I have a lot to update today with four batches of beer brewed since the last update. I also am brewing a batch as I type, so by the time the day is over I might have over a half dozen updates. Yikes!
The most exciting thing I have to share is that last month I entered my first homebrew competition and received medals for two of the three beers I entered! I had previously been hesitant to enter a competition as I have been learning a lot and improving my recipes, equipment, and brewing techniques in the past year, but I finally feel comfortable with the beer that I have been making and thought I would give it a shot. The competition I entered was called "March Mashness" and was put on by the Cloudy Town Brewers homebrew club out of St. Cloud, Minnesota.
The beers that placed were the Irish Red Ale (A2 on the cap) taking third in the Irish/Scottish beer category with a score of 35 and the Rainy Day IPA (IPA2 on the cap) taking second in the American Pale Ale category with a score of 35.5. The third beer that did not place was my California Common (CC on the cap) with a score of 31.5. Since I have a lot to update, I will go into more detail on homebrew competitions at a later date. For those interested, you can check out an example of a homebrew competition score sheet here:
Along with receiving two medals, I also received a prize pack containing some liquid malt extract, a Cargill t-shirt, and a Cold Spring Brewery hat. I was quite surprised to even get the medals, so all the extra gear was a nice surprise as well! This experience was definitely encouraging and I will look to enter several competitions throughout the year.
Award winning beer... it has a nice ring to it.
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