Brew Masters Competition Rules and Entry Info

2017 Date/Location TBA

Sponsored by Tri-County Fermenters and Bay de Noc Brewers

Competition highlights:

This is an open, BJCP sanctioned competition using the 2015 Guidelines

For further information, please use the "Contact Us" link.

Please feel free to contact us if you are interested in judging or stewarding.

For official rules click on the tab below.

RULES AND ENTRY INFORMATION:

I. Eligibility

This competition is open to anyone at least 21 years of age.
Beers brewed in commercially licensed facilities, brew on premise, whether for commercial research or production, or for any other purpose, are ineligible.

II.This year's flights will be based on entries received.

Please specify style, unique ingriedent(s), and any applicable description/specs/target for all Specialty categories 28-34 to allow your beer to be judged properly.  Also, for 23F-Fruit Lambic: The type of fruit used must be specified. The brewer must declare a carbonation level (low, medium, high) and a sweetness level (low/none, medium, high); For 24C-Bière de Garde entrant must specify blond, amber, or brown; For 25B-Saison: The entrant must specify the strength (table, standard, super) and the color (pale, dark)

PLEASE READ THE 2015 BJCP GUIDELINES AND PROPERLY LABEL YOUR BEER SO THAT IT CAN BE JUDGED APPROPRIATELY. NOT REPORTING REQUIRED INFORMATION MAKES JUDGING VERY DIFFICULT. WE CANNOT READ YOUR MIND. WE WANT TO GIVE YOU THE BEST FEEDBACK POSSIBLE.

III. How and What to Enter

1. Registration will be accepted through May 14th.  Please use the online entry form and and print a bottle ID form on the page below.
 Please submit one form for each entry.  The entry form does not need to be submitted with your entries.
 Just send your bottles with ID forms.

2. Entry Fees: $5 each. Make your check payable to the Tri-County
Fermenters. TCF, Bay de Noc Brewers, Marquette Homebrew Club, and BIER Members will get the first entry for free!

3. Entry requirements: Provide TWO BOTTLES for each entry.
Bottles should be 10- to 14- once green or brown glass and clean and
free of labels (inked, paper, etc.) Bottles with permanent, painted on labels are prohibited. Entrants are encouraged to use brown long-neck returnable bottles for extra protection from light. Grolsch-type
 bottles are also prohibited. Bottles with raised lettering are acceptable i.e Sam Adams bottles.  Soft drink or other printed crown caps are acceptable if they are blacked out
with a black marking pen to assure anonymity in judging.
 Use a rubber band to attach bottle label provided on this site. Please do not glue or tape on label.

4. Brewers may submit multiple entries for each category, but they
 must come from a separate batch.

5. Recipes do not have to be submitted, however if your entry has a
 special ingredient, has a classic style of herb, spice, fruit, vegetable, or
was brewed using an experimental method, you must describe the
classic style, special ingredient, experimental technique, etc. on the
 entry form.
 Please do not include regional identifers (i.e. Marinette County blueberries).  Additional details may be requested from the competition organizer in order to give complete information to our judges.   Please be specific!

6.Entries will be not reclassified if they are placed in the wrong category, so
 please take to proper label and categorize each entry.

IV. Where and When to Enter

1. Please drop off OR ship entries to the contest organizer's house with your
registration form and entry fee.

Send your entries to:
Edward Mathis
N16564 Vinger Lane,
Beecher,WI 54156.

2.It is legal to ship your entries via UPS, FedEx Ground or air freight. The Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms Division of the Internal Revenue Service says it's legal. Usually you will be asked the contents of the package; your reply should be: "Bottles, but they are double-boxed and padded well." DO NOT send entries via US Postal Services. It is illegal to ship via USPS and your entry will not be judged.

3. PACK YOUR ENTRIES WELL: Line the inside of your carton with a plastic trash bag. Partition and pack each bottle with adequate packaging material. Clearly state "GLASS-FRAGILE. THIS SIDE UP" on the package. Your package of NON-PERISHABLE FOOD should weigh less than 40 pounds. It is not necessary to state specific contents of your package of non-perishable food. Send entries as soon as possible. No late entries will be accepted.

4. Drop Sites: will be arranged in Escanaba, Iron Mountain, Marquette, and Rhinelander.  Please contact the competition organizer to arrange a pick-up.  At least a one week notice will be needed to ensure that the competition organizer can pick up your entry.  Please contact the organizer if you plan to use a drop site by May 7th.

V. Judging

1. Judging will be based on the BJCP scoring system.  See www.bjcp.org for details.

2. Categories may be combined or regrouped based on the number of entries received.

3. We will make every effort to have at least one BJCP judge (including those with "Rank Pending" for each flight.

4. The competition organizer and the judging reserves the right to not judge an entry deemed particularly offensive. 

VI. Awards and Prizes
1. Awards will be given for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place for each category based on the highest first round scores.  Entries must score higher than 21 for third place, 24 for 2nd place, and 27 for 1st place.

2. An award for Best of Show and 2nd Best of Show will given giving to the top two beers of the competition.  The Kaiser's Cup serves as the Best of Show Trophy and will be given as a traveling trophy for six months if the winner resides in the Tri-County area.  The Best of Show winner will also be given membership to the club through 2018.  The BOS winner will also gain the title of "The Kaiser" until the 2017 BMC.   All 1st place category beers scoring higher than 30 and plus up to the next two highest scoring entries above 30 will advance to the Best of Show table with a maximum of 9 beers to be considered for the top award.

3. A "Sultan of Small Beers" award will be given to the highest scoring entry that has an OG of 1.045 or less.  The top three scoring entries regardless of score will placed in a Best of Show format with the top beer receiving the award.

4. Results will be announced on the website and Facebook when they are verified and confirmed by the competition organizer.
5. Score sheets and awards will be mailed out during the week following the competition.