The Blue Ridge Brew Off 2009 Homebrew Competition General Information version 9a

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Blue Ridge Brew Off
Homebrew Competition
Host Club:  MALT - Mountain Ale and Lager Tasters - Asheville, North Carolina

Welcome to the Blue Ridge Brew Off:

MALT’s Blue Ridge Brew Off has proven to be one of the most fun and largest competitions in the region. For the last three years we averaged nearly 490 entries per year.  Last year the count was 538.  We are honored to be a qualifying event for the prestigious North American Masters Championship of Amateur Brewing (MCAB).  The BRBO is a qualifying event for the Carolina (CBoY) regional honors: brewer of the year, master brewer of the year, club of the year, and mead maker of the year. An award will be given in memory of,  one of our esteemed members, Dr. George Fix for the highest scoring entry from a homebrewer who has been brewing for one year or less. The Blue Ridge Brew Off is sanctioned by the BJCP.  We will have both beer and mead/cider Best of Show judging.  The Blue Ridge Brew Off will use the 2008 BJCP style guidelines, BJCP Style Guidelines 2008 .  MALT reserves the right to combine style categories for judging and awards.  All of the subcategories of each category will be judged only with other subcategories of the same category.  For example Stouts may be judged in two or more flights but only Stouts will be judged in these flights.  With 2 or more flights of the same category a mini BOS will be used to determine the best of the category for MCAB reporting.

Quality judging is the primary goal of the Blue Ridge Brew Off.  We make every effort to ensure that each entrant receives the best possible feedback for their entries. We need volunteers to step forward to judge and steward to make this happen.  September is a great time to visit Asheville!  Upon request we'll try to house as many out-of-town guests as possible.  Breakfast, snacks, and lunch will be provided by MALT.  Judges and stewards should use the same convenient on-line form as the entrants.  No paper work is necessary.  When your on-line form is received, you'll be contacted by the appropriate coordinator.  Judges and stewards may contact an individual member of our production team listed at the bottom of this page to discuss particulars.  All entries and payment in full must be received by the date shown below.  This deadline applies to every entrant, without exceptions.  Late deliveries will not be returned.  This procedure will allow MALT to conclude the competition in one day and better assure quality control.

Who can enter:

The Blue Ridge Brew Off is open to all homebrewers 21 years of age or older.  Enter early and enter often. (Your entries will be assigned a competition-internal registration number based on random selection independent of time of entry.)   Beers must be brewed at home. Beer brewed in a commercial brewery or a brew-on-premises facility (BOP) is not allowed.  However fresh malt extract from a brewery is acceptable as long as the boiling and fermentation, etc. are conducted off-premises by the homebrewer who enters the brew in the competition or on-premises using the homebrewers equipment. 
 

Brewer Grouping:

If multiple brewers produced any of the brews to be entered, a separate registration must be made for each unique set of brewers.  The registration must include the point of contact data for the brewers in the Brewer's et al section.  A separate field is provided to identify multiple brewers with a team name.  The Brewer's Team Name field is limited to 35 characters maximum (about 6 words).  For multiple brewers, Awards will be made to the named team, not the point of contact or the members of the team.  Similarly award data for subsequent points computation for honors such as brewer-of-the-year will be credited only to the named team or the individual brewer as registered prior to the judging.  Accordingly, completing the Brewer's Team Name field is mandatory if there was more than one person who participated in producing the brew.  For the single brewer case, the point of contact and brewer are the same and the Brewer's Team Name field will be ignored.  This field will also be ignored when stewards and judges registering without entries.  However the Brewer's Team Name cannot be processed by the MCAB as a team name.  MCAB competitors can and should use the First Name, Last Name and Team Name fields to best describe their teaming arrangement.  See MCAB Qualifying Brewers for examples.                                        

How much does it cost:

$6 for each entry.
There is no limit on the number of entries.

Special Note: MALT will donate all of the year's net competition proceeds to a tax-exempt 501c3 chartable corporation.  The charity to be supported this year is Helpmate Inc. of Asheville.  Helpmate provides aid at no cost to victims of domestic violence.  By providing safety, shelter, counseling, and advocacy, they empower each client to create a life that is free of violence.  For this reason, prizes will be limited to Beer BOS and Mead/Cider BOS winners.  Our customary ribbons will be awarded to all 3 flight winners and BOS winners. The Dr Fix winner will receive a special award.
 

Important dates:

What kind of bottles are eligible:

Twelve ounce brown longnecks with plain silver or gold caps are required. The bottles must have no raised markings or labels except the rubber-band-attached competition label. Grolsch-type swing tops, or growlers are not acceptable. Caps must be free of markings or blacked out. We will be unable to return bottles or shipping materials.

How do I enter:

1. Prepare 2 bottles of each of your beers, meads or ciders for entry in all categories except 6, 8, 10, 13,16,18 and 23 which require 3 bottles per entry.
2. Complete the on-line entry form and print and cut-out the 2 bottle labels per entry.  Repeat the printing to get the third label as needed.
3. Attach a bottle label to each bottle with a rubber band. Do not use glue or tape.  It is advisable to enclose each label in a plastic (sandwich) bag to avoid smearing in the event of broken bottles during transit.  If the entries are to be picked up by MALT plastic bags for the labels must be used.
4. Write a check payable to MALT for the total of your entries. The entry fee is given above.  Check with DHL or other private carrier if you prefer to ship.  Checks shipped with brews should be enclosed in a plastic bag to eliminate smearing.  Mailed checks are acceptable.  Please ensure that the check identifies the entrant/point of contact.  Also see MikeDixon for JudgeNet posting on shipping advice.
5. We will ensure that entries are well cared for once they reach the destination.  They will be transferred to a cool dark location as soon as possible.
6. All registration must be done on-line: On-Line Registration

Shipping address and optional check mailing address: 
      

       BRBO
       c/o Asheville Brewers Supply
       712B  Merrimon Ave
       Asheville, NC 28804

Entry and check drop-off addresses:
 

      Asheville Brewers Supply
      712B  Merrimon Ave
      Asheville, NC 28804
      (Open 10-6 Monday through Saturday, with closures on some holidays and during summer vacation, telephone: 828.285.0515)
     

      Hops & Vines
      797 Haywood Road Ste. 100
      Asheville, NC 28806
      828.252.5275 alex@hopsandvines.net
   

Production Team: