Garrison's 2012 Ultimate Brew-off Challenge

[jeffsmith]

Hmmm, sounds like she's a bit in the grey area with regards to pro brewer status.

[jeffsmith]

Yup, same here. My only negative comments were low head retention and low CO2

Same here, which is odd because every bottle that I've opened so far has been very well carbonated and has crazy head retention. Another comment we received was about cloudiness. Not sure what ended up causing that…

[mr x]

Hmmm, sounds like she's a bit in the grey area with regards to pro brewer status.

The other issues I have concern what equipment the beer was brewed on, where it was brewed (although the rules state residence in the maritimes, I think in the future the beer should be brewed here), and access to ingredients (citra). Niagara have entered World Cup of Beer competitions in the past. For transparency, I think she should publicly state that this beer was not brewed at the college in the months prior to her entry being received, and that's good enough for me. If she was lying, the truth would come out.

[akr71]

Hmmm, sounds like she's a bit in the grey area with regards to pro brewer status.

Either way it was a well made, tasty beer. I don't think enrolling in a school makes you a pro. I found BBB's had more finishing hops, which appeals to my taste more , but #1 & #2 were clearly great beers.

As for comments - pretty much the same as almost everyone else:

Very nice veer; a lot of nice stuff going on; would have liked more carbonation, which would have enhanced the appreciation of the beer.

[Brewnoser]

There were four beers put through by Daniel (he did almost all of the culling as Mark was away for most of the time it had to be done). The other judges with me were Steve Haynes, from Noble Grape, and Patrice from Acadie-Brou in Moncton. They are both BJCP judges, though not as active as they might like to be.

Beer Number 13 was a dark amber, with a nose of citrus, some herbal almost onion notes, hibiscus and some spice, almost nutmeg. It was big in the body, mouthfilling and smooth, yet still showed a lot of hops. The finish was creamy, with some hop and rye malt bite. It was a very satisfying drink, and one that any of us would have been very proud of. I drank all of mine.

Beer number 23 was a paler amber, and had some suspended yeast, that, when I asked about, Daniel said had been liberated from the bottom of the bottle on the pop of opening it. So maybe some slight in-bottle action going on. This one had a great nose, and I thought of it as a "summer" Rye IPA, compared to the previous one that was a more hefty, winter beer. More Germanic. The nose was fruity, fresh hops (dry hopped?) and spicey, almost clove-like hints. It was light in the mouth (higher carbonation, with some spritzy hop/malt balancing out a beautiful honest malt profile. It was a true quaffer, a beer that demanded you have another.

Beer number 56 was a more malt-driven beer, in the nose and palate. It had a fruity, strawberry ester, but also a hint of cardboard on the edges, suggesting oxidation. If anyone ever drank Brew on Premise beers in their early days, this beer reminded me a lot of them - I later found out it was all grain, but I would not have been surprised to find out it was a high quality extract. Overall, of commercial quality, but not up to the standards set by the first two.

Beer number 58 was a shock when first nosed. I went WTF! under my breath, and Daniel (who was, by the way, sitting in front of us watching like a hawk) leaned back and laughed. I then started trying to figure out what I was smelling. At first I got some hemp, dope smells, earthy spiciness, and some oriental character. It was not what I was expecting for a Rye IPA nose, and a "style policeman" would probably have dropped it right there. But I figured that Daniel had stated he would be proud to brew any of the four, so I decided to give it a go, and put it in my mouth. Almost immediately, the mystery smell was solved. Ginger. Yep, definitely, and fresh grated, too (hence the earthy character). It took my sorry brain about 0.8 seconds to "get it" - Rye beer with Ginger. "Rye and Ginger". Now it was my turn to laugh out loud, causing the other judges to look at me, wondering if I was drunk already. Daniel realized that I'd "gotten it". I wrote on the sheet: "If you did not name this beer "Rye and Ginger" then I just did!" But the beer was not just a fun idea, and a nice pun, it was very well made, the clearest of the four, with good head, and was a beautiful mahogany in the glass. Knowing the secret ingredient, and returning to the nose, revealed the ginger, but also hops and spicey malt that all four beers shared. Daniel had already seen to it that the rye was evident in those that had gone this far. The beer was yummy, but, in fairness, also one of those beers you like, but will probably only have one of at a time.

