5 replies to this topic

[Stout_fan]

<rant on>

My "smart" phone just upgraded the 2015 BJCP style guidelines.

Search for RIS: 2 results.

1. Export stout: 1.075 max OG... nope!
2. American Stout up to 50-90 IBU.. NOPE!

What happened to my sweet 26 plato malty addiction?

GONE!

Thanks BJCP.

 

I started judging because most of the judges I ran across were illiterate a$$holes. So I thought I'd help add a small voice of reason.

Now I'm not to sure I want to judge anymore at all.

 

But look on the bright side,

We have 837 different types of hoppy ales and lagers in different shades, and sludge consistency.

yippie!

 

 

<rant off>

 

[Big Nake]

I hear you but I wouldn't wring my hands over what the BJCP calls 'style guidelines'.  I often make beers that don't fit into a style and you already know how to make a rocking RIS so just brew it and enjoy it.  The more I brew the more I enjoy just envisioning a beer in my head with various characteristics and then set out to put the right ingredients in place to make it happen.  If it doesn't fit neatly into a style category... it's okay with me.   

[HVB]

Are you not looking for 20C - Imperial Stout?

[Genesee Ted]

Yer momza beer style

Beer styles are good for reference but it’s not like the beer doesn’t exist because someone said it’s not a certain style. It’s mostly for judging. Consumers judge by how much they buy. That’s the style

[Stout_fan]

Are you not looking for 20C - Imperial Stout?

Yea, that's the second one with 50-90 IBU. Remember that the IBU range is proportional to the OG range although there's a bit of wiggle room in there. The OG range of 20C being 1.075 to 1.115. Across the OG spread, thats a Bu/Gu ratio of .66 to .78. And keeping in mind that .25 is malty, .5 is the old IPA standard and 1.0 is what we're seeing nowadays in IPA and I²PA.

 

So let's say I'm judging and I actually get the mythical 50 point RIS at 25 P and hopped nice and malty at about 30 IBU with other perceived bitterness provided by the roast malt. Under the guidelines I have to ding it for either too high a gravity,  or say it is way under hopped. THAT's what honks me off. It's the alpha acid creep that we seem to be seeing in almost all styles.

OR...

I can just give the brewer the (theoretically) justified 50 points and write a small note with the 10 points in the Overall impression section "I love this no longer accepted style of malty beer. It is perfect."

 

yea, most likely the latter.

harrumph!

 

Added note:

At big brew I talked to two judges who just got back from a UK tour. They were looking for the great British styles. What they mostly found were failed attempts at American IPAs. Kinda hard to get fresh Cascade, Citra and the other varieties in the UK.

 

Whew, spleen vented, blood pressure down, I'm feeling a bit better now.

 

Almost forgot: GOML!!

Edited by Stout_fan, 10 May 2019 - 07:36 AM.

[Big Nake]

When my wife and I went to central Europe in 2013 we had a nice array of gold lagers, viennas (I had to look very hard for that one), some dunkels, etc.  In Vienna there was a brewery called 1516 Brewing Company and they had brewed Victory's Hop Devil recipe and were serving it.  We were sitting outside in a biergarten and everyone I saw was drinking it... and so were we!    Really strange.  I spoke with the brewer and he said that they worked directly with Victory to make the beer in Vienna.