1st Round Nationals - Seattle

4/21: Sat three flights for the 1st Round National Homebrew Competition Mountain/Northwest Region. American Premium Lager, Schwarzbier and Vienna Lager. At least one good Premium; spot on balance and clean as a whistle. Schwarzbiers were interesting; seems the approach most of the entrants were going for were lagered Porters. The Viennas' were tough. Cloying malt sweetness is not the same as malt complexity. Oh, and consider shooting for the low end of the OG range on these beers fellas. Top end of the range in the Style Guide is 5.7%abv, kick those 6+ percenters up to 5A/Helles Bock. The last couple entries seemed a bit alcohol-sweet too.

We'll choogle down to Portland next Saturday for the second Mountain/Northwest Region judging session. Closing in on my National pin. Should think about retesting and scoring high enough for Master. Just need to make up 9 points on the exam. Hmm....