This summer I entered a couple of local homebrew contests. The first was a Belgian themed contest limited to BJCP categories 16, 17 & 18. I brought home a bronze medal with my Saison (category 16c) entry. It was very exciting as this is my first medal. The second contest was open to all categories. They did combine several similar categories into groups for judging. I entered a Scotch Wee Heavy (category 9e). I did not win any medals for this beer. But I will get some valued feedback once I pick up my scoresheets.
Contests are a great way to get an honest opinion of your beer. It takes both effort and commitment to become a BJCP certified judge, it also takes a certain love for beer. Contests allow you to receive an evaluation of your beer, in a blind tasting, from at least one of these judges.
Of course I want to win every contest I enter, but, the real goal is to learn from them and to keep improving.
