Rehydrating vs. Not Rehydrating

I've won with both. I actually won a BOS in 2012 or 2013 not rehydrating, and had the same beer made with rehydrating go to round 2 of the NHC in 2014 (it didn't medal in round 2 because the rebrew had chloramine).

I rehydrate about 90% of the time, but was crunched for time last year on an IPA and pitched two packs of non-rehydrated US-05 and placed first in SoCal Homebrew Regional. This year the rehydrated beer took 3rd place in IPA, but it did have a different set of hops used

I've only done one big beer without rehydrating, an English Barleywine with Turbinado, and it was a disaster (scored horribly in competition) but then again it was my first barleywine and was made with S-04 and got up to 68 F which resulted in banana esters paired with bready malt. BUT... I then turned the beer into a sour after blending with a mild and adding apricot and it placed first in a fruit beer category, so how does that affect the poll?

 

My best results with both un-hydrated and hydrated dry yeast were 2nd places. The interesting thing from my frame of reference is that all but one of my first places have come from yeast grown from commercial dregs rather than liquid or dry packaged yeast. There is one competition I send beers to every year, with a good entry, good judges (typically 2-3 grand masters present and about 20% national or above), and most judges coming back year to year. Here are my best numbers:

Commercial dregs 46
Liquid yeast 43
Rehydrated dry 39
Un-rehydrated dry 39

So the answer to Vike's question is that I see no difference. Looking at the broader question, things are muddled. Many commercial dreg beers are projects that get more thought prior to brew day. Many dry yeast beers are spur of the moment brews when we suddenly had the free time. It's a valid argument that factors other than yeast determine the final results (given basic levels of competence and sanitation).

This question has been debated for about 5 years on probrewer.com. There is an even split between those who rehydrate and those who just throw the dry yeast into the fermenter. Brewers on both sides make some wonderful beer. Theory certainly favors rehydrating but practice blurs the difference.