Oatmeal Brown - What category to enter it in, 10C American Brown, or 23A Specialty Options

[JonnyP]

Alright, so I am entering a few beers into some local contests and one of them I am trying to figure out which category to enter in and I figure you lot of beer geeks and judging folks would have a some good input for me.

The beer is an Oatmeal Brown. It is a base for a Chai Tea Brown Ale, so unlike its base recipe, American Brown, it has the addition of flaked oats and flaked barley to add a bit of creaminess to it and it is also low on the hop bill unlike the 'more aggresive hops' of the standard American Brown.

Any suggestions?
1) Would it fit in the 10C category with the addition of the flaked and lower hop rate
2) If so, would the scores be weaker since it is not totally true to style taste wise
3) Would going 23A be better and would it be the right choice.

thanks in advance,

the beer turned out great, so would love to get some good feedback from the judges.

[Bierliebhaber]

Alright, so I am entering a few beers into some local contests and one of them I am trying to figure out which category to enter in and I figure you lot of beer geeks and judging folks would have a some good input for me.

The beer is an Oatmeal Brown. It is a base for a Chai Tea Brown Ale, so unlike its base recipe, American Brown, it has the addition of flaked oats and flaked barley to add a bit of creaminess to it and it is also low on the hop bill unlike the 'more aggresive hops' of the standard American Brown.

Any suggestions?
1) Would it fit in the 10C category with the addition of the flaked and lower hop rate
2) If so, would the scores be weaker since it is not totally true to style taste wise
3) Would going 23A be better and would it be the right choice.

thanks in advance,

the beer turned out great, so would love to get some good feedback from the judges.

I would lean toward 23, because the comps don't necessarily judge on how good it taste but on how it fits the style guidelines (at least their interpretation). If it's really good, I would keep it to yourself...I have a beer entered in 23, hahaha. Unless the rules state otherwise, you could enter in both categories and see what happens.

[JonnyP]

I would lean toward 23, because the comps don't necessarily judge on how good it taste but on how it fits the style guidelines (at least their interpretation). If it's really good, I would keep it to yourself...I have a beer entered in 23, hahaha. Unless the rules state otherwise, you could enter in both categories and see what happens.

thanks, that is a good point. I wish I could spread things out into standard categories, but experimenting is just too damn fun. Are you entering it in the Slurp and Burp? If so, I have a couple going into good ole 23. Good luck with it.

[Bierliebhaber]

Yep, Slurp and Burp. Also, doing Heart of Cascadia CDA comp and HOTV if the IPA fermenting right now turns out as I expect.

You going to the awards ceremony? The raffle is usually pretty cool. Good luck!

[JonnyP]

Yep, Slurp and Burp. Also, doing Heart of Cascadia CDA comp and HOTV if the IPA fermenting right now turns out as I expect.

You going to the awards ceremony? The raffle is usually pretty cool. Good luck!

Nice... I haven't done the awards ceremony before but may have to give it a whirl.