Beer in the news

[jeffsmith]

Lol, that's pretty funny. It certainly could be true, but I doubt it.

If he's right, then people wanting to eat locally grown, non-mass produced food is likely a fad as well. So yeah, definitely doubtful.

[dean2k]

Fun read on Labatt's plans for Shock Top in 2015.

http://bensbeerblog.com/2014/09/22/laba ... shock-top/

... and the PDF of the brief he was referring to:
https://bensbeerblogging.files.wordpres ... 6-2014.pdf

[Jimmy]

Shock Top is the real home of the shockerrrr!

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[HPhunter]

Nice Jimmy, Real Nice!

[mr x]

First Atlantic beer awards for celebrating as much as competing

http://thechronicleherald.ca/artslife/1 ... -competing" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

If customers would just stop buying every drop of his beer as fast as he can make it, Jeremy White could think about which products to enter in the first Atlantic Canadian Beer Awards.

The awards, the brainchild of the Atlantic Sommelier Association, will be held Oct. 3 to 6 in Halifax, with judging on the Saturday at the Delta Halifax hotel.

“It’s a question of what we have available because we’re a small brewery and brew in cyclical small batches, so we may not always have what we’d like to submit to this sort of thing,” said White, owner of Big Spruce Brewing, outside Baddeck.

“We hope to get our core brands submitted, which would be Cereal Killer oatmeal stout and Kitchen Party pale ale; although that’s our top seller but it doesn’t fit stylistically in any of the categories.”

White also hopes to submit his Irish red and a few different pale ales for consideration by the judging panel.

“We have a specialty batch of coffee IPA that we’re going to enter into the extreme beer category; it’s called Hoppacino,” said White, who, like most local craft brewers, wouldn’t expect an uptick in sales from winning an award because he is already so busy.

“I’m not really into winning anything, I’m just into the fact the event promotes craft beer. There’s discussion among craft brewers that we should stop judging beer and start just celebrating beer. I personally think there can be a blend: some judging, with a heavy emphasis on the celebration of what craft beer is, and the promotion of the craft beer brand.”

The sommelier association has run the Atlantic Wine Awards for six years, and president Mark DeWolf said the group recognizes that beer has become an increasingly important part of the hospitality industry.

“We’ve done a pretty good job of educating people about wine over the years … promoting better knowledge of local wine. And I just see what the local brewing industry is doing, so it’s the time to celebrate them as well. We have a great product in Nova Scotia craft beer,” DeWolf said. “We’ve made the effort to make sure the standards are fairly high, even though it’s the first edition of the awards.

“Beer is judged differently than wine; the judging is more aligned to style so that’s a learning curve. We worked with an international beer judging group called BJCP, which has very established guidelines. We’ve worked very hard to have our awards accredited under their guidelines.”

There are currently 12 people in the Maritimes who are Beer Judge Certification Program accredited, and all are expected to take part in the blind judging for the Atlantic awards.

“They’ll know the style category the beer is submitted in, but they won’t have any idea of the producer,” DeWolf said of the judging panel.

“We’re going to do everything in our power to have standardized glasses, a standard pour, so that it’s a level playing field. That’s one of the advantages of having held the wine awards, we have some of these procedures down.”

Apart from the judging itself, the weekend will also include a gala awards dinner at the

Stubborn Goat, a multi-course dinner paired with craft beers, also at the Stubborn Goat, and a book signing by master cicerone Marilla Amato at Lion and Bright.

Amato, the only master cicerone in Canada and one of just five in the world, is one of the judges and will also conduct an all-day beer seminar that sold out with no advertising.

DeWolf said the interest is reflective of the recent growth in craft brewing in Nova Scotia.

“We’re not lagging behind, that’s for sure,” he said. “That might not have been true five years ago, but the evolution over the last two or three years has been amazing and we’ve jumped ahead of a few provinces.”

About the Author
BILL SPURR Features Writer
E-Mail: bspurr@herald.ca
Twitter: @CH_BillSpurr

[chalmers]

::eyeroll:: Bill Spurr, idiot or incompetent?

There's no such thing as the Atlantic Sommelier Association.

He's only talking about NS beer, but obviously it's open to all AtlCan breweries and brewpubs.

