~ for brewers ~ for judges & stewards ~ entry forms ~ the committee ~ go to the BUZZ club site ~


The 2011 BUZZ OFF homebrew competiton will be held Saturday May 21 2010 at the Iron Hill Brewery and Restaurant in West Chester PA. As one of the more prominent competitions in the vibrant eastern Pennsylvania homebrew scene, this is a great opportunity for you to get feedback on your beers from some of the best BJCP beer judges in the area, as well as compete for ribbons and prizes.

The judging itself is not open to the public, but you are welcome to join us at Iron Hill for the awards ceremony; plan to arrive around 5pm (the judging and tabulation may not be complete at that time, but you can enjoy some excellent Iron Hill beer and food while you wait).

The BUZZ OFF is a qualifying event for the Eastern Pennsylvania Homebrewer of the Year award. See the Stoney Creek Homebrewers website for more info.

Regretfully, the BUZZ OFF is no longer a qualifying event for the Masters Championship of Amateur Brewing; suffice it to say that there have been changes in the organization and policies of MCAB that we no longer felt were in line with the goals and direction of the BUZZ OFF. We wish them the best, and perhaps our paths will cross again in the future.

Brewers seeking other MCAB qualifying events can visit the MCAB website.

 




FOR BREWERS
Please read all of the rules and details carefully, as they are important for running an efficient and quality competition. Ignore them at your own peril!


~ how ye shall be judged ~
The BUZZ OFF is open to all recognized beer, mead and cider categories.
The 2008 edition of the BJCP Style Guidelines will be used to judge entries.
It is the brewer's responsibility to determine the correct category/subcategory to enter their beers, and to provide additional information where required.

Depending on the number of entries and category distribution, categories and subcategories may be combined or separated for judging and awards purposes. These judging table breakdowns will not be available prior to the competition and will be determined by the competition committee once all the entries have been processed.

While the majority of judging tables will be evaluated on May 21, some judging may occur before this date due to the availability of qualified judges. This ensures the highest quality of feedback to entrants.


~ how ye shall be notified ~
Judges score sheets for each entry will be mailed to the entrants within one week of the BUZZ Off.

BUZZ Off winners will be posted on the BUZZ website within 48 hours of the completion of judging.

Ribbons and pizes will be awarded to the top three entries at each judging table as well as Best of Show.
Prizes are not exchangeable.

The competition committee will resolve any disputes or issues that arise before, during or after the competition.


~ so shines a good deed in a weary world ~
A portion of our proceeds will be donated to Philabundance, for whom we raised $400 last year. We are targeting $1 per entry but this may increase or decrease based on the number of entries and our overall expenses for the competition.


~ exceptions ~
Any deviation from the rules established here MUST be confirmed by the competition committee prior to the entry due date or else entries may be disqualified. This includes any exceptions that may have been allowed in prior BUZZ OFFs.


~ bottle and entry details ~
Two (2) bottles are required.
Bottles may be any color (brown is strongly recommended for beer and any hopped meads), up to 16 oz.
Grolsh-style (swing top) bottles will not be accepted.
All bottles must be unmarked and unlabelled. Any identifying marks may render the entry ineligible!
Entries become the property of BUZZ and will not be returned.

Entry period: April 23 through May 7, 2011
Entry fee: $5.00 (checks should be made out to David Houseman)

Click here for entry forms and bottle labels (PDF)

It is extremely important to note that entries may NOT be mailed to or dropped off at Iron Hill! Any entries sent to or dropped off at Iron Hill will be disqualified, no exceptions!

Entries may be mailed to:
Artisan Homebrew
128 East Lancaster Avenue
Downingtown, PA 19335

Dropoff Locations:
Artisan Homebrew
128 East Lancaster Avenue
Downingtown, PA 19335

Brew Your Own Beer
2026 Darby Road
Havertown, PA 19083

Brew Your Own Bottle
162 Haddon Avenue
Westmont, NJ 08108

Homesweet Homebrew
2008 Sansom Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103

How Do You Brew
203 Louviers Drive
Newark, DE 19711

Keystone Homebrew Supplies
435 Doylestown Road (Rt. 202)
Montgomeryville, PA 18936
or
599 Main Street
Main Street Commons Building
Corner of Main and Broad Streets
Bethlehem, PA 18018

Princeton Homebrew Supply
208 Sanhican Drive
Trenton NJ 08618

Weak Knee Home Brew Supplies
North End Shopping Center
1300 North Charlotte Street
Pottstown, PA 19464

Wine, Barley & Hops Homebrew Supply
248 Bustleton Pike
Feasterville, PA 19053-7820

 

~ you know what they say about those who do ~
If you have any questions, please don't assume... ask!




FOR JUDGES & STEWARDS
Judges and stewards will be needed for the BUZZ OFF. All judges should be BJCP ranked or have relevant experience. New judges and recent exam-takers are welcome and will be paired with experienced judges for a great learning experience. Stewards need no prior exprience.

Judges and stewards will be expected at Iron Hill no later than 9am, with judging to commence promptly at 9:30. Lunch will be provided to all judges and stewards courtesy of BUZZ and Iron Hill. (Lunch will probably be served buffet-style as we've done in recent years; if you have any food allergies or dietary restrictions please let us know when you sign up.)

Please note that we currently have more judges signed up than we have room to accommodate in the back bar at Iron Hill. We will continue to accept signups, but at this time we can't guarantee that everyone on the list will be able to judge on the 21st. (But if you're interested please sign up anyway!)

Please email Dave or Brian. with any questions!


~ judge registration~
Name:
Email:
Cell #:


BJCP ID#:
BJCP Rank:

Approximately how many competitions have you judged?


Are there any categories you prefer to judge?


Are there any categories you hate to judge?


Anything else we need to know?





THE 2011 BUZZ OFF COMPETITION COMMITTEE
click here to contact the committee

~ organizer & head poo-bah ~
 Brian Pylant

~ judge coordinator ~
 Dave Houseman

~ steward wrangler ~
 Bob Purrenhage

~ the prize kaiser~
 John Bossong

~ iron hill liason ~
 Larry Horwitz