Summer 2023 – IPA
Table of Contents
General Info
The team at Los Molinos Beer Co. wants to see what the Immersion Chillers are made of! All members are invited to participate in this Best of Show style competition to see who can brew the IPA that the LoMo team likes the best. The winner will have the honor of brewing their winning recipe with the LoMo team on the 10bbl system and then having it on tap on the brewery.
No matter who wins, all participants are welcome to hangout at the brewery on the brew day with the winner.
Winner Prizes
Guest Brew Day
The winner will join the brewer at LoMo to brew their winning recipe on the 10bbl system.
Beer Name
The winner’s name will be displayed on the tap list next to their beer at LoMo and also have input on the name of the beer.
Other Prizes
1st Prize – Sweatshirt, t-shirt, hat
2nd Prize – $100 gift card to Los Molinos
Competition Details
Style: American IPA
The owners would like to limit the competition to this one style. The judges will NOT be using any style guidelines (BJCP, BABSG, etc.) to compare the entries, so your interpretation should cater to what you think the judges would like best.
Competition Format: Best of Show
The beers will be served blindly to the judges in identical glassware. The winner will be picked based on the subjective opinions of the judges. No points will be assessed and no feedback sheets will be returned to the entrants.
Judges
The two owners and other local pro brewers will be the judges and have final say of the winner.
Judging Date: June 22, 2023
The actual date will depend on the judges availability, and they would like some flexibility to work it out.
Entry Details
Entry Cost & Eligibility: Free for Club Members
This competition is free to enter for any current member of the Immersion Chillers Homebrew Club. If you are currently on our Google Group email list, then you are a member and eligible to enter. If you need to join the club, please go to our Google Group and apply.
Entry Maximum: 2 per person
Each homebrewer is allowed to enter up to 2 unique entries for judging. These shouldn’t be the same beer, these should be different in some noticeable way. (For example, a split batch with a different dry hop.)
Entry Packaging: 3 bottles/cans per entry
Feel free to package your beer in bottles or cans. The beers will be served blindly to the judges by stewards. Please submit three cans or bottles of each entry. Make sure you label your entries with your name and beer name.
Entry Dates: June 16, 2023
Entries will be accepted at the brewery starting on June 12, 2023. All entries must be delivered to the brewery no later than 9pm, June 16, 2023. Hand your entry to the bartenders in the tasting room during business hours (noon-8pm) and let them know that it is for the homebrew competition so they can set it aside in the cold box.
Recommendations
Recipe Formulation
Here are some insights that might help your recipe formulation:
- Shoot for around 6.5-7.5% ABV.
- They’re looking for huge hop aromas jumping out of the glass.
- They’re open to the full spectrum of IPA styles: American, International, Hazy, English.
- Style guidelines might be a good place to start, but the details aren’t as important as how it looks, smells, and tastes in a glass.
Multiple Entries
If you’re planning on submitting two entries, they need to be different enough to warrant the second entry. If they taste almost identical, then just enter the one you think is best.
More on Packaging
Since the beers will be poured by a steward and then served blindly to the judges, it might be best to use 12oz bottles. With a 12oz bottle, one can be used for the initial tasting and the second fresh one reserved for the final round. Having said that, the ideal entry would be three 12oz bottles/cans.
Feel free to label them however you can that will preserve the information. If you’re using duct/masking/packaging tape, make sure you adhere it to the bottle and write on it BEFORE filling the bottle. Once it’s wet, it won’t stick and it’ll be really hard to write on the tape. Another way to attach a label is to print or write it on paper, place the paper inside a ziplock bag, then rubber band it around the bottle/can/growler.
Brewery Limitations
While there are no restrictions on ingredients or processes you can use in your homebrew, the winning recipe may be subject to some alterations as LoMo sees fit before brewing on the 10bbl system. This could be due to lack of hop/grain availability, scaling issues, equipment, cost, or any other reason. As far as process goes, use your best skills at home, but a commercial brewery may not be able to replicate the process exactly.
Results
The judging was held on Thursday, June 22nd. There were 9 total entries and 6 judges. The panel of judges included:
- Roman, Co-Owner of Los Molinos Beer Co.
- Frank, Head Brewer of Los Molinos Beer Co.
- Jon, Head Brewer of Pizza Port San Clemente
- Jim, Head Brewer at Left Coast Brewing Co.
- Kyle, Head Brewer at Delahunt Brewing Co.
- Tony, Beer Enthusiast
The stewards for the judging were Casey, Joe, and Kyle. Beer numbers were assigned to each entry using an online list randomizer. Two ounces of each entry were carefully poured into tulip glasses that were labeled with a piece of tape on the side indicating the entry number.
The judges were blindly served 3 flights and asked to choose a winner of each flight. The winners would advance to the final round where one winner would be chosen. A “wildcard” entry was allowed for the final round in case there was a close tie from a flight in the first round. At the end of the first round of 3 flights, the judges asked for an additional wildcard to be sent to the final round, so 2 wildcards were added.
The winner of the final flight and competition winner was agreed upon by all 6 judges. The names of the homebrewers were not revealed to the judges until after they had declared a winner.
Award Ceremony
The judges would like to announce the winner themselves at an award ceremony to be held at our next homebrew club meeting, Thursday, July 13th, 6:30pm. There will be appetizers and a round of beers provided for our club courtesy of Los Molinos Beer Co.
All homebrewers who participated in the competition are encouraged to bring your entries so that we can all taste them! Even if you didn’t participate in the competition, all club members are encouraged to attend and bring beer! This event will be more of a social event than a formal club meeting.