spuds wrote:Got my response in the mail today so i guess i'm not moving on to the next round.This beer was the only one I could send on short notice and my first competition ever.The beer was an ipa and really more of an american ipa but because of the low og i said it was an eng ipa. Was judged by 2 people, one recognized judge and one not. From judge 1 (rec) tech merit 4 out of 5 and intangibles 4 out of 5. Judge 2, 3 out of 5 and 3 out of 5. So hopefully do a little better next time but for my first time am very happy with results.
I would also keep in mind they are looking for a winter seasonal for this competition. An IPA would not likely meet that concept, even if it was a perfect example of the style! I guess all I'm really getting at, is sounds like you brewed a good beer, but may not have made it to the next round because of the type of beer you entered, rather than the quality of the beer itself.
Also, as an FYI - your choice to enter and American IPA as an English IPA based on low starting gravity may not have been wise. The distinction between American and English IPAs is more based on the hop varieties used. The low range of American IPA is 1.056 and English IPA is 1.050 - that's not much of a difference. If you brewed an IPA with an OG of 1.050, used all American hops, and it tastes like an American IPA, you will almost certainly score higher in the American IPA category (in spite of your OG being slightly low) than in the English IPA category.
