LONGSHOT®
2009 Samuel Adams® American Homebrew
Contest®
RULES & REGULATIONS
PART I – How to Enter This
Competition
1. How
do I enter?
(a) Log
on to www.samueladams.com and follow
the on-screen entry instruction to complete the electronic entry form or print
and fill out the entry form (the last page of the Rules and Regulations, or
download from www.samueladams.com).
For complete instructions on filling out the entry form, see Part II.
(b) Entrants
who complete the electronic entry form will receive a detailed email with
shipping instructions and customized Bottle Identification Forms. Paper
(offline) entrants should download and print Bottle Entry Forms and follow
shipping instructions in Section 1(e).
(c) Fold
and rubber band the entry form around one sample bottle and rubber band a
bottle identification form to each of the other three bottles. Your entry will
be disqualified if you use glue or tape to secure the forms to the bottles.
(d) Pack
your bottles carefully. (See Part III, Section G for packaging and shipping
hints)
(e) Ship
or drop off your entries to the appropriate address provided in your
confirmation email. Entries sent to the wrong site will be DISQUALIFIED.
Upon receipt of submissions, judging sites will email entrants an
acknowledgement of receipt. Packages with postage due or C.O.D. charges will
be returned to sender.
DO NOT SHIP YOUR ENTRIES VIA THE
U.S. POSTAL SERVICE.
2. Which
category do I enter?
It is up to you. Enter your brew in
the category and subcategory where you feel it will perform best. Judges do
not see your entry form. Judges or organizers will not classify or
reclassify your entry. If your beer falls outside of the category’s
guidelines written here, your beer will not be disqualified. The LongShot ® 2009
Samuel Adams® American Homebrew Contest® uses the 2008 Beer Judges
Certification Program Style Guidelines. A downloadable version of the
complete style descriptions is available at http://www.bjcp.org/stylecenter.php
. Please note this competition only includes style numbers 1 to 23.
3. What
kind of bottles are required?
Every bottle must be 10 to 14
ounces in volume, brown or green glass, and free of ink, paint or paper
labeling other than competition entry labels. Obliterate any lettering or
graphics on the cap with a permanent black marker. Bottles with Grolsch-type
swing tops are not allowed. Corked bottles meeting the above restrictions are
acceptable; however, you must crimp a crown cap over the cork. Bottles with a
stopper and wire cage are acceptable. Bottles not meeting these
requirements will be disqualified.
4. How
many bottles do I need?
Send four (4) bottles for your
entry, and KEEP THREE BOTTLES OF THE SAME BATCH OF BEER YOU ARE SENDNG US. If you advance to the semi-finals we may need more samples of your entry for lab
analysis.
5. What
is the entry fee?
There is no entry fee for this
competition.
6. When
is the entry deadline?
The four bottles of your brew
along with the entry form must be received at the appropriate site
between Wednesday, April 15, 2009 and 5:00 p.m. on Friday, May 1, 2009.
7. Are
there entry limitations?
(a) YOU
MAY NOT SUBMIT MORE THAN ONE ENTRY PER CATEGORY. An
entrant may be a Co-Brewer for an entry in a subcategory they have already
entered as the main brewer (e.g. John Doe enters an American Pale Ale, Category
10A, and is also the Co-Brewer on an American Pale Ale submitted by Jane
Smith).
(b) Homebrew
means home. Your homebrew must not be brewed at a place that brews beverages
for commercial purposes, whether for commercial research, production or any
other purpose, including brewpubs and other brew-on-premise establishments or
is brewed for commercial sale.
(c) You
must give the name of any and all individuals who helped in the development of
the recipe or brewing process under “Co-brewer” on your entry form. BEING
LISTED AS A “CO-BREWER” DOES NOT EXCLUDE SOMEONE FROM SENDING IN THEIR OWN
ENTRY.
(d) Should
your homebrew be selected as the Grand Champion, you and your Co-Brewer must assign
any and all patent and intellectual property rights in your brew to The Boston
Beer Company if requested.
(e) Grand
Champion from the 2008 Samuel Adams® American Homebrew Contest® is not eligible
to enter as a brewer or co-brewer.
PART II – Instructions for Completing the Entry Form
Entry Form Section A: Brewers Information
Please
print clearly or type. In Item 1 fill in the name of the brewer who is
responsible for receiving mailings and results (for entrants with the same last
name, you can enter multiple first names in Item 1). In Item 2 fill in the
full names of all other brewers who participated in brewing the entry. In
Items 3 through 7 fill in the contact information where mailings and results
should be sent.