The other things he got wrong might not be his fault (number and participation level of BJCP judges), number of Master Cicerones, etc, but he didn't check, obviously.

In case anyone didn't know, I'm organizing the judging side of things, so if you have any questions, ask away.

Per our 2am discussion at Hoptoberfest, the best category to enter a Belgian Sour is the Wood-Aged Sour Category, even if it hasn't been in barrels. Let's say that's because they were traditionally done that way, in barrels or foeders.
I will be prompting the judges to concentrate on highlighting positives of the beer, rather than only narrowing in on flaws. Some early brewer's responses to the organizers were concerned about that.

[Jayme]

I will be prompting the judges to concentrate on highlighting positives of the beer, rather than only narrowing in on flaws. Some early brewer's responses to the organizers were concerned about that.

While I agree it's important to not just trash a beer and say nothing positive, but isn't some constructive criticism a good thing/kind of the point? I mean if some of the brewers are really only entering for the purpose of trying to win a medal and have no interest in actually improving the beer, why do we even need to fill out a score sheet? Couldn't we just put in a score and be done?

I don't mean to be argumentative, but I'm just genuinely interested in what the perspective is.

[Jimmy]

I will be prompting the judges to concentrate on highlighting positives of the beer, rather than only narrowing in on flaws. Some early brewer's responses to the organizers were concerned about that.

While I agree it's important to not just trash a beer and say nothing positive, but isn't some constructive criticism a good thing/kind of the point? I mean if some of the brewers are really only entering for the purpose of trying to win a medal and have no interest in actually improving the beer, why do we even need to fill out a score sheet? Couldn't we just put in a score and be done?

I don't mean to be argumentative, but I'm just genuinely interested in what the perspective is.

I agree with you, though I'm guessing Chris means metioning the highlights along with the flaws, and not just focusing on the negative aspects of the beer. But really, people should just grow up and be able to take constructive critiscm. If I enter a beer in a homebrew comp, I'm fine with only hearing about the negative aspects of the beer - it lets me focus on what needs improving..I'll use the overall score tell me how they liked the beer (or didn't).

[chalmers]

I will be prompting the judges to concentrate on highlighting positives of the beer, rather than only narrowing in on flaws. Some early brewer's responses to the organizers were concerned about that.

While I agree it's important to not just trash a beer and say nothing positive, but isn't some constructive criticism a good thing/kind of the point? I mean if some of the brewers are really only entering for the purpose of trying to win a medal and have no interest in actually improving the beer, why do we even need to fill out a score sheet? Couldn't we just put in a score and be done?

I don't mean to be argumentative, but I'm just genuinely interested in what the perspective is.

I agree with you, though I'm guessing Chris means metioning the highlights along with the flaws, and not just focusing on the negative aspects of the beer. But really, people should just grow up and be able to take constructive critiscm. If I enter a beer in a homebrew comp, I'm fine with only hearing about the negative aspects of the beer - it lets me focus on what needs improving..I'll use the overall score tell me how they liked the beer (or didn't).

Yes, I was just making the point that, if there are positives in the beer, they should be mentioned as much, or maybe more, than the flaws. I heard an interview with Gordon Strong (BJCP President), that he was disappointed that the focus of judging seemed to be mainly in pointing out the flaws, rather than celebrating the positives. I believe this is the one: http://thebrewingnetwork.com/shows/1082" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Absolutely, if a beer is sour or has a bunch of diacetyl, it should be mentioned, and marked down for those flaws (if not to style). I expect some of the beer to be phenomenal, and some to be not-so-great.

If brewers are entering their beer solely to get a medal, I don't know what to say to that. If the beer is not a good representative of the style and is significantly flawed, even if it's one of only a couple in the category, I think awarding it no medal is OK.

Not sure if that answers your questions/concerns, I hope that made sense. Did I miss anything?

I can't quite put it into words, but I feel like a commercial competition is different than a homebrew comp. Is that reasonable, or should they both be treated the same? I guess, it's all beer, whether you're brewing it for yourself, or or for distribution. And both groups can face packaging challenges, etc. Maybe I've just talked myself out of that thought...

