24th Annual Bluebonnet Brew-off

[Brewboy]

Folks it time again. The Bluebonnet is just around the corner. I hope you've been brewing in preperation for this grand event. The deadline for online entries is February 25th 2010. So be sure and get your entries logged by that date.

The Bluebonnet is held at Westin DFW North, located at W. John Carpenter Freeway, in Irving TX. Our room rate for the event is $92.00 per night, for reservations call 888–627-8617 and ask for the Bluebonnet Brew-off rate.

More to come as time approaches.

The website is back up and running again and can be found Here

The rules can be found here: Rules

The entry categories are set up differently than the BJCP style guidelines so be careful in loging your entries.

Here they are: Bluebonnet Style Guide

2010 Bluebonnet Brew-Off Style Categories

1. Light Lager

A. Lite American Lager
B. Standard American Lager
C. Premium American Lager
D. Munich Helles
E. Dortmunder Export

2. Pilsner
A. German Pilsner
B. Bohemian Pilsner
C. Classic American Pilsner

3. European Amber Lager
A. Vienna
B. Octoberfest

4. Dark Lager
A. American Dark Lager
B. Munich Dunkel
C. Schwartzbier

5. Bock
A. Maibock/Helles Bock
B. Traditional Bock
C. Doppelbock
D. Eisbock

6. Light Hybrid Beer
A. Cream Ale
B. Blonde Ale
C. American Wheat or Rye

7. Kolsch

8. Amber Hybrid Beer
A. Northern German Altbier
B. California Common
C. Dusseldorf Altbier

9. English Pale Ale
A. Standard/Ordinary Bitter
B. Special/Best/Premium Bitter

10. Extra Special/Strong Bitter

11. Scottish and Irish Ale
A. Scottish Light 60/-
B. Scottish Heavy 70/-
C. Scottish Export 80/-
D. Irish Red Ale

12. Strong Scotch Ale

13. American Pale Ale

14. American Amber

15. American Brown

16. English Brown Ale
A. Mild
B. Southern English Brown
C. Northern English Brown

17. Brown and Baltic Porter
A. Brown Porter
B. Baltic Porter

18. Robust Porter

19. Dry Stout

20. Sweet/Oatmeal Stout
A. Sweet Stout
B. Oatmeal Stout

21. American & Strong Stout
A. Foreign Extra Stout
B. American Stout

22. Imperial Stout

23. English IPA

24. American India Pale Ale

25. Imperial India Pale Ale

26. German Wheat & Rye Beer
A. Weizen/Weissbier
B. Dunkelweizen
C. Weizenbock
D. Roggenbier

27. Belgian & French Ale
A. Witbier
B. Belgian Pale Ale
C. Saison
D. Biere de Garde
E. Belgian Specialty Ale

28. Sour Ale
A. Berliner Weisse
B. Flanders Red Ale
C. Flanders Brown Ale
D. Straight Lambic
E. Gueuze
F. Fruit Lambic

29. Belgian Strong Light Ale
A. Belgian Blonde Ale
B. Belgian Tripel
C. Belgian Strong Golden Ale

30. Belgian Strong Dark Ale
A. Belgian Dubbel
B. Belgian Strong Dark ale

31. English Old Ale & Barleywine
A. Old Ale
B. English Barleywine

32. American Barleywine

33. Fruit Beer

34. Spice/Herb/Vegetable Beer
A. Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer
B. Christmas/Winter Specialty Spiced Beer

35. Smoke Flavored & Wood Aged Beer
A. Classic Rauchbier
B. Other Smoked Beer
C. Wood-Aged Beer

36. Specialty Beer

37. Traditional Mead
A. Dry Mead
B. Semi-Sweet Mead
C. Sweet Mead

38. Melomel
A. Cyser
B. Pyment
C. Other Fruit Melomel

39. Metheglin & Other Mead
A. Metheglin
B. Braggot
C. Open Category Mead

40. Standard Cider & Perry
A. Common Cider
B. English Cider
C. French Cider
D. Common Perry
E. Traditional Perry

41. Specialty Cider & Perry
A. New England Cider
B. Fruit Cider
C. Apple Wine
D. Other Specialty Cider or Perry

42. New Entrants

[Dave Warner]

How does category 42 work? Do you have to enter seperately for it and is it open to any style?

I'll be a first time Bluebonnet entrant.

