So I made a wee heavy and aged it a bit with oak chips. I’m very pleased with the result, but not sure where to put it for competition purposes. There is a very slight but noticeable oak flavor to it. According to 2015 guidelines, category 33A Wood-Aged Beer states, “Beers made using either limited wood aging or products that only provide a subtle background character may be entered in the base beer style categories as long as the wood character isn’t prominently featured.” I’d like to enter it under category 17C Wee Heavy, but not if it will get knocked for the slight oak flavor.
Any thoughts?
Enter both ways?
Wish I could. This was a small batch and I only have enough for one shot. Besides, I think there is a restriction on entering the same beer in multiple categories.
In a competition, the judges don’t know what is in the recipe unless you tell them. If you tell them there’s oak, they will “look” for that. If you don’t they won’t. If the oak is strong enough for them to identify without prompting, then you should tell them. If it is not too evident, perhaps just enough to add some complexity, it may be better not to tell them.
Sometimes some oak flavor will present itself as somewhat drying, which is probably not to your advantage in that style of beer in its pure form.
Long story short, I think you’d probably do better declaring oak.
I have entered beers in two separate categories many times. For example, I entered an IPA as a Pale Ale and as an IPA in one competition because of feedback I got from judges from a previous competition. There is nothing that says you can’t enter a beer in two separate ways.
I understand you can’t do that presently because you don’t have enough of it to do so, but keep that in mind for future competitions.
Just have your wife enter one and you enter the other. No wife? Invent one. [emoji2369]
That will also work! ;D
I need to clarify a bit more. You can not enter two beers in the same subcategory, but you can enter it in two different categories.
"You may enter more than one beer per category or subcategory. You may NOT enter the same beer more than once anywhere in the competition "
I’m sure there are easy ways around it, but this is all irrelevant. As noted, there is only have enough beer for one entry.
Whether you can or can’t enter the same beer in different categories is irrelevant in this case. The OP is a small batch brewer and only has enough to enter ONE category and wants advise as to which one he has a better chance at.