Well then...I've got score sheets back and all, so it is time for updates. In the Mazer Cup, well I did a bit poor. Seems I was a bit off on how I entered a few. From the comments I might have better with my cyser had I entered as sack strength vs. standard, but not having unpacked all the brewing stuff and prior to bottling and submitting I suppose it is my bad. It made it to the second round, but didn't pick up anything else.
But lets start with Odin, the Traditional Mead.
So at the Mazer Cup this one took a full 25 points! (I know...impressive, guess its half perfect). They mentioned that it was a bit watery and not sweet enough. One said it was a bit hot, though age might help. At the National Homebrew Competition First Round it took a 30, with both judges mentioning that it was more similar to a dry mead than a sweet or semi-sweet. But we'll see how it goes, should still be good for a certificate from the NHC. Its also been sent up to NH for the Mead Free or Die competition, this time as a Dry, Still, Standard Mead (24A).
Next Idun, the cyser.
This one took a 37 at the Mazer Cup. The judges seem to enjoy it, with the note that it should have been entered as Sack strength, It made it to the second round, so thats a plus. At the NHC it only took a 25, with a few notes that it was too hot and finished much too sweet. The one judge noted that carbonation might help it somewhat, so I will have to consider this for the next cyser round.
And Loki, the hopped mead.
At the Mazer Cup this one took a 28. One judge said he expected more hops from the aroma, both mentioned not getting enough hops in the flavour. One judge said that the hops might be old, and truth be told I got them from my local shop, which did not have the best storage for their hops (happily they are under new owners). At NHC it only took a 24. More notes of not of hops flavour.
And Cylon Cider.
This one only went to NHC. It took a 24, with notes that it didn't have enough sweetness or apple to it to really do well. I was a bit afraid of that when I realized the yeast took it a bit lower than I had originally wanted it to go. This was my first crack at cider straight from the apple, and the bottle had apple squeezing and yeast, nothing else. I think that I'll need to add some brown sugar next time around.
Now all of these meads/ciders had notes that the yeast were stressed. In past mead attempts I pitched quite a bit of yeast, but in listening to various podcast I heard a number of people talk about using a gram per gallon. Since my meads were only going to be a single gallon I figured one gram wasn't enough and doubled it to two grams. I think I need to go back to pitching more. Yes, I did rehydrate and do a staggered nutrient addition.
Lastly...we'll discuss the Volksmarch, my altbier.
So this round of judging I ended up with a 39. It went in as a North German Alt this time around. And I got the standard more roasty than expected that I've seen in previous score sheets. But this becomes my first first place! It also means that I'm rebrewing for the final round. This is the first time I'll be repeating the same recipe and don't have access to the fridge that I used to lager last time around. This time I've got it in a water bath in a cool and have been rotating ice packs through, hopefully it comes out as well or better.
