We were considering entering the National AHA Competition…until we saw the $29 fee per entry, and the 6 bottle requirement! So with shipping, the total cost could easily run $150, $200, or even more. That is for anyone who wants to enter several beers in the competition.
As a comparison, the Bluebonnet charges $10 per entry, and requires 3 bottles.
After this March, we will no longer brew for competitions. Too much work! My wife was a huge help in this effort bottling all 30 bottles for 10 entries, but she agrees with me, this is the last time.
From the feedback that was posted online, many AHA members (and non members) think a change needs to happen…back to having regionals, and then the national. And that $29 fee?
That is the same as last year. I know a lot of people complained, but overall I thought it worked well. Yeah it’s expensive, but I see it as a hobby. I don’t hunt or fish, most of my hobbies are a small part of my overall budget. I joked with my wife when she complained about how much it cost to compete; “I could take up fishing, I’ll need $30K for the boat and trailer”. I made my point.
I take a different approach to competing. I used to throw everything at the competition hoping to win. Lately I focus on only my best beers and try to get a high percentage to win. It works really well and I’m not sending 10 beers into comp. I still win just as much, if not more. There is definitely a strategy to competing.
NHC is no longer a competition for quality feedback from qualified judges. You DON’T get that at NHC.
NHC is purely about bragging rights (for the competitor), and money-making (for the competition/AHA).
The competitor decides if it’s worth the price of admission.
There are many costs that add up. The judging space rent, feeding the judges using the event spaces food service, judging supplies, and so on. The big competition drives big expenses. It is your choice to enter.
I don’t use any competitions for feedback. Sometimes you can be led astray by a judge who assumes too much. I have always thought competitions made me a way better brewer just because it pushed me to improve and learn. It’s a really tough competition so if you do win, you should be proud.
I doubt they make any money on it, there are a lot of hidden costs involved. It’s similar to GABF format and last time I heard it was several hundred bucks per beer to enter that.
I much prefer 6 bottles up front as opposed to the old way of having to ship 2 or 3 bottles multiple times. I know USPS shipping is illegal for alcohol, but ive always done that with no issues. The large flat rate shipping boxes can probably fit 12 beers and cost what, 25 dollars?
covid makes organizing stuff a nightmare, costs are up, all the NHC changes seem reasonable to me, and the not having to potentially ship multiple entries months apart is a HUGE improvement for me.
I do agree, the comp is about bragging rights, and theres better comps if all you are seeking is feedback
And that’s why we did enter the Bluebonnet again this year. It is a very large competition with just shy of 1300 brewers registered, with entries from across the US, not only Texas.
As stated above, this helps to hone your brewing skills with the feedback from the judges.
I might think we make the world’s greatest beer…but we all know you cannot be an unbiased judge of your own brew. So getting input from BJCP folks is a great way to learn.
And this is another reason why we always seek the opinion of our beers from another source, who is experienced in brewing and competitions. He is honest…brutally honest!
It is expensive but it has always been on the high side.
Winning certainly doesn’t make you the best Homebrewer -
I must say I do miss those first round ribbons!
Wonder how the Bluebonnet (and other comps) get by charging only $10? They have many, many volunteers, so maybe that helps.
Plus there are commercial beer sponsors, so perhaps that is also a help.
Three bottles should be enough. Round One, Round Two, and BOS.
NHC competition fees were also raised back when super-brewers were entering 23 beers or more and demand exceeded supply of BJCP judges. It was an alternative to the competition selling out in hours.
I cant speak for Bluebonnet, nor can I speak for the organizers of NHC, but knowing how much work comps are, 30 bucks an entry is reasonable to me, 10 bucks is an absolute steal
I think it’s important to identify why you are entering a competition- for feedback? for ribbons/medals? bragging rights (???) because you are judging it anyway so why not enter?
If its feedback you are after- join a club, find out how are judges, and ask them if they would judge your beer. Listen to what they have to say. Or enter competitions that you find fit your criteria for being fairly priced.
I have gotten good feedback to improve my brewing from competitions, particularly if I enter the same recipe into several competitions, read the feedback carefully, and taste the same beer after reading the feedback to judge for myself.
I wouldn’t question the pricing too much- there are too many reasons why prices vary to worry about.
Is national better than regional? By definition, yes. Are the bragging rights better? Yes. Are the judges better? Who knows. I don’t enter competitions anymore because I know I’ll get more consistent feedback from people i know and trust.
As the Bluebonnet has entries from across the US, it is national in scope. But, anyone can enter as you are not required to be a member of the AHA.
As of last year, they were the largest single site competition for brewers. Maybe that will change this year.
26,000 bottles entered in 2021 at the NHC? The Bluebonnet had 4,000 bottles in 2021.
im not sure if the first part is part of the clause youve written, but i feel like if you believe anything close to this (which i perceive you likely do, based on other posts) you should explain more of your process and recipes that makes your beer so great.
im not being snarky, i did check the bluebonnet thing for 2021 and saw you won in at least one category. but i like to read aspects of how people do their homebrew here, especially when there seems to be a certain uniqueness or success to it.
that low-oxygen full basement brewery guy had a setup almost opposed to my concept of homebrewing, but it was very interesting to see.
Certainly every brewery will claim they make great beer. As home brewers, we are no different. To be honest, if you don’t tell me your beer is excellent, or at least very good, I probably do not want to drink it. And certainly your beer, like most of the brewers on this forum, is excellent.
Do you want the best pilot flying your plane, or just an average pilot. Beer is no different.
The beer we brew is good. Maybe not the world’s best, but darn good!
Full disclosure, we have had a few beers that were not good. Flawed to be precise. And this was pointed out on this forum. We are not perfect, but we do our best.
We were lucky last year with 2 Gold, and a Bronze Medal being awarded in the Bluebonnet. Probably will not do well at all this year. A full debrief will be posted here, with the results.
My brew process has been posted here before. I am hyper anal about a few things. But most on this forum tell me what we do, and my detail for some things, does not affect the flavor of the beer.