Rehydrating vs. Not Rehydrating

Dark Mild, fermented with S-04. No re-hydration. From kettle to keg in 5 days. 1st place English Brown Ale @ War of the Worts (BJCP sanctioned). Was the first beer I ever entered in competition.

S-04 has been a staple in my fridge ever since. It's not the only yeast I use for British styles, but it's the one I use more than any other - and I never bother to rehydrate it.

 

Where would two non-rehydrated packets in a moderate gravity beer fall in this poll? (Purely curiosity - I have never competed for anything other than my own approval. Still working toward that award since I'm a perfectionist)

 

what is a beer competition?

 

I've been wrong before (and it's bound to happen again), but... I think he's just being sarcastic.

 

S-04, non re-hydrated in an oatmeal stout. Took 1st place in Montreal, and scored 40 and advanced to mini BOS in Vermont in 2012.
Not sure why I haven't entered a "beer competition" since...

 

I think this is what is being referenced - whether or not a beer competition can be considered objective. I think it's a valid debate, but doesn't really do much to advance the question at hand so I won't get into it any more.

 

Ok you are luring me in. Objective in that they don't know the person behind the beer. In theory they are judging the beer based solely for the beer itself. However, it's not objective in that it's still based on opinions, perceptions, etc... not hard data. The hard data that you are referencing is a collection of the empirical data gathered in a subjective manner. That if enough people agree that beer xyz is good, then it's objectively good. I think the judging is subjective because perception plays such a huge role. Perceptions are based off of so many different things, past experiences, likes, dislikes, ability to notice vague differences, and well, perception levels of off flavors.

This ultimately gets to the heart of the issue. Using opinions (the subjective assessment) combined with hard facts (for instance, IBUs, ABV, Ingredients) to form an objective conclusion of what is "good." Still even if we determine, for example, that 35 IBUs is the best level of bitterness (by correlating a large amount of perceptions) how it relates to the other factors present is just as important. If bitterness is minor compared to color, for example, then being the proper 35 IBUs is minor. And what does "good" mean anyway? Doesn't this all sound subjective now?

 

One ‘trend’ when it comes to winning BJCP competitions is that brewing ‘bigger’ seems to be rewarded with medals.

Below is something I posted a few years ago on this topic:

Ironically there is a thread going on in another forum concerning homebrew competitions. I found the below interesting:

“Today I just received my copy of the September-October Zymurgy, which has the recipes that won gold medals in the second round of this year's National Homebrew Competition. I was struck by just how many of them are "big" beers. Only four winners of the 23 categories (the equivalent best of show Munich helles, a German pilsner, an ordinary bitter and a Berliner weisse) had starting gravities of 1.050 or below and could be considered session beers. Only seven (the German pilsner, a doppelbock, a strong Scotch ale, an IPA, a Belgian dark strong ale, a fruit beer, and a spice/herb/vegetable beer) were in the lower half of the BJCP O.G. guidelines for that style, most of those in styles with a very high maximum O.G. to allow for a wide range of examples. And six winners were above the O.G. guidelines for their style, most notably a 1.065 Vienna lager that seems to fit the style guidelines for a traditional bock.

As a judge, I tend to be sensitive to beers that seem higher in gravity and/or other characteristics than the guidelines for that style. I will make note of it in my comments and adjust my score. I think it's only fair for beers to be judged against their true peers. Apparently the judges at the NHC have somewhat different priorities.”

In a subsequent post:

“I also acknowledge that even a very experienced judge is unlikely to be able to estimate the O.G. of a beer within any more than about a 5 point range when judging. However, surely the judges who awarded the gold medal to that 1.065 Vienna lager should have realized it was very "big" for its style and taken note of this.”

Cheers!

 

I was being sarcastic, but I didn't mean to be obnoxious. though sometimes that happens.

Vike, you did btw use the term beers in competition. I'm sorry, but that still sounds funny to me. DIPA will cream any other beer in competition, excepting perhaps barley wine. that would be a good fight. Berliner wouldn't stand a chance though.
Cheers.

 

I live a 160 mile round trip from a HBS so dry yeasts work best for me from a logistical standpoint. I have always reconstituted dry yeasts per the PDF or packaging instructions. This is especially true when I build a starter for big brews in order to utilize one packet of yeast for a 15 gallon fermentation. It wakes up the yeast.

 

Scored 41.5 with rehydrated S-05. Scored a second place so I voted accordingly. The beer I lost to in my category won BOS. Perhaps a score of 40+ is a better indicator for what you are looking at since that seems to be the arbitrary number many homebrewers aim for in competitions.

 

Stop the presses...the non-rehydraters with 1st place ribbons are winning this poll.

Therefore, we should not rehydrate!

 

i cannot recall if I was rehydrating dry yeast when I won first place in the brown ale category in the wi state fair using Windsor strain. I rehydrate now, though. Didn't enter any data since I am unsure, but wanted to at least let folks know that dry yeast can win.

 

A regular in my brew cycle is a Cherrywood Smoked American Amber Ale. It's always brewed with rehydrated US-05.

First entry scored a 42 and a Silver medal. Second entry (which was noticeably better) was bottled in an infected bottle . . . it gushed at the judges. After they cleaned the spill they opened a second bottle and it gushed. After a second clean-up they tasted it and tried to say nice things about it . . . but gave me a 21 (deservedly). The same rehdrydated-US05 beer in its third comp scored a 34 and a Silver. All three comps were 500+ entries.

I "checked off" a First Place vote which is technically not correct, but (IMO) is in the spirit of the poll. Just realize that's the kind of people who post on a beer blog. Call me a nimrod if you think I deserve it.