So, from the above, you can probably guess where I was, and what I was confronted with. The first and second ones were really good beers, with the second one having a slight packaging problem. The third was out. And then there was this wild card, with Daniel smiling like the proverbial Cheshire Cat.

My scores were 13 and 58 tied, with 23 second. My argument was that although 58 was not a pure Rye IPA, the contest rules did not disallow it, and the contest organizer themselves had allowed it to go this far. Plus, it would be a marketing splash. But 13 was the beer many people who entered were hoping to make.

The other judges both had Number 13, first and second, but they had both thrown out the Rye and Ginger beer as out of style. So the argument could go either way.

In the end, we had no problem awarding the win to number 13 (the Citra and the Rye), giving Number 23 second, but I hung on to the Rye and Ginger for a medal. Because it was so good, and so fun. But going with the specialty beer theme was taking a bit of an "end around" on the competition, and that would seem a bit unfair to all the others. Afterwards, I chatted with the guy who brewed it and invited him to join us here. I think he will and he would be a great addition to the club.

So, there you have it, the inside story. No one ever call me a style police guy again, please!!

Jeff

PS. I "think" Number 23 was BBrianBoogie 's, and Number 56 was Jamie D from Hubbards.

[Brewnoser]

Hmmm, sounds like she's a bit in the grey area with regards to pro brewer status.

Hah! I'd say several of you are. I did not see the entry rules, but normally competitions are open to anyone who brews in a home brewery setup. Use of BOP, pilot breweries at breweries or brewpubs is not normally permitted.

There used to be one or two well known homebrew competition winners in North America who were pro brewers who made homebrew for fun and experimentation.

Odd hobby to have if you have unlimited beer at work, but maybe they worked at Anheuser Busch?

[jeffsmith]

Either way it was a well made, tasty beer. I don't think enrolling in a school makes you a pro. I found BBB's had more finishing hops, which appeals to my taste more , but #1 & #2 were clearly great beers.

I'm have no doubt that it was an excellent beer. My only thought was that a year of formal education is something that gives you a bit of a leg up in competition. Again, more of a transparency thing as X mentioned. Regardless, it's great to hear that the winners were excellent beers and congrats to BBB for such a strong showing!

[amartin]

I'm happy with my results, I made it to the second round and got no negative comments. Some other beers were just better.

I think I tried the winning beer, but I can't be sure. Either way, it was a very good beer.

[Graham.C]

Hmmm, sounds like she's a bit in the grey area with regards to pro brewer status.

Either way it was a well made, tasty beer. I don't think enrolling in a school makes you a pro.

Agreed, and even if they are I have no problem as long as they use a home brew setup. I have had many homebrews from non-pro's that I would rank higher then stuff coming from some breweries.

[Brewnoser]

I'm sending a couple of bottles of my Rye PA over with another PEI brewer, Devin. He'll be at the Garrison event tomorrow. Would he be able to give those to someone for the tasting on the 31st?

Those were acquired, and I believe Chalmers has them for the 31st

[KMcK]

The only one I get to try was Brian's and thought it was excellent. I would like to have seen his win, if for nothing more than the name (The BoogieMan's Rye IPA?).

[Bryan]

Also, good to meet Bryan at the event! I'll hook up with you in April, I hope.
I grabbed a six-pack of his Rye IPA for the event on the 31st. Thanks!

Nice meeting you, Chris! Just let me know when you're heading to Cape Breton.

[hogie]

Very good beer, but head retention lacking; otherwise, serious contender!

I have a feeling the same will be said about the bottles I sent over for next week.

Very happy with the rest of the judges comments/feedback though.

I've got to figure out my bottling procedure. Will start a new thread shortly.

[hogie]

I'm sending a couple of bottles of my Rye PA over with another PEI brewer, Devin. He'll be at the Garrison event tomorrow. Would he be able to give those to someone for the tasting on the 31st?

Those were acquired, and I believe Chalmers has them for the 31st

Thanks Chalmers!

[mr x]

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NC student wins Garrison Brewing’s Ultimate Brew-off

Kellye Robertson enters the limelight at Caps, Corks and Forks March 23, when she is asked to explain to the crowd of guests why she just flew in from Halifax earlier that day.

To use her own words, first-year Brewmaster and Brewery Operations Management student Kellye Robertson is living a "young brewer's dream."

