2008 SOBA National HomeBrew Championship

[Rob Owen]

Ladies and Gentlemen start your burners! Entries are now open for the 2008 SOBA National HomeBrew Championship. Entries will close on 31 July 2008. Judging will be done during August and results announced at the SOBA HomeBrewFest, which this year will be during the BrewNZ week - first week of September.

For entry forms and more information please see www.soba.org.nz

[denimglen]

Oh yeah, didn't expect to get a medal as such, just meant like getting a place, you know what I mean haha.

[Ollie]

What prizes are likely to be on offer?

[Rob Owen]

Ahh, since you asked...

SOBA NHC Prizes (unofficial) -

SOBA Advanced Brewer of the Year - Earls Stainless Solutions 40L Conical Fermenter
Macs Kit Brewer of the Year - 24 Macs All Malt Brewing Kits (A Year of Beer!)
BrewCraft Kit Beer of the Year - Complete Kegging System
Hallertau Advanced Beer of the Year - Brew your beer at Hallertau BrewBar and Cafe
David Cryer Malt Award - 100kg Malt (A Year of Beer!)
NZ Hops Award - 1 Kg Hops

All category winners will receive SOBA NHC medals
All Gold, Silver, Bronze winners will receive certificates

[denimglen]

Ooops, beat me too it, prizes sound awesome.

[Horace]

No s@#t. If I'd known that I may have been brewing a little more recently.

[Barry]

Not too late Horace. I still have several styles holding off for last minute freshness.

[Ollie]

Wicked! I'm guessing the hops award is for a hoppy beer and the malt award is for a malty beer? I do have a killer oatmeal stout in the fermenter....

[Dan]

I have no idea on what there for! I doubt their for hoppy or malty beers though.

I think I asked this last year and from memory a (kit beer) is anything used with an extract base, just to get things straight, are partial mashes allowed to be entered in (Kit) category and if so to what percentage, can other yeasts be used or only (Kit) ones?

[Rob Owen]

The David Cryer Malt Award and NZ Hops Award will most likely be for Malt and Hops focused beers as Ollie suggested but this is still being sorted.

This year the 2 categories are quite clear - Kit and Advanced - If you used a Kit you can enter the Kit category (you must state the name of the kit used). If you have enhanced your Kit and you think you can compete in the Advanced category then enter as Advanced.

[jt]

At what point does a kit stop being a kit entry. There's a lot you can do with off the shelf goodies, what's in & what's out ? Thinking of
Brew Enhancers (those loverly bgs of dextrose, malt & hops from the sponsor)
Hop Teabags - or for that matter hops or hop pellets
Yeasts (off the shelf SAF / Gervin etc)

[Rob Owen]

If you used a kit you can enter it in the kit section.

If you think you can hack it against the big boys in the advanced category then enter it in the advanced category.

There isn't any point that a kit isn't a kit. As long as you put the name of the kit(s) you use on the entry form it is allowed.

Any further questions on this topic will have points automatically deducted ;-)

[denimglen]

According to the SOBA website prizes are TBA but last year "prizes including two complete keg systems, 100kg Malt, 36 Brew Kits, SOBA caps and shirts and the winning beer was brewed at Hallertau brewery".