didn't but I really enjoy'd their beers. I though the two medals were well deserved. Any back ground?

 

Yea, they sent the wrong bottle. People thought it had Lacto and won that category but it didnt have Lacto...must be some good taste buds on those judges

 

It was the other way around. They won Silver in the Wild/Brett Beer category, but sent the Lacto version.

http://blogs.denverpost.com/beer/20...-returns-medal-shipping-judging-errors/14208/

 

I'd definitely have a tough time distinguuishing the difference between lacto and brett in an IPA so it's hard to fault the judges. I think it's a very honest move by Trinity when they recognized what happened.

 

That totally make sense now. I'm usually not very fond of brett IPA's, but that beer at fobab was super tart and very tasty. Totally threw me for a loop.

 

And as a counter I think it was shameless attempt to draw publicity. He could have simply sent the medal back and wrote the letter to the ICBG, but to then forward that letter on to a number of beer blogs / sites?

Additionally, I'd be shocked if he plated that beer and didn't find any Brett considering it is being aged in a barrel that was likely used for other fermentations prior to this beer. While he might not have pitched Brett, to say that there is no chance there was Brett in the beer is absurd.

 

That is what puzzles me too.....

Why go to the media to report this incident? Does it make the brewer look like a hero or a villain? It certainly put FOBAB against the ropes....

...so, who wins here by making this into a story? Seems counterproductive to what both the Festival and brewer want to achieve.

It should have been handled internally and quietly. Seems like Trinity was on a crusade.....

And, furthermore, I read a FOBAB judges comments about the category and said that the Brett Beer category does allow the use of Lacto/other bacteria....just that it cannot be the dominant character. Seemed the beer was within those guidelines.....

But, I am just a onlooker.

 

That's a good point that I didn't even notice. If they did forward the letter to blogs/sites/etc... then I hope it wasn't for publicity's sake, but I don't see any other reason for it.

 

I agree to some extent, I could not tell the difference bc I am not a trained judge nor would like to be. However, it may or may not be possible to detect the difference. Hopefully someone with a credible background can clarify other than Lacto= Acidity and Brett = "funkiness"
Now I feel that Jason Yester returning the medal is very admirable, but I find it rather dubious why he questioned the panel’s credibility. As said by Yester, "A judging panel should have known better."

 

What do we think possible dates are for FoBAB 2015?

 

Likely to be Nov 13-14

 

@lefty17