Now I'm rambling, waiting for this run to finish in the lab...

[NASH]

While I agree it's important to not just trash a beer and say nothing positive, but isn't some constructive criticism a good thing/kind of the point? I mean if some of the brewers are really only entering for the purpose of trying to win a medal and have no interest in actually improving the beer, why do we even need to fill out a score sheet? Couldn't we just put in a score and be done?

Actually, you don't even need to put in a score or a comment!

I know how shit is 'supposed to roll out and this ain't it. People vote with their wallet every day, that's what counts. I could care less about how random untrained palates perceive my beers because I've been technically trained to judge them myself, adjust my technique and ingredients until I'm happy with them. I'm the professional. I'll make beers taste the way I want them to taste, as we all try to do. BUT for the fucking love of gawd when a brewery pays $100 a pop to enter, another $100 a pop for shipping, plus all the hassle, the product and time involved in getting the beers packaged and wrapped for shipping... I expect an entity like the CBAs and or their Grand Master Judge to instruct the minion judges to at least pretend they give a fuck about what's going on. <END RANT/>

This rant was brought to you by..... the CBAs. Here's the scoresheets as returned for Fathom IPA.... (some sheets for other beers had random illegible scribbles here and there but this is the sort of shit I recieve from the CBAs, every year an employer enters my beers with them. I've posted similar examples here before me thinks...

Fathom CBA 2014-1.jpg

Fathom CBA 2014-2.jpg

Fathom CBA 2014-3.jpg

Carry on!

[chalmers]

Those sheets are ridiculous. I think with 1000 entries, and IPA probably being one of the biggest categories, they are really short-staffed with judges at the CBAs.

[NASH]

Those sheets are ridiculous. I think with 1000 entries, and IPA probably being one of the biggest categories, they are really short-staffed with judges at the CBAs.

That could be true. BUT it doesn't explain why the majority of the sheets look the same, year after year, category after category. Lame.

Anyhow, I know yous guys put some effort into it, which is commendable

[BBrianBoogie]

That's just pathetic. As one of the aforementioned minions with an untrained palate, there's no excuse for that level of laziness.

As for the drive to focus on the positives rather than the negatives, I'd say that depends on the beer presented to me. There's a difference between between being honest and being a dickhead. But judging is not about writing promotional copy for a brewery, it's an honest assessment of a beer. Considering the quality of some of the commercial beer in the province, I don't think it's unfair to judge by the same standards we have to live up to as homebrewers. There are a lot of variables that take a lot of effort to control on a homebrew setup and honestly there are some folks making better beer than most of the commercial breweries in the Maritimes.

[chalmers]

Well, you could say the beer is liquid, and cold? Unless it's not.

[Jayme]

That's just pathetic. As one of the aforementioned minions with an untrained palate, there's no excuse for that level of laziness.

As for the drive to focus on the positives rather than the negatives, I'd say that depends on the beer presented to me. There's a difference between between being honest and being a dickhead. But judging is not about writing promotional copy for a brewery, it's an honest assessment of a beer. Considering the quality of some of the commercial beer in the province, I don't think it's unfair to judge by the same standards we have to live up to as homebrewers. There are a lot of variables that take a lot of effort to control on a homebrew setup and honestly there are some folks making better beer than most of the commercial breweries in the Maritimes.

I certainly agree with the sentiment that those CBA judging sheets were much better as trees.

Also agree with what Brian is saying. Perhaps in other markets, brewers like Nash (ie, have had training of one sort or another, lots of experience, would actually know how to fix an off-flavour when identified without suggestions, etc) are the norm, but unfortunately here it would seem it's the reverse. I think there are a significant number of breweries in this province that could benefit from the same sort of feedback we have been encouraged to provide home brewers with, as Brian said.

Anyway at the end of the day, based on what Chalmers said, it's sounds like it's still kosher to call a spade a spade, just don't be a dick about it. I can handle that (I think). I listened to the same podcast with Gordon Strong talking about feedback, and I agree. It's important to be encouraging and constructive with criticism.

[dean2k]

For what my 2 cents is worth, when I put my beers in for the Brewnosers Homebrewer "review", I didn't find any of the criticisms harsh. Like Fox News, you guys seemed fair and honest For example, saying a beer could be more aggressively hopped for the style shouldn't result in anyone being butt-hurt.