Entry Form
Section B: Entry Information
Item 8:
enter the name you’ve given your entry if your entry has a name (this is an
option step). Item 9: write out the full name of the category and subcategory
you are entering. Please be sure to use the Style Guide included in the Rules.
Items 10 and 11: write the category number and subcategory letter you are
entering. Directors, judges or registrars will not classify or reclassify your
entry under any circumstances. Item 12: circle the form of ingredients used
in your recipe; i.e. malt extract only, malt extract and grain or all-grain.
Important
information for Item 13
If you
enter category 6D, 16E, 17F, 20, 21A, 22B, 22C, 23 please provide the style
and/or unique ingredients or process in accordance with the 2008 BJCP Style
Guidelines category descriptions for Item 13. A downloadable version of the
complete style descriptions is available at http://www.bjcp.org/stylecenter.php.
LEAVE ITEM 13 BLANK IF YOU HAVE NOT ENTERED THE ABOVE CATEGORIES. The
information in Item 13 is necessary for accurate judging of entries in these
categories. Failure to include the required information in Item 13 for
categories listed above will result in disqualification.
Please
include brand names for the ingredients you use. Do not use geographical names
that might indicate the origin or identity of the brewer. For example, if you
used Idaho clover honey, only enter clover honey.
PART III
– The Fine Print
A. General
This competition is open to non-professional
homebrewers (See Part I, Section 7(a) for definition of homebrew) who are
residents of the United States and who were not the Grand Champion of the 2008 Samuel
Adams® American Homebrew Contest®. You must be 21 years of age or older to enter
the contest.
Each contestant will be considered
an individual entrant even if several names appear on the registration form. Employees
of The Boston Beer Company, its parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, agencies,
consultants, or vendors and their immediate family members may not enter.
It is the sole responsibility of
the entrant to complete all registration forms and designate the category and
subcategory in which she/he wishes each entry to be judged. UNDER NO
CIRCUMSTANCES WILL REGISTRARS, JUDGES OR DIRECTORS CATEGORIZE OR RE-CATEGORIZE
ENTRIES.
The Boston Beer Company reserves
the right to change these rules in order to, in its sole discretion, secure the
proper administration of the Contest.
B. Awards
and Prizes
- The four (4) winners of the first round of judging will be
invited to the 2009 Great American Beer Festival (GABF) where the two (2)
Grand Champion winners will be announced. The Boston Beer Company will
pay for travel expenses for the four first round winners and a guest.
Travel expenses include round-trip airfare from the major airport nearest
the winner’s residence to Colorado, double occupancy accommodations, meals
and entrance to the GABF. All cost and expenses not expressly included
above are the responsibility of the winners.
- The two (2) Grand Champions will have their beer brewed
and bottled by The Boston Beer Company and included in the 2010 LongShot®
Variety six-pack. In the event The Boston Beer Company is not able to
produce any of the beers selected to be included in the 2010 LongShot®
Variety six-pack, The Boston Beer Company reserves the right to select
alternate beers from the remaining three 2009 finalists.
- The Boston Beer Company, will take the recipe and
reproduce, as faithful as possible to the original recipe, on a professional
scale with the help of the homebrewer. If the product is brought to
market and made available to American beer drinkers, the homebrewer will
receive a one time royalty of $5000.00. If you are a Grand Champion of
the Contest, you agree to disclose your complete recipe to The Boston Beer
Company and grant to The Boston Beer Company an irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free license to all
commercial and intellectual property rights to your winning beer, subject
only to your right to receive the $5000.00 one-time royalty. Entering the
Contest, constitutes permission to The Boston Beer Company and its
agencies to use your recipe, the name of your recipe, your name, likeness,
picture, signature, voice, audio and video recordings and biographical
information in any manner or media whatsoever (whether now known or
hereafter devised) anywhere in the world in perpetuity for the purpose of manufacturing,
promoting, advertising and trade, of any product by The Boston Beer
Company without further compensation, unless prohibited by law. The
Boston Beer Company may withhold payment if it determines that the winner
has behaved in a manner that is substantial and damaging to the Contest or
to homebrewing.
C. Judging
- First round judging of the entries will be done at the
first round sites between May 2, 2009 and June 6, 2009. The judges will
include beer judges from the Beer Judge Certification Program, and other
qualified judges.
