In Wall Street, Gordon Gecko tells a young Bud Fox that "anything worth doing is worth doing for money." I always think of that line when I'm prepping beer for entry into a competition. Home brewing isn't really about entering competitions and winning awards but submitting your beer for the anonymous evaluation that competitions offer is usually a sound idea. But if you're going to enter, you might as well try to win - to paraphrase Gordon, anything worth entering is worth entering to get a medal.
It's with that in mind that we take a break from recipes and production this week to focus on how you describe your beer for competitions. This isn't necessarily about making your best, but rather presenting your best, and it's worth taking a beat to think about how to maximize your chances of bringing home a nice prize in addition to that valuable feedback at your next competition.
What Judges See
This starts with understanding what we, as beer judges, are actually working with at the table. We get a pile of blank score sheets, some water and crackers, a dump bucket, and a pull sheet. This pull sheet is a list of the beers at our table and in our flight(s), and the only information that is conveyed for most styles is the entry number and the category/sub-category identifiers. So, we'll see, "Entry #422, 9C, Baltic Porter."
That's all. We don't see the name you've given your beer, or anything you might have written into the "Additional Comments" box when you entered the beer. That field will only be populated (in most campaign management software) for specialty categories. Just something to keep in mind. For "regular" categories, your beer has to hold up, undescribed, against the guidelines.
In specialty categories, though (see the guidelines, but generally Specialty IPA and categories 27 and higher), the entrant has the opportunity (and, in some cases, obligation) to provide additional information. This information is visible to the judges, so you should do what you can to set them up to evaluate your beer properly. If you can also set them up to evaluate it positively, then that's even better.
Describing, Previewing, Winning
First, you need to read the guidelines for the particular sub-category you're entering. Some require that you provide specific information that enables the judges to evaluate your beer: special ingredient(s) used, base style, etc. Failing to do so might mean that you don't come away with a ribbon even if you've brewed one of the better beers on the table! This baseline information is important because it provides a descriptive roadmap that allows your beer to be properly judged.
After that, though, this is often a question of art over science.
Start with the "base style." Usually (but again, check your specific sub-category), even if you're required to give a style, it doesn't necessarily have to be a specific classic style sub-category - in other words, you can write "Porter" or "Stout" rather than "American Porter" or "Foreign Extra Stout."
If you're sure that your beer presents as a specific style for which it's a great example, then I lean towards being as precise as possible. If you're not, though, or if you think you've made a passable-but-not-necessarily-classic version of that style, then I'd recommend remaining a little vague. Let them say, "well, it's not really an American Amber Ale, per se, but it's amber in color and has some esters, so I guess it's an Amber Ale, as described…" Calling your shot is impressive if you hit it, but a home run is still a home run no matter where it goes over the wall. Err on the side of caution.
Next, you need to describe what the beer tastes like. Note that I didn't say, "need to describe the special ingredients or methods." It doesn't matter what went into it: it matters what judges can perceive.
If you added vanilla but there's no (or minimal) expression of vanilla in the beer, then don't mention it. If you tell me it's there, and I can't taste it, I'm going to ding it. If you don't tell me it's there, but I perceive it anyway, then I'll think it's complex and give it a bit more credit. Now, all of this is conditional: if you have just a bit of Brett Lambicus funk but don't tell me you used Brett, then I'm going to think something went wrong, so you should tell me it's there. But if it's a flavor that might be common in the base style you've identified anyway (cocoa in a stout, for example), then leave it out of your description unless it's playing a noticeable role.
How you frame the description matters, too, because you're priming my palate. I'm going to read the description before I smell, taste, or even open the beer, so make it sound good - but don't be pandering or obvious about it.
"Cinnamon and pear" is adequate, but dull. "Hand-selected top quality Viennese cinnamon fine-ground and added into the boil, with a half-pound of home-grown Bartlett Pears roasted over a birch wood fire in a New Hampshire barn redolent with the smells of America" is just ridiculous and sounds like you're trying too hard, selling the description, not the beer. "Low levels of Viennese cinnamon, aged on caramelized Bartlett Pears" calls to mind good-quality ingredients and suggests you're precise about your descriptions. Aim for the middle of the "geeky" spectrum on this one.
Words Matter
When it comes to specialty beer judging, words matter. Give us what we need to judge it well and take advantage of the fact that you get the chance to provide the judges with some sense of your own competence via your language. It might be what tips the scale in your favor on the judging table!