Alt ‘n’ Bock Illuminator

By Tom Altenbach

Club-Only Competitions

In addition to the massive AHA National Competition held yearly, the AHA also conducts competitions open only to club members. These club-only competitions are held approximately bimonthly, and are restricted to only one designated beer style. Each club, like the Draught Board, can enter only a single beer for each competition. One of the participating clubs is chosen in advance to run the judging and scoring, and all the entries are then sent to the location of the organizing club. Ideally, each club has its own tasteoff or judging to select the best beer from its members to enter. Then the best beers from each club are judged, and the winners are festooned with much fame and glory both for the individual brewer and the club represented. Draught Board participation has been somewhat spotty recently, but we did have considerable success in these competitions previously.

Our new president has designated yours truly to be in charge of renewing club interest and participation in these fun events. All you have to do is look ahead at the schedule for the various styles to brew. Then if you like to brew that style, make a batch timed to be ready when needed. Then bring a sample to the designated club meeting. If you can’t make it to the meeting, have another club member bring it for you, or drop it off in advance at the Brewmaster and let us know it’s there for tasting. Depending on interest, we will have some sort of tasting or judging at the meeting, and the best will be selected as our entry. The club pays for the entry fee ($5) and the shipping. The club entry, usually 3 bottles, will have to be shipped to the judging site. Recommended mode of shipment is by UPS second day air, making sure the bottles are packed in a bomb-proof box. I’ve sent a lot of bottles this way, and they usually get there ok.

The next club-only competition is the Hail to Ale, for pale ale styles, and will be held in Cambridge, Mass. Note that entries are judged strictly according to AHA category definitions, so be sure to check the latest issue of Zymurgy (Winter 1993) for the current de-scriptions. So you can plan the year’s brewing endeavors, below is the club-only schedule, with the tentative Draught Board meeting dates designated for selecting our entry.

Since I’ll be off skiing during the next few meetings, you’ll have to make our club selections of Pale Ale and Bock without me. For the May meeting we’re planning on doing a more formal judging with scoresheets for all participating stouts. Until then, Happy Holidays and fire up those kettles for another Hoppy Brew Year.