Why We Brew What We Brew
Some people brew for the sheer joy they get out of making their own beer, others brew so that they can create the exact style of beer they enjoy, yet others brew to enter beers into one of the many homebrew competitions.
The Bay Area Mashtronauts exist to support brewing in every facet. This page is the repository for all information pertaining to competitive brewing.
Beer entered into a homebrew competition is judged against known style guidelines. These guidelines are managed by the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP). These guidelines specifically detail each beer's aroma, appearance, flavor, mouthfeel, and overall impression. Commercial examples are also given for each style. They also have a program of training and certifying beer judges.
BJCP Course Documents
This link will take you the the BAM Beer Judge Certification Program Library that contains the compilaton of documents used by BAM instructors and students in teaching and studying for the BJCP Certified Judge class and Exam.
BJCP Exams in the Houston Area
We are very fortunate this year to have two BJCP Exams in the Houston area. BAM is hosting its first BJCP exam on March 9th, 2011 at B&S Brewers Guild at 9;00 AM. The classes for the BAM exam will start on Saturday January 13th, 2011. They will be held at B&S Brewers Guild every Saturday afternoon starting at 4:00 PM. The class notes will be contained in the BAM BJCP 2011 Class Folder in the BAM Library. There will be a second BJCP exam held by the Foam Rangers in October (Date TBD), 2011. When we have more details, we will add them. Taking either of these classes is one of the best ways available for a home brewer to become a better homebrewer
Since the Bay Area Mashtronauts is a Texas based club, it only makes sense that the vast majority of our beers are entered into Texas homebrew competitions. These competitions are organized into the Lonestar Circuit.
Nuts and Bolts is the Bay Area Mashtronauts intra-club brewing competition. While not available to non-members and not AHA certified, Nuts and Bolts is for something more important - Bragging rights!
Competitions & Links to Homepage |
Sponsoring Club(s) and Location City
|
Competition/ Awards Date |
Entries Due By
|
Bluebonnet Brew-Off |
Cap and Hare, Knights of the Brown Bottle (KOBB), North Texas Homebrewers Association (NTHBA), and the Red River Brewers, Ft. Worth
|
March 25-26, 2011 |
Feb 25, 2011 |
Alamo
City Cerveza Fest
|
Bexar Brewers Homebrew Club , San Antonio
|
April 29-30, 2011 |
Aor 2, 2011
|
Celtic Brew-Off |
Knights of the Brown Bottle, Arlington |
June 4th, 2011
|
May 12th, 2010
|
Big Batch Brew Bash |
KGB, Houston |
May 6, 2011
|
May 14, 2011
|
Lunar Rendezbrew |
Bay Area Mashtronauts, Seabrook |
Aug 4th, 2012
|
July 9th, 2011
|
Limbo Challenge |
North Texas Homebrewers Assosciation, Dallas
|
Aug 28, 2010
|
Jul 16 - Aug 6
|
Cactus Challenge |
Ale-ian Society, Lubbock
|
Sept 2011(Dates are tentative) |
Sept 2011
|
Dixie Cup
|
Foam Rangers, Houston |
October, 2011(Dates are tentative) |
Sept, 2011
|
There are many, many more homebrew contests across the country during the year. Some specialized only on a specific style of beverage, like mead. The vast majority are more general and are opened to all the recognized styles of beer, mead and cider. Some are built around special events, like National Homebrew Day on the first Saturday in May or the Great American Beer Festival, this year at the end of September in Denver, Colorado. All you have to do is enter them and ship your entry on time! This is the link to the list of all the currently recognized American Homebrewers Association (AHA) / BJCP sanctioned events. Don't let it intimidate you. It's just a list of events for tasting homebrew in other parts of the country.
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