What’s the stance on this? Is it frowned upon to brew someone else’s recipe for a competition? I’m trying to focus on simple recipes that are tried and true. Most of them are turning out ok but a couple are really turning out nice. I’d like to enter a competition just to get some feedback to help me isolate issues in my process.
It is NOT frowned upon to brew someone else’s recipe to enter into competition. You still brewed it yourself and that is all that matters. Go for it.
If I had a book that I sold you containing a recipe that I won an award with, one for say 80 different styles, I’d be more that proud to see a thousand people win their own awards with them too.
There is so much more to producing a quality beer than the recipe. Even if everyone brewed the exact same recipe, no two would taste the exact same.
And frankly for a lot of styles the majority of the recipes are going to be pretty close. If you needed a unique recipe, then they might as well shut down the whole Bohemian Pilsner category for eternity. It is certainly not frowned upon to brew someone else’s recipe for a competition.
It is a brewing Competion, not a recipe competition.
Honestly, I have many recipes that I have brewed many times each. Not of one of them has been exactly like any other. Minor ingredient changes and my mood on brew day make every one unique. Just like all the others. 8^)
Paul
Judging the Specialty category last year at NHC we must have had four versions of Denny’s Bourbon Vanilla Imperial Porter.
+1
+1 to all of the above.
Especially in BJCP competitions - invariably you are going to be brewing “someone else’s recipe”… that is the nature of a style guideline. There are only so many ways to brew a bo-pils, or ordinary bitter - the odds are if you have something truly unique, you have brewed something out of style.
If I am looking to brew a style that is somewhat new to me, I always start in one of two places - I either start with the recipe out of “Brewing Classic Styles” or I start with a recipe from the NHC Gold Medal Database… generally I will tweak them over time a bit, so I suppose they are a bit different from the original at some point. Ultimately, though, it is process that is being judged. 10 people could brew the same recipe and end up with 10 different beers due to process, temperatures, water, quality of yeast starter, sanitation, etc.
I would say that if you find success with some source of a recipe it is good to give some credit where credit might be due. I use recipes out of “Brewing Classic Styles” - I also recommend people buy the book anytime someone asks about a good source of recipes. I have good success with british ordinary bitters in competition - my recipe is based on “The Innkeeper” off of Northern Brewer - I recommend the kit to many people. Or, if you find the recipe on a forum or know the source - my guess is those people would love to hear that it did well for you too.
only four?
Please accept my apology…
There were three panels of judges. I don’t know what the others got.
Apologies accepted, Denny.
I’d say that beer quality is 80-90% technique and only 10-20% recipe. So if you brew it, it doesn’t matter where the recipe came from.
Honestly some styles can be brewed with just 1 malt… I guess you still have to pick hops and when to add them… Then others are pretty much set in their ways. Recipe is low on the totem pole.
I prety much brew original recipes if only because I have a devil of a time following directions/recipes. If you happen to feel bad about brewing a published/well known reciupe, change it up a little and make it your own.
You’re always good for a belly laugh Denny…
Side question…how often do you suppose people just pour a commercial beer into a bottle and submit?
I doubt it happens all that often given that there isn’t really any monetary prize. I’ve heard of it happening but more like, pull the label off and black out the cap.
Someone who knows about O2 exposure would not pour from one bottle into another bottle.
Nothing a little dash of yeast and sugar couldn’t fix 