Upcoming Comp; Imperial

[Mike Neilson]

I have decided instead of calling the comp Imperial Hybrid, I have just called it Imperial. This Competion is where anything goes, it's more of a wowing the judges with your skill as a Brewer. Each Beer that is entered must state its intentions ie if it is an Imperial Stout than it will be judged as an Imperial Stout if its an Imperial IPA than its an Imperial IPA and so forth, If the beer is a Specialty beer than you must State what you were trying to achieve with the Beer and follow the guidelines below. your beer must have an ABV of 6% and above for the Imperial Mild boys.

Tentitive Dates are 25 April or 16 May?

Aroma: The character of the stated specialty ingredient or nature should be evident in the aroma, but harmonious with the other components (yet not totally overpowering them). Overall the aroma should be a pleasant combination of malt, hops and the featured specialty ingredient or nature as
appropriate to the specific type of beer being presented. The individual
character of special ingredients and processes may not always be identifiable
when used in combination. If a classic style base beer is specified then the
characteristics of that classic style should be noticeable. Note, however, that
classic styles will have a different impression when brewed with unusual
ingredients, additives or processes. The typical aroma components of classic
beer styles (particularly hops) may be intentionally subdued to allow the
special ingredients or nature to be more apparent.

Appearance: Appearance should be appropriate to the base beer being presented and will vary depending on the base beer (if declared). Note that unusual ingredients or processes may affect the appearance so that the result is quite different from the declared base style. Some ingredients may add color
(including to the head), and may affect head formation and retention.

Flavor: As with aroma, the distinctive flavor character associated with the stated specialty nature should be noticeable, and may range in intensity from subtle to aggressive. The marriage of specialty ingredients or nature with the underlying beer should be harmonious, and the specialty
character should not seem artificial and/or totally overpowering. Hop
bitterness, flavor, malt flavors, alcohol content, and fermentation
by-products, such as esters or diacetyl, should be appropriate to the base beer
(Has to declared) and be well-integrated with the distinctive specialty flavors
present. Some ingredients may add tartness, sweetness, or other flavor
by-products. Remember that fruit and sugar adjuncts generally add flavor and
not excessive sweetness to beer. The sugary adjuncts, as well as sugar found in
fruit, are usually fully fermented and contribute to a lighter flavor profile
and a drier finish than might be expected for the declared base style. The
individual character of special ingredients and processes may not always be
identifiable when used in combination. If a classic style base beer is
specified then the characteristics of that classic style should be noticeable.
Note, however, that classic styles will have a different impression when brewed
with unusual ingredients, additives or processes. Note that these components
(especially hops) may be intentionally subdued to allow the specialty character
to come through in the final presentation.

Mouthfeel: Mouthfeel may vary depending on the base beer selected and as appropriate to that base beer (if declared). Body and carbonation levels should be appropriate to the base beer style being presented. Unusual ingredients or processes may affect the mouthfeel so that the result is quite
different from the declared base style.

Overall Impression: A harmonious marriage of ingredients, processes and beer. The key attributes of the underlying style (if declared) will be atypical due to the addition of special ingredients or techniques; do not expect the base beer to taste the same as the unadulterated version. Judge the beer based on
the pleasantness and harmony of the resulting combination. The overall
uniqueness of the process, ingredients used, and creativity should be
considered. The overall rating of the beer depends heavily on the inherently
subjective assessment of distinctiveness and drinkability.

Base Style: THE BREWER MAY SPECIFY AN UNDERLYING BEER STYLE. The base style may be a classic style (i.e., a named subcategory from these Style Guidelines) or a broader characterization (e.g., “Porter” or “Brown Ale”). If a base style is declared, the style should be recognizable. The beer
should be judged by how well the special ingredient or process complements,
enhances, and harmonizes with the underlying style.

