From ASH

Contents 1 Overview 2 ASH program 2.1 Status 3 2008 - 2009 American Homebrewers Association Club-Only Competition Schedule

Overview

The Club-Only Competition program offers AHA Registered Homebrew Clubs an opportunity to compete nationwide with other homebrew clubs. Each competition concentrates attention on a specific style of beer or mead, giving clubs the opportunity to educate their members in these styles by focusing on them at club meetings or tasting events.

Each Club-Only Competition is sponsored by the AHA, and co-organized and judged by selected homebrew clubs nationwide. This also gives clubs a chance to learn more about homebrew competitions, beer evaluation, and judging procedures.

If a club’s entry places in any of the six Club-Only Competitions that are held on an August to May cycle, the club earns points towards the AHA Homebrew Club of the Year award on a twelve-eight-four basis for first, second and third places respectively. Additional points can be earned on a six-four-two basis for first, second and third places respectively in the first and second rounds of the National Homebrew Competition.

Complete rules and competition schedule can be found : AHA Club-Only Competition

ASH program

It is the consensus of the board that our participation in this program is long overdue. Quite a few of the larger and more famous clubs across the country take part in the competition and it would be quite impressive to have ASH ranked with them. A list of the club winners for 2007-2008 can be found at this link : Club Winners

Since the first entry in the 2008-2009 competition schedule is looming, we intend to hold a small competition akin to the homebrew of the month contest to determine the best representative for the ASH entry. A few of the contests are for big beers that will take a bit of time to ferment and mature so start brewing the big beers now. For the contest 3 bottles are required. One beer to sample and, from the winner, two beers to be shipped to the contest. ASH will pay the entry fee and the shipping for all winning entries.

Updates will be provided in the Hot Break or on this page as they unfold.

Status

First round judging for ASH's first entry was held at the July general meeting. Ron Kloth's Cherry Melomel was deemed the best of a group of 9 entries. Congratulations to Ron! He narrowly beat out Barry Tingleff's 10 year old Traditional and Barry Weeg's Wood Aged Meads.

The second round entries, for Imperial Anything type beers, will be due at the September general meeting so that the entries can be shipped in time to make the early October deadline. If you haven't started a beer you might want to get crackin'. These take a bit of time to mature. If you have something tucked away you think would make a good candidate then plan to bring it to the meeting in September. See style details below.

2008 - 2009 American Homebrewers Association Club-Only Competition Schedule

• August 2008
  • Mead
    
    • Entries are due 7/25/08 and judging will be held 8/2/08. Entry fee is $7.
    • Hosted by Al Boyce and the Minnesota Homebrewers Association of Edina, MN, this competition covers BJCP Categories 24, 25, 26 mead styles.

• September/October 2008
  • Imperial Anything
    
    • Entries are due 10/11/08 and judging will be held 10/18/08. Entry fee $7.
    • Hosted by Fred Bonjour and the Clinton River Association of Fermenting Trendsetters (C.R.A.F.T.) of Macomb Township, MI, this competition covers any beer style that has been imperialized. Entries will be judged to BJCP Category 23 Specialty Beer, so entrants must include information about what they have done. The competition is not about the biggest beer, it is about a bigger beer done right.
    • Entries MAY specify the base beer style, and MUST state the original gravity (OG), final gravity (FG), and the type of imperialization (ABV, IBU, etc.).
    • Note: Beer styles that are imperial by nature (Dopplebock, Eisbock, Strong Scotch Ale, Russian Imperial Stout, Imperial IPA, Belgian Dark Strong Ales, and Englishand American Barleywines) MUST have OG = 1.100 or greater, and ABV = 10% or greater.

• November/December 2008
  • Celebration of the Hop (IPA)
    • Entries are due November 19 to November 28, 2008. udging will be held Saturday, December 6, 2008. Entry fee $7.
    • Hosted by Frank Barickman and the Scioto Olentangy and Darby Zymurgists (SODZ) club of Delaware, OH, this competition covers BJCP Category 14 styles.

• January/February 2009
  • Belgian & French Ales
    • Entries are due TBD
    • Hosted by Doug Newberry and the Silverado Homebrew Club of St. Charles, IL, this competition covers BJCP Category 16 styles.

• March/April 2009
  • Beers with OG > 1.080
    • Entries are due TBD
    • Hosted by Susan Ruud and the Prairie Homebrewing Companions of Fargo, ND, this competition covers beer styles in the following table:

BJCP Category	Style
5C, D	Dopplebock, Eisbock
9E	Strong Scottish Ale
12C	Baltic Porter
13F	Imperial Stout
14C	Imperial IPA
15C	Weizenbock
16C, D, EE	Siason, Bière de Garde, Belgian Specialty Ale
18C, D, E	Belgian Tripel, Belgian Golden Strong Ale, Belgian Dark Strong Ale
19A, B, C	Old Ale, English Barleywine, American Barleywine
20	Fruit Beer over 1.080 OG
21	Spice/Herb/Vegetable Beer over 1.080 OG
22B, C	Other Smoked Beer over 1.080 OG, Wood-Aged Beer over 1.080 OG
23	Specialty Beer over 1.080 OG

• May 2009
  • Extract Beers
    • Entries are due TBD
    • Hosted by Michael Porter and the Knights of the Brown Bottle Club of Arlington, TX, this competition covers all BJCP beer categories (1-23)