- The final round of judging, will take place between June
6, 2009 and June 14, 2009. Judging will be done by The Boston Beer
Company Brewmasters, beer judges from the Beer Judge Certification Program
and other qualified judges.
- All decisions by the judges and The Boston Beer Company
are final. The Grand Champions will be notified at the 2009 GABF or via
mail/email/telephone.
D. Beer
Criteria
Please use the following general
guidelines when designing your recipe to ensure the best results in duplicating
your beer, should your recipe be awarded Grand Champion.
Lager:
|
OG Range:
|
11.8 – 20 ºP (1.044 -1.090)
|
|
Fermentation Temperature:
|
53 - 60ºF
|
Ale:
|
OG Range:
|
11.8 – 16.5 ºP (1.044 -1.068)
|
|
Fermentation Temperature:
|
65 - 70 ºF
|
E. Information
Requirement
Name of primary brewer, address,
phone number, email address, names of co-brewers, if applicable, category and
subcategory, must accompany entries when submitted. No entries will be
returned whether received late or otherwise. All entries become property of
The Boston Beer Company upon submission. A recipe is not required for the
first round, however if you entry advances to the final round, you must submit
a recipe.
F. Disqualifications
At the discretion of The Boston
Beer Company, entries will be disqualified for eligibility or entry requirement
infractions.
G. Packing
and Shipping Hints
Carefully pack your entry in a
sturdy box. Line the inside of your carton with a plastic trash bag.
Partition and pack each bottle with adequate packaging material. Do not over
pack! Your package should weigh less than 25 pounds.
Every reasonable effort will be
made to contact entrants whose bottles have been broken to make arrangements
for sending replacement bottles. Please refrain from using packing “peanuts”
if possible. Use bottle wrap or newspaper instead.
Refer to the article on “How to
Pack Your Beer,” in Zymurgy Spring 1991 (Vol. 14, No. 1) for excellent
advice on how to save time, money and avoid broken bottles. Also, refer to an
article about entering competitions in Zymurgy Spring 1996 (Vol. 19, No.
1). Copies of these articles are available for free upon request if
accompanied with a self-addressed stamped envelope or call the AHA at
888-U-CAN-BREW, (303) 477-0816.
It is not against any federal laws
to ship your entries via a privately owned shipping company for analytical
purposes. However, IT IS ILLEGAL TO SHIP ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES VIA THE U.S. POSTAL SERVICE. Private shipping carrier’s rules and regulations concerning the
shipment of beer or alcoholic beverages vary. We strongly encourage you
to check with your shipping carrier prior to shipping your entry. It is solely
the entrant’s responsibility to follow all applicable laws and regulations.
COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS
1. “Why
do the bottles have to be between 10 and 14 ounces?”
Organizing thousands of bottles of
beer is no easy task. If the bottles are of a wide range of sizes, it makes a
tough job even harder. Bottles outside the 10 to 14 ounce range will be
disqualified.
2. “Why
do the bottles have to be plain and unmarked?”
So that there is no possibility of
undue influence upon the judging panels. Marked or labeled bottles will be
disqualified.
3. “Can
we photocopy the entry form for friends?”
Yes. JUST MAKE SURE BOTH PAGES OF
THE FORM ARE COPIED.
4. “What
category/subcategory should I enter my beer under?”
That is a question we cannot
answer, primarily because we have not tasted your beer. Categorization is the
sole duty of the entrant.
5. “If
I am listed as a co-brewer on someone else’s entry, can I still send in my own?”
Yes. Being listed as a co-brewer
on someone else’s entry DOES NOT count as your own personal entry.
6. “Can
I deliver my beer in person to drop-off sites?”
Yes. See your confirmation email
for drop-off address.
7. “If
I send my entry in a reusable carton will it be returned to me?”
No
8. “Where
can I find the 2008 Beer Judges Certification Program Style Guidelines?”
A downloadable version of the
complete style descriptions is available at http://www.bjcp.org/stylecenter.php
9. “Will
scores sheets be returned?”
Yes, score sheets will be sent
either via email or USPS, for those who are not in the final four, by September
1, 2009.
10. “How will I know who the
regional and grand champion winners are?”
Regional Winners will be posted by
September 1, 2009 and the Grand Champions by October 24, 2009 on www.samueladams.com.
If after reading the above, as
well as the entire rules and regulations packet, you still have questions about
the competition or the website, please email:
homebrew@bostonbeer.com
If you have question about
homebrewing in general, please contact the American Homebrewer Association:
info@brewersassociation.org
www.beertown.org
888-822-6273