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From: owner-judge-digest at synchro.com
To: judge-digest at synchro.com
Subject:   judge-digest V1 #1439
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judge-digest                Tuesday, 13 May 1997        Volume 01 : Number 1439

 ============================================================================
       J u d g e N e t   -   t h e   b e e r   j u d g e   d i g e s t
 ============================================================================

 Moderator:        Chuck Cox          <chuck at synchro.com>
 Archivist:        Spencer Thomas     <spencer at umich.edu>
 Publisher:        SynchroSystems     <info at synchro.com>

 Submissions:      judge at synchro.com
 Subscriptions:    judge-request at synchro.com
 Archive:          http://realbeer.com/spencer/judge
 BJCP info:        geninfo at bjcp.synchro.com

 ============================================================================
 contents:

 Call For Judges
 Secret Recipe Revealed

----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Dine Wray Smith <dinebrew at micron.net>
Date: Mon, 12 May 97 19:33:04 PDT
Subject: Call For Judges

This is a call for Judges to participate in a COMMERCIAL Beer and Cider 
Competition.

The "Best in the West" TM contest will be held in Idaho Falls, Idaho on 
Friday, June 6, 1997, and immediately precedes the "Mountain Brewers Beer 
Fest" TM which will be attended by over 70 breweries on Saturday, June 7.

SPECIAL NOTE:  We are especially in need of experienced Cider Judges, as we 
have about 20 cider entries so far in our total of nearly 200 entries in the 
contest.

We have applied for a BJCP sanction, and the BJCP Board of Directors is 
currently evaluating whether or not they will award experience points for 
the participating judges.

This event is sanctioned by the North American Brewers Association.

Centrally located 2 hours from Jackson Hole, Yellowstone, and Sun Valley, 
and only 3 hours from Salt Lake City, Idaho Falls has repeatedly been rated 
as one of the country's top 10 outdoor recreation destinations. 

FOR TICKET INFORMATION CONTACT:  The Idaho Falls Arts Council (208) 
522-0471.

FOR FEST INFORMATION CONTACT:  Gregg Smith -  phone - (208) 524-0970, FAX - 
(208) 524-6490, email - <GSMITHBEER at AOL.COM>

FOR COMPETITION INFORMATION CONTACT:  Dine Smith phone - (208) 785-4755, FAX 
(208) 785-1081, email - <dinebrew at micron.net>
- -------------------------------------
Name: Dine W. Smith, BJCP Certified Judge
      Competition Organizer,
      "Best in the West" TM Commercial Beer Contest
E-mail:<dinebrew at micron.net>
Date: 5/12/97
Time: 7:33:04 PM
- -------------------------------------


------------------------------

From: JCalen at aol.com
Date: Tue, 13 May 1997 07:08:46 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Secret Recipe Revealed

The wait is over. I can now put the whole story into context.

I think that the beer made from the "secret recipe" best fits a foreign stout
("Can You Read Recipes..." JudgeNet #1424).

Although many folks cited the gravity and the IBU level that qualifies the
beer as a foreign stout, no-one cited the >huge< proportion of black malt
realizing that it's just too much for a porter(*).

Scott Bickham said the recipe, "screams out robust porter." (JudgeNet #1425)

Exactly. But if you scream porter, all anyone should hear is stout. There is
such a thing as "stout-porter", right?

Consider:

   * "Only roasted *malt* is used by Guinness for export beer", (my
emphasis). ("Stout" by Michael J. Lewis, page 47).

   * "The all-malt version... (has) a more *coffeeish* character", (my
emphasis again). Michael Jackson discussing Guinness' stouts. ("Michael
Jackson's Beer Companion", page 182).

   * "black malt... can easily make the beer taste unbalanced, and more like
a dry stout." ("Porter" by Terry Foster, page 51).

   * "I advise no more than 3 oz of black patent per 5 gallons." Ben
Jankowski's warning for porter brewers. ("Brewing in Styles -- American
Porters", Brewing Techniques March/April 1997, page 42).

This recipe has 7 ounces of black malt and an ounce of roasted barley. This
is around 5% of the malt bill. Another 5% is chocolate malt. Clearly the
threshold of saturation is exceeded. The black malt becomes indistinguishable
from roasted barley.

I also have anecdotal evidence to support my case, but I think I've made my
point.

Okay, why the big deal over this recipe? Because I'm trying to overrule my
BJCP exam proctors.

First, a big public thank you to Scott Bickham, and all the rest who've
scored (and re-scored) my recent re-take of the exam. Their response was
lightning quick and quite thoughtful.

My score has poised me just short of the cusp to advance in rank. It's the
tasting score that holds me back, largely because of this brew, and I'd
accept it if I thought it was correct.

I don't. Although this beer was brewed as a robust porter and presented as
one, I thought it tasted like a stout and was bold enough to say so. The
proctors and the four newbies thought that the beer was a very good robust
porter.

I still think I tasted a stout and the evidence I've collected strongly
suggests that I was right.
 
What do you think? Has anyone here brewed this? Can someone make a case why
this should taste more like a porter? I'm all ears.

Regards,
John Calen

(*) There were several respondents who thought that the style was a stout
without citing a roasted barley vs. black malt argument.

------------------------------

End of judge-digest V1 #1439
****************************

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