That's because the recently announced winner of Garrison Brewing’s fourth annual Ultimate Brew-Off will have the opportunity to produce a batch of her original beer with Garrison’s brewmaster Daniel Girard. Her beer will be specially released in bottles by the brewery - complete with her name on the label.

“I can’t believe they’re going to be making my beer with my name on it,” she said. “It’s going to be all over Nova Scotia.”

Robertson, who grew up in the Maritimes, was surprised by the win because this was the first competition she has ever entered. She said she was interested in participating in the challenge, designed to showcase the talents of Maritime homebrewers, because she thought it would be a great opportunity to have her beer professionally judged.

To enter, she had to brew a Rye IPA style beer using her own choice of malts, cereals and hops. She picked up all the ingredients she needed from competition sponsor Noble Grape during a previous trip to the Maritimes and brought them back with her to NC where she brewed her recipe. The final product was sent back to Garrison Brewery with some of her friends in the Brewmaster program who were travelling to the East Coast during Reading Week.

Robertson's beer was among 62 entries in the competition and she was recently notified that she was among the top four who were invited to attend the brewery's event in Halifax on March 22.

"I was amazed that I made it that far," she said.

While she was there, she was shocked to hear her name announced as the first-place winner.

"It's really about the bragging rights, to know that a beer I made was chosen and they're going to brew it," she said. "I'm super excited to have been chosen, especially because I was up against many years of skill and knowledge ... there were some really avid homebrewers, mostly guys, who have been doing this a long time."

Craig Youdale, chair of the Canadian Food and Wine Institute, said he was proud of Robertson's and her win.

“This is an incredible accomplishment by one of our first-year Brewmaster students, and a first for our new program in reference to a single student accomplishment,” said Craig Youdale, chair of the Canadian Food and Wine Institute.

Robertson's beer will be released at a Garrison Brewing gala in 2013.

Robertson barely had time to celebrate her victory before flying back to Ontario. The night after her Garrison win, she was a key participant in the college's Caps, Corks and Forks event, as part of Team Beer.

[LiverDance]

She brewed it at the school?

[mr x]

Well, it doesn't say that in so many words, but....

[chalmers]

Interesting info, but I don't think one can jump to the conclusion that she brewed it at the school.
The rules state:
Entrants must be homebrewers (non-commercial brewers) from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick or PEI.
Beers produced on the premises of a commercial brewery are not eligible.

She IS a non-commerical brewer from NS, though going to school in ON, which seems fine to me.
Even if she brewed it at school, is Niagara College a commercial brewery? Well, they do sell a beer produced in their 10hL brewery (http://www.firstdraft.ca/content/Home/Products.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;), so I suppose it is.

What do I think? She had the best beer of the four judged, and unless some scathing information comes out about it, it's not worth me getting worried about it.

[mr x]

If this was brewed on NC premises, using their gear, I'm not so forgiving. Rules are rules, if we are going to ignore them, where does it end? And she's free to say here that she didn't brew it there, I wouldn't call her a liar, because I don't know.

http://www.brewnosers.org/forums/member ... file&u=173" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Graham.C]

Rules are rules

I thought you hated rules...

Although I agree about using commercial equipment, it seems a little unfair but she did use all ingredients from NG and some of you guys have some amazing equipment that would be commercial if the rules for selling booze weren't so much a pain in the ass.

[mr x]

Me? I love rules, I hate HBT.

Some of us do have good equipment - that has been begged, borrowed, and stolen, etc. A lot of hard work, money, and trial and error has gone into some of them, others, not so much. But that's even worse if it discourages the guys scraping together gear with their pennies if people are allowed to flaunt obvious rules such as brewing with gear at a commercial brewery. That line is there for a reason.

[RubberToe]

I seriously doubt she used the ingredients she bought at Noble Grape to brew in a 10hl brewery.

[mr x]

I bet they have a pilot system.

[RubberToe]

I bet they have a pilot system.

Yeah, quite possibly.

[chalmers]

I bet they have a pilot system.

Yeah, quite possibly.

They do:

Located at the Niagara-on-the-Lake Campus, the facility includes both a large scale system capable of producing 1,000 litres of beer and a smaller pilot system that allows students to brew one keg at a time - an ideal set-up for the creation of experimental brews and special beers for events that highlight the interaction between beer, food and wine.