Buzz Off Results
Two weeks ago was the annual BUZZ Off competition in West Chester, PA and I just received my results the other day.
This year there were 401 entries for this competition, one of ten (I think) qualifying events for the MCAB. Because it is a qualifying event they actually get more entries (in my opinion) they they typically would, plus they are entries from all over the country instead of just the same local guys. Fortunately there are still a lot of local (PA, NJ, MD) guys that place during this competition.
Here are some descriptors from my results on the two beers I entered:
- Vader – 13F Imperial Stout – 35/33 = 34 – “Very nice drinking beer – this is good now, but with some age to mingle the flavors this will be a fantastic beer!” – “Nice big stout, flavors are slightly unbalanced toward bitterness, will benefit from more aging.”
- Tripel – 18C Belgian Tripel – 36/35 = 35.5 – Third Place – “Well made beer, a drier finish would bring this even closer to style.” – “A good beer, but a little on the sweet side for style with a low hop bitterness.”
I did not judge this year. I was going to, but I wasn’t “feeling it.” I did go out the night before which was part of it, and I did get home late that night, and I did have other things to do that day if I wasn’t judging, but in all honesty, I just wasn’t feeling it. I was told they had 40 other judges, which meant a long crowded day of judging. Wake up at 7:00 (on a Saturday 8-O), leave by 8:00, start judging around 9:00, break for an hourish lunch around 12:00, finish judging around 4:00, sit around the bar drinking beer waiting after drinking beer all day (honestly, this is the longest part) just to hear the results later between 5-6:00, then drive an hourish home after drinking all day, just to get home and almost collapse. I know ‘poor me I have to drink beer all day and talk about it’, trust me it is more like studying for a big test then fun. Whatever, until next time.
June 17th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
Wow! Sounds like you need a beer.
June 17th, 2008 at 2:46 pm
I always need a beer 😉