[NASH]

As one of the aforementioned minions with an untrained palate, there's no excuse for that level of laziness.

Not referring to you or anyone here. Rather some minions at the CBAs that prove on paper they don't know how to taste beer, or cannot identify what they are tasting, or how to convey it on paper, or how to write legibly etc. I meant to be specific about that competition, not anyone here. You guys are passionate about the product, that makes the world of difference, nobody has an infallible palate but it's usually obvious when your heart isn't in the right place. There's folks with BJCP certs that have never homebrewed or actually have passion for the product, believe it or not.

[NASH]

That's just pathetic. As one of the aforementioned minions with an untrained palate, there's no excuse for that level of laziness.

As for the drive to focus on the positives rather than the negatives, I'd say that depends on the beer presented to me. There's a difference between between being honest and being a dickhead. But judging is not about writing promotional copy for a brewery, it's an honest assessment of a beer. Considering the quality of some of the commercial beer in the province, I don't think it's unfair to judge by the same standards we have to live up to as homebrewers. There are a lot of variables that take a lot of effort to control on a homebrew setup and honestly there are some folks making better beer than most of the commercial breweries in the Maritimes.

I certainly agree with the sentiment that those CBA judging sheets were much better as trees.

Also agree with what Brian is saying. Perhaps in other markets, brewers like Nash (ie, have had training of one sort or another, lots of experience, would actually know how to fix an off-flavour when identified without suggestions, etc) are the norm, but unfortunately here it would seem it's the reverse. I think there are a significant number of breweries in this province that could benefit from the same sort of feedback we have been encouraged to provide home brewers with, as Brian said.

Anyway at the end of the day, based on what Chalmers said, it's sounds like it's still kosher to call a spade a spade, just don't be a dick about it. I can handle that (I think). I listened to the same podcast with Gordon Strong talking about feedback, and I agree. It's important to be encouraging and constructive with criticism.

Agreed all 'round. I firmly believe all beer should be judged equally, doesn't matter where it was made or what the batch size was, if it was brewed under license or by whom it was brewed. It's beer. Sweet, sweet beer. Seeing those sheets coming back from our only 'pro' National competition conjures up images of tasters blowing through samples with little time or thought available. That leaves a real bad taste in my mouth. Beer cannot be properly judged that way. Pretty sure scoresheets from GABF or the World Beer Cup look quite a lot different.

[berley]

Wow, and I thought I saw some bad scoresheets in my time; they're nothing compared to those.

I assume the judges at the CBAs are paid for their "time"?

[chalmers]

I don't think they're paid. That is not standard practice, as far as I'm aware. The common courtesy is to provide food while onsite, and maybe a round or two of thank you beers at the end of the night.

[mr x]

http://thechronicleherald.ca/business/1 ... sonal-brew" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[GAM]

BT is looking old. But then again, look at me.

Sandy

[Jimmy]

Stone Introduces Enjoy AFTER Beer


By now, we’re all familiar with Stone Brewing Company’s Enjoy By IPA series—regularly released hop bombs that are meant to be enjoyed within weeks after distribution. Now, Stone is flipping the script and releasing an Enjoy After beer that’s meant to be cellared and opened after 10-31-2015. According to Beer Street Journa, it’s an IPA with Brettanomyces, the wild yeast that gives some beers their sour notes.

According to the brewery, “some facets of the Brett characteristics will have mellowed [after aging], while others will have become more profound; it all matures into a fascinating and delicious culmination.”

This Enjoy After might be the easiest way for newbies to get into aging beers. Not only does Stone give us the date you’re supposed to hang onto the beer until, they also give us Cellaring Tips. So, pick one up, put it away, and in about a year, you’ll see if it was worth the wait.

http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2 ... -beer.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[mikeorr]

I saw some pics on reddit, looks to be in 750ml bottles? Gonna try and find some here in Denver.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[RobD]

I saw some pics on reddit, looks to be in 750ml bottles? Gonna try and find some here in Denver.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

If you find some, let me know! I'm headed there tomorrow.