I’ve never entered a NEIPA in any competition I’ve participated in even though it’s one of the styles I brew on a regular basis. The basic reason is that I feel that category is always too crowded. However, I recently brewed a NEIPA which I feel is one of my best yet and there’s a local competition coming up in about a month. So, I thought it might be interesting to get some feedback.
However, I bottle and when they sit for an extended period of time, the proteins, polyphenols, etc. settle out. Normally, before I serve one to myself or a guest, I always turn it upside down and gently swirl the contents to get those components back in suspension. So, bottles I drop off this week with an early August judge date will have the same issue.
So, I’m curious how this is handled in a judging situation? If not mixed, when poured it’s going to look and taste like an overly hopped pale ale.
If you want it to be served in a particular manner, mark those instructions in your comments and potentially also put them on the bottle label, or a separate label attached to the bottle.
If the judges are presented a bottle without instructions, they are simply going to inspect it, open it, and pour it.
Most competitions follow the BJCP 2021 style guidelines. The competition you want to enter should specify what guidelines and styles that will follow/allow. The closest for NEIPA is 21C Hazy IPA. Be sure to check the guidelines and compare to your beer. For example, the IBU spread is 25-60. If you went for a Heddy Topper style NEIPA, where the IBUs are 100, you might be judged as too bitter as compared to the guidelines. If you went for the trend of 0 to low IBUs, you may be judged as not bitter enough. So keep in mind that you may have a great beer but it will be compared to the guidelines. Also, know that almost no one can accurately pick out IBUs from tasting. So if you are ~20-70 based on the recipe, you’ll be fine. Guidelines: Hazy IPA
I have judged many Hazy IPAs and what we run into a lot is oxidized beer, which does not score well. So if you get the packaging right, you have a leg up on the competition. Good luck and welcome to homebrew competition. It can have unexpected ups and downs, but I love it!
I didn’t realize crapping on hazies was still a thing.
I know it used to be pretty damn prevalent back in the day as some flag planting claim to a higher ground, but I thought all those skeptics have since walked back down, put a hand on their chest and said, “My bad”.
Judge the beer against the written style rather than chasing one visual cue. Aroma, soft mouthfeel and restrained bitterness should work together and oxidation can flatten all three even when the haze looks right.
