2009 Samuel Adams® Patriot Homebrew Contest
RULES & REGULATIONS
PART I – How to Enter This
Competition
1. How do I
enter?
On-line
Entry (preferred)
(a)
Log
on to www.samueladams.com and follow
the on-screen entry instruction to complete the electronic entry form. 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. Follow
shipping instructions in Section 1(e).
(c)
When
you are ready to ship your beer, fold and rubber band a Bottle Identification
Form to each of the four bottles. Your entry will be disqualified if you use
glue or tape to secure the forms to the bottles.
Paper Entry
Form
(a)
Log
on to www.samueladams.com and follow
the on-screen entry instruction to enter a beer for competition and download
the PDF entry form. For complete instructions on filling out the entry form,
see Part II.
(b) Paper
entrants should download and print Bottle Identification Forms and follow
shipping instructions in Section 1(e).
(c)
When
you are ready to ship your beer, 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.
All Entries
(d)
Pack
your bottles carefully. (See Part III, Section G)
(e)
Ship
your entries to the Samuel Adams Boston Brewery, 30 Germania Street, Boston, MA 02130. 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. However, you may only enter one (1) entry per category. 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 Samuel Adams® Patriot
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 any
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 Samuel
Adams Boston Brewery, 30 Germania Street, Boston, MA, 02130 between Monday, December
07, 2009 and 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 18, 2009.
7. Are there
entry limitations?
(a)
YOU
MAY NOT SUBMIT MORE THAN ONE ENTRY PER CATEGORY.
(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.
(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.
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, 21, 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 who are residents of the following
states – CT, RI, MA, NH, NY, VT and ME. You must be 21 years of age or older
to enter the contest. No one under the age of 21 can be listed as a co-brewer.
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 one (1) winner (“Grand
Champion”) of the Samuel Adams® Patