Subject: Digest for the period 1/27/2006 - 1/28/2006 Date: Sat, 28 Jan 2006 01:03:27 -0500 Table of contents ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. first call for judges (Bruce Stott) 2. Re: Sparkling Ale - "untainted" evaluations (MeadGuild`at`aol.com) 3. Re: Sparkling Ale (dave sapsis) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Bruce Stott Date: Fri, 27 Jan 2006 13:12:10 -0500 Subject: first call for judges It's that time of year again. Plan now to judge at the Ninth Annual Eastern Connecticut Homebrew Competition on Saturday, March 11, 2006. The competition will be held at the VFW, 1415 Main St., Willimantic CT, 06226. Judges should report by 9:00 AM for coffee, bagels, and assignments. Judging begins at 9:30. As always, the competition is sanctioned by the AHA and the BJCP and judging points will be awarded accordingly. Please pass the invitation to your judging buddies. Send your intent to judge (include BJCP #, rank, phone, categories entered) to Bruce Stott at tbonestott`at`snet.net. (860) 871-9111. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: MeadGuild`at`aol.com Date: Fri, 27 Jan 2006 13:16:19 EST Subject: Re: Sparkling Ale - "untainted" evaluations > I ranted a while back on a particular Australian Style in relation to > BJCP style guidelines. > > Since then I have had considerable input from a range of knowledgeable > folk on this style, the result of which is: > > http://brewiki.org/AussieStyles/Sparkling_Ale > > As a cursory glance will show, this has a little way to go and mostly > turned into a historical discussion. I am really acting more as a > maintainer/editor rather than style expert. > > Anyway to the point of my post, I think it is possible to be so familiar > with a style description and beer that one's sensory perception can be > skewed. The style guide suggests things to us and so we taste them and > our memory of the beer suggests things to us that perhaps are no longer > there. Of course good judges are more objective than that but we are > human after all. > > So if any people on this list who are not familiar with the beer find an > opportunity to taste a Coopers Sparkling Ale, I would love to hear your > evaluation. I am not sure of its availability in the USA, but maybe > someone in their travels might come across it. > > _http://melbournebrewers.org/_ (http://melbournebrewers.org/) > _http://brewsta.sourceforge.net/_ (http://brewsta.sourceforge.net/) > _http://brewiki.org/_ (http://brewiki.org/) My suggestion is that we change category numbers so that 20 to 23 become 41 to 44, the meads start at 60, and the ciders start at 80. Thus the new Category 40 would be "Foreign/New Beers not already categorized." If you don't like this idea, that's ok. My wife didn't like it either. But instaed of wasting your time taking it apart, let's hear another idea. Dick ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: dave sapsis Date: Fri, 27 Jan 2006 16:49:25 -0600 Subject: Re: Sparkling Ale Paul -- I am all with you mate regarding the uniqueness and greatness of Sparkling Ale, so take these comments as support. I visited the brewery in 1996, got a brewmaster tour, met with Glen Cooper, got given a ton of swag (including the Coffee Table Book) and had a blast. My Coopers shirt is completley worn out from wear. Your page lists the og at 1.045 and I think you mean it to read 1.055. I think the component descriptions are a little tert, and off base regarding the basic impression of palate bitterness. The fruitiness and alcohol dominate the balance in my mind, and the og:IBU ratio support that. I think I had some evidence that the bittering level of Cooper's was around 26 or so, and at least to me, the overall blance is to esters, sweetness, and grain all in a distincly thin body and dry finish. I (think I) understand that you are shooting for a more generic "range" of characterisitcs than that defined by Cooper's, but I still think that leeway exists for interpretation no matter the detail of description. While it could nominally considered a regional or even historic type of "golden ale" and lumped in there, I do think it is pretty wholly unique. When fresh the beer is stunning. The sweet apple of the nose is unlike anything else I know, and easily distinguished. It is not unlike Steam in that sense: Endemic to a bitchin city, brewed in an old fashion, and resulting in a superb beer that is different than almost anything else out there. I disagree with the notion of lumping the beer with Pale Ales, despite the historic accuracy of the linneage. In final product, it is neither amber, nor particularly hop accentuated and is stronger than most pale ales. I would, however, support an effort to get it put into a distinct subcategory for Golden Ales. The BJCP guidelines can only be viewed as a dynamic product, its just that formal change occurs as a step function. The dialog leading to the change thoough... that is as progresive as we choose to make it. Cheers, --dave sapsis ---------------------------------------------------------------------- >From: paul sorenson Date: Fri, 27 Jan 2006 10:31:13 +1100 >Subject: Sparkling Ale - "untainted" evaluations > > >I ranted a while back on a particular Australian Style in relation to >BJCP style guidelines. > >Since then I have had considerable input from a range of knowledgeable >folk on this style, the result of which is: > > http://brewiki.org/AussieStyles/Sparkling_Ale > >As a cursory glance will show, this has a little way to go and mostly >turned into a historical discussion. I am really acting more as a >maintainer/editor rather than style expert. > >Anyway to the point of my post, I think it is possible to be so familiar >with a style description and beer that one's sensory perception can be >skewed. The style guide suggests things to us and so we taste them and >our memory of the beer suggests things to us that perhaps are no longer >there. Of course good judges are more objective than that but we are >human after all. > >So if any people on this list who are not familiar with the beer find an >opportunity to taste a Coopers Sparkling Ale, I would love to hear your >evaluation. I am not sure of its availability in the USA, but maybe >someone in their travels might come across it. > >cheers > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ***** Important Subscriber Information ***** To post a message to JudgeNet, send it to judge`at`synchro.com. Send plain text only, no HTML, MIME, encoded text or attachments. 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