HalifaxNick's Randall The Enamel Animal Is Born!!!

[gfoster]

Not bad, except obviously you local boys wouldn't have won *any* ribbons if we california brewers decided to enter more categories.

Crying shame I had to send beers all the way out there just to teach you guys what a proper 60/- should taste like and all.



Seriously, congrats to everyone. I'm just on a medal high this weekend. I just found out I picked up another silver and bronze at the transatlantic showdown, so after 8 medals and an HM in one weekend I'm due for a little smack talk. Being humble is a bitch and I know here I can talk shit and everyone will take it for what it is... just talking shit

-- Gary F.

[Speyedr]

That's a great run man. You need to do it right though and get a buddy on TBN to "ask" you about it... You know, like "Hey Gary, How'd you do in all those competitions you entered? Bet you kicked some AYASSSS!!"

That way you can act all humble, wihtout being humble.
Just PM me next time and I'll gladly hook you up.

What did you win for? Same two or other recipes as well? Are you putting them in the NHC?

[gfoster]

I'll remember that next time, heh. Well, since you *did* ask...

The tally for the weekend is:

• KC Biermeisters: Gold for 60/- (qualifies for MCAB)
• WoW: Gold for 60/- and silver for oatmeal stout
• Boston Homebrew Comp: Silver for 60/-, Bronze for my cal common and honorable mention for my smoked brown
• AFC/Quaff: silver for my 60/-
• Transatlantic Showdown (little tiny competition): Silver for brown porter, bronze for my bitter (it's actually a best bitter but I entered it as an ESB since that was the only sub category open).

Four pretty good sized competitions and one little bitty one out in Illinois or some other God-forsaken place (funnily enough, all three porter entries were won by those damned poacher californians too!). I entered 2-4 beers per competition (in various combinations), and every beer won at least one thing somewhere. I was surprised the smoked brown managed to squeak out an HM. My first smoked beer and it's a little bit rough IMO.

This is my first real focused attempt at competing. I've sent off stuff here and there in the past and never done particularly well but this year I've decided to really focus on it and see if it will improve my brewing. I've been paying very careful attention to the feedback on the scoresheets and really trying to tighten things up. Seems to be working so far.

All of those are going to NHC regionals. You can bet your ass I'm hoping the 60/- pulls through I'll hopefully have about 10 or 11 entries for NHC. I've also got a 70/- and a foreign extra stout ready to go, and I have an american brown in the fermenter and time to get one or two more done if I don't dick around. Might try to put together a northern english brown and maybe a wheat for those last two slots. I had a northern brown ready but I got crazy with the bittering hops and, well, let's just say they weren't real impressed with it when I sent it off to be judged and leave it at that. I like it a lot, but it's quite a bit too bitter for the style.

The funny thing about the 60/- is I'd never brewed (nor tasted) one. I brewed it up and thought it was kinda dull and tasteless, not much to it. Guess I just don't care for the style because there just wasn't much to it. Goes to show you that I might be able to brew some half-assed decent beer but I sure as hell shouldn't be judging it.

-- Gary F.

[Speyedr]

Yeah, as long as you folow the recipe and pay attention to your processes you'll do fine. This was my first competition ever (I just started brewing in Sept.) I expected some good feedback and sympathy sex from my Wife!

Instead, I ended up with the two blues and CHAMPION Sex from my Wife!! MUCH better.

Anyway, the Pils is a recipe from Papazian's "Joy of Homebrewing", and since it is a Classic American Pilsner, you can be sure I've never tasted one. Quite good though if I do say so myself, but not as hoppy as you CA hippies like it

The Wit was just a Hoe Garden clone from "Beer Captured" since it is my Mom's favorite beer (always trying to please Mom.) I told her I won and she just said "that's nice dear..."

Frankly, the one thing I did NOT get was really good feedback. Not bad, but most of the judges are fairly new. They even lumped a Fat Tire clone of mine into the Saison category because of limited entries, but one of the judges even wrote "Nice Saison..." I was a bit miffed by that one, but 2 out of 3 ain't bad.

Now I'm considering entering more comps just for the feedback, and some of Jamil's Medals!!!

[gfoster]

Anyway, the Pils is a recipe from Papazian's "Joy of Homebrewing", and since it is a Classic American Pilsner, you can be sure I've never tasted one. Quite good though if I do say so myself, but not as hoppy as you CA hippies like it

I'm not set up for lagering but I'm going to try to get some done next year. I had a CAP from a guy in sonoma I swapped beers with (Roger456 on the B3 forum) that was hands down the best homebrew beer I've ever had in my life. I'm going to try do do a CAP just because of that inspiration. It was like getting a blowjob from Angelina Jolie while watching from the 50 yard line while your team wins the superbowl... damn that was a good beer.

Oh, and several of the recipes are my own. The 60/- and smoked brown are not, but everything else is my own recipes.

Now I'm considering entering more comps just for the feedback, and some of Jamil's Medals!!!

See, that's what I'm talking about! It's time to take the pope down! Here that, Jamil? You're going down... you and your funny hat and dress!

(ok, now I'm really going to hell...)

-- Gary F.