[Brewboy]

Someone please correct me if I've got this wrong.

My understanding is that if it's your first time to enter the bluebonnet competition, you are allowed to submit one entry from any style into this category. You must identify the style and any special ingredients on your entry form. You submit 3 bottles of your selected entry and it's judged against other first time entrants only. Each entry into this category is judged according to the declared style BJCP guidlines.

I do believe that sums it up. Anyone else?

[Thors Brother]

If you have 2 beers in completely diferent categories... can you enter both of them?

[Brewboy]

Thor, I'll have to check on it. It may well be that the "TWO entries per subcategory." rule applys to category 42 as well. I'll find out for sure and post what I find here.

[phillipzayas]

When will the entry forms be available?

[ejonsson]

Here's the way I understand the rules for the New Entrant category.

Category 42 is separate from the other categories. For new entrants, you can enter a beer in the New Entrant category AND its regular category, but these are 2 different entries. The other categories require you to submit 3 bottles per entry, but the New Entrant category only requires 2 bottles. The official rules don't explicitly state that only 2 bottles are needed for New Entrants, but the third bottle is used for Best Of Show judging, and the New Entrant category is not included in Best Of Show.

The official rules don't specify entry limits for the New Entrant category. Since the Bluebonnet allows 2 beers per subcategory, I'm assuming you can have at least 2 entries in the New Entrant category, but I'm not certain of this. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong. Like Scott said, you need to declare the beer style, and declare special ingredients when required.

[Thors Brother]

I'm just curious. If someone has Six beers such as:

Stout, Porter, IPA, Cream ale, ESB, and Kosch... could they enter all of them in the New entrants category entering a total of 6 beers?

[ejonsson]

I'm just curious. If someone has Six beers such as:

Stout, Porter, IPA, Cream ale, ESB, and Kosch... could they enter all of them in the New entrants category entering a total of 6 beers?

From what I see in the official rules, I think you can. The six beers you list are all in different subcategories. Two entries per subcategory is the only stated limit. I see nothing about a limit per category.

[Brewboy]

I'm just curious. If someone has Six beers such as:

Stout, Porter, IPA, Cream ale, ESB, and Kosch... could they enter all of them in the New entrants category entering a total of 6 beers?

No. Category 42 is it's own category without a subcategory. For sure, a new entrant would only be able to enter at the most two enterys into category 42. It may be only one entry allowed. I'll find out for sure soon. Nothing is stopping you from entering all your entries into their specific categorys and competing with everyone else. Category 42 is set up for new competition brewers to compete against other new competition brewers only.

Thor, I thought you said that already entered the Bluebonnet a few years ago? If so, you are not a new entrant into this competition and style 42 would not apply.

This category 42 only applies to those who have never entered the Bluebonnet before.

As far as the entry forms and online registration link.... I'll find out for sure but I would expect to see it sometime around the first of February.

Here's the Feb. Bluebonnet calendar:

[Dave Warner]

Thanks.

I would think that it would be one beer entry of your choice (with double entry possibility). And the 2 beer only seems to make sense as well though it would be nice to see that in the rules soas not to get disqualified by a technicality.

Just a comment, this category seems like kind of a crap shoot. I would think that a really tasty spiced/fruit beer might have a better chance to win over, say, a straight pilsner because the style guidelines are so much more rigorous for the later. So if any new brewers out there have a really drinkable odd beer like a cherry stout or a jalapeno IPA (hey, that sounds pretty good!), I'd enter that.

[kingsbrew]

I agree that Category 42 is it's own category. Therefore, you would be allowed to enter two beers. Keep in mind this is new entrants for Bluebonnet. If you have entered other competitions but never the Bluebonnet then you qualify. You will not get Lone Star points nor will you will qualify for Best Of Show, but a stein is a stein.

[Brewboy]

From the Bluebonnet website: Delay of online registration

There has been a delay in getting online registration up as scheduled. Look for registration to come online the evening of January 18th.

Posted by Admin on Jan 17, 2010 - 06:00 PM

I would also like to take this opportunity to let you know that it will be best to register and pay online and then drop off your entries at any of the Bluebonnet drop off locations.

The most convient for us:

Homebrew Headquarters - 300 North Coit Road Richardson, TX 75080-6240

The Winemakers Toy Store - 1410 Dunn Dr Carrollton, TX 75006 (north bound service road of IH35 just north of Beltline Rd)