Comps

IPA's are one of the hardest styles for a competition because the usually mellow out a lot btw the time you brew them and the time that a competition actually judges them. Usually you have to enter the beers way before the judging date. Best recommendation on entering an ipa in a certified competition would be to time your brew day so that the beer is at its freshest just before the final date you have to get the entry submitted by (or by the date you have to mail it in so that they get it just before the entry window closes.

 

Honesttly, go for it dude. I threw my fourth and fifth brews ever into a comp earlier this year. One was a stout, the other an APA. The apa won gold in its division, and the stout scored a 40. The pale was on its third month in the bottle and it was still a hoppy bitch whhen they opened it. I got some great feedback on my beers as well, next time I hope my pale gets more than a 33. The whole reason I entered was to get someunbiased input though. If you think its a good beer, chances are it is. I saw more flaws in both those beers than bjcp judges did, and I'm sure most brewers are more critical of their beers than everyone else. So yeah,go for it. The worst that can happen is they tell you how to make it better!

 

Nothing to lose and if you do well in IPA you should be doubly happy. I think at this year's Mayfaire competition we have ~40 IPAs in the category!

 

I have done well with an American IPA that was several moths old. Depending on how well you have controlled exposure to oxygen after fermentation, it could be fine. And even if hop flavor/aroma has fallen off or chnaged, there are other aspects (like off-flavors) that you could still get valuable feedback on.

 

There's no harm in entering. You'll get some feedback on your beer. Bear in mind that it will likely just be feedback from 2-3 people, who are simultaneously trying to give feedback on lots of other beers (IPA categories tend to have a lot of entries). Depending on their palates and the quality of feedback, you might get some insight into your beer. Probably the best thing to do to get feedback is seek it out in multiple venues. Several competitions, homebrew clubs, local craft brewers, etc.

One comment I will make about my own experience is that when you send your bottles in the mail to a compeition, the beer can suffer. I've mailed samples to competitions 3 times and twice the judges picked up oxidation. I've hand delivered bottles to competition several times and never had an issue. I realize that lots of people send bottles to homebrew competitions, and their may be approaches to packaging that minimize the risk (counter-pressure bottle filling, for example) but I have to believe there is some sort of home-field advantage for the brewers that live close enough to hand deliver.

 

I say enter it. You get valid feedback (most the time) and you can learn. It is funny seeing how varied judges palates are though. One raves at the "burst of hop flavor" while his partner says it "lacks hops flavor"

 

Yeah, I had a judge say my sour saison (FG 1.005) that was over 7 months old (bottled with Lacto, Pedio, Brett) was too malty, and not dry enough. The beer foams out the bottle.

 

I got told my .998 mead was sweet by one and that it had too much honey character to be dry
Still took first but its funny

 

it takes balls to put your beer out there for people to judge. if you've got some balls and understand that an evaluation of your beer is not an evaluation of your soul,heart and being, then yeah, go ahead and enter your beer. hopefully you'll get some third party knowledge and be able to run with it. if you want your spouse or your mom to tell you what they think you are just being a ***** (not that there is anything wrong with that).

i always suggest to homebrewers that drinking their own brew is like smelling their own fart. great for you, maybe not so much for the rest of the world.

Good luck.
ps, your handle, avatar and general fine attitude have moved you right into my favorite under exposed poster category.

 

I put on my thick skin when reading the score sheets. It helps to have a bottle from when you entered to drink while you read, as sometimes you will taste what they are saying. Occasionally, it is WTF?

 

Doing this right now while drinking an IPA and Mild I entered in a comp. I wonder what the other beers in the flight were like?!

 

My favorite comment ever was "strong unidentifiable off flavor." I guess it was so unique that words couldn't describe it. (I'm pretty sure what he was tasting was 'hops.') But I would say the useful feedback outnumbers the useless.

 

my recent 26-point Kolsch is one of the best things I've ever done IMO. Kinda glad I don't have to send three more bottles to Philly; this stuff is MINE!