Nordeast Big River Brew Fest homebrew competition results 2012
The Nordeast Big River Brew Fest homebrew competition, put on by my homebrew club (Nordeast Brewers Alliance), culminated with the sour/wild/brett beer judging and best-in-show judging today along with the announcement of winners for all categories. Check out the image below to see the winners of the competition: 
I picked up three medals, a silver and two bronze. Check out my scores and the feedback:
| Entry # | Entry Name | Style | Score: | Flaws and/or what to change: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | Maibark | 05A: Maibock/Helles Bock | 30.5 | Malt is “one dimensional” – decoction or higher hop profile could help. A bit astringent. |
| 35 | Golden Gate Retriever | 07B: California Common Beer | 29.3 (3rd place) | Could have balanced better with more malt |
| 37 | Alba Dog | 09E: Strong Scotch Ale | 39.5 (2nd place) | Improve attenuation, add “earthiness” |
| 38 | Saison Of A Bitch | 16C: Saison | 31.5 (3rd place) | Ferment higher (than mid/upper-70’s) for more esters, pitch more yeast to keep a healthy ferment, maybe more hops to add balance |
| 34 | Rauch! Rauch! | 22A: Classic Rauchbier | 35.5 | More smoke, less carbonation, higher mash tempt / less alcohol |
As exciting as taking home medals was the debut of NorthGate Brewing at the festival. One of the founders of NorthGate, Adam Sjogren (on left), is a longtime member of our brew club, so it’s been inspiring to see him take his passion to the commercial level. Go Adam!
I tried a few of their brews, and honestly my favorite was their pumpkin spice seasonal. To be fair, I LOVE pumpkin, so I could be biased. Though it rained for a good portion of the festival, which was humorous as it hasn’t rained in weeks. Perfect timing… It wasn’t terriblycold though, so there’s that. Here’s hoping for sun next year!
I’d like to thank the academy, Charlie Papazian, Ken Grossman…