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.