Comments: Overall harmony and drinkability are the keys to presenting a well-made Imperial Hybrid. The distinctive nature of the stated specialty ingredients/methods should complement the original style (if declared) and not totally overwhelm it. The brewer should recognize that some combinations of
base beer styles and ingredients or techniques work well together while others
do not make palatable combinations. THE BREWER MUST SPECIFY THE
“EXPERIMENTAL NATURE” OF THE BEER (E.G., TYPE OF SPECIAL INGREDIENTS USED,
PROCESS UTILIZED OR HISTORICAL STYLE BEING BREWED), OR WHY THE BEER DOESN’T FIT
AN ESTABLISHED STYLE. For historical styles or unusual
ingredients/techniques that may not be known to all beer judges, the brewer
should provide descriptions of the styles, ingredients and/or techniques as an
aid to the judges.

[Matthew]

Nice, a bit of light reading for this arvo...

This is going to be a difficult comp. Excellent challenge though!

[Reviled]

lol, it was only a matter of time... This 'style' was made for you I think Mike :o) Quick, get the Trademark in hahaha

[Mike Neilson]

Im going to Brew an Imperial Red IPA using all 2010 Aotearoa hops beers and followng on the NZ theme the name is Te Ranga, hahaha!!

[Matthew]

Te Ginga. The fiery red Taniwha!

[Reviled]

Hahahaha, id vote for a picture of that as the new NZ flag ;o)

[JackoNZ]

I've been giving this beer some thinking and decided I liked the idea of the crossover of styles for the hybrid element. A Black IPA sounded like a goer but then I thought that's already been done so how about instead of getting the black colour with the roasted grains how about racking an IPA onto some dark plums in secondary. I stew plums most weeks with some sugar and a cinnamen stick to put on cereal for breakfast. The colour is outstanding and I think would look great in a beer.

However I have a couple of concerns, with an IPA generally being very hoppy, do you think any plum aroma would be lost? I'd like the colour to come through as well as some flavour and aroma. Has anyone ever brewed with plums? Did it work well? Would it be better to just pull back on the hops to allow the plums to come through?

Another problem I have is never having brewed with fruit, I've read differing views from removing the skins to chucking it all in, blanching but not boiling. The dark plums do have quite a dark flesh but I think the really dark red/purple colour mostly comes from the skin. Would a couple of kilo be adequate? Those brewers out there that dabble with fruit in beer, any advice to heed?

[Mark Kessell]

only 6%? hardly imperial. :-)

[Reviled]

I vote the 16th of may cos it will give me a chance to brew my Imperial when I get back from my honeymoon...

And heres what im planning on brewing for lolz

Imperial Cream Ale

5kg Maris or Golden Promise, or maybe Global Pils - Still deciding what sack to buy next
1.45kg Flaked Maize
180g Global Munich
180g CaraPils
72g CaraMunich II
360g Cane Sugar

Columbus and Chinook for bittering
60gms of US goodness @ 15 mins - Still unsure what hops ill use, whatever I have enough of probably...
40gms of US goodness @ 0 mins
50gms of US goodness dry!!

WLP-080 Cream Ale Blend - Or US-05 if it turns out I dont like the wlp blend

Shooting for an OG of around 1075 with about 55 odd IBU

Have absolutely no idea what this beer will be like, but thought it would be hilarious to try it out :o) haha

[Stu McKinlay]

Yeh Rev... if you can get it light bodied and finishing medium-dry with a soft hop character it could be pretty cool. Little margin for error though!

March and April are pretty full already, so May 16 woul be good for me too. Then I'm off to Melbourne for AIBA a few days later.

I've still not thought about what I'll brew. Imperial Nerdherder was suggested but who knows... I'd probably prefer an Imperial Red Rackham!

[Reviled]

"Little margin for error though!"

This is what I was thinking, it could quite easily get over powered by the hop, im going to have to be carefull.. At first I thought it would be as simple as just doubling the amounts in my standard cream ale - but I should have known its never really that simple...

Awesome, just scored a free Super 14 polo and tickets to a game :o) I dont even like rugby! lol

[Mike Neilson]

I dont even like rugby!

Yeah I used to love it!! Untill it got boring now its the Warriors Phenoix and All Whites

[Reviled]

lol, never thought id see the day when kiwis are saying they like soccer more than rugby :oD

I used to play as a kid but gave up cos I thought there was absolutely no future in soccer in NZ with us being all rugby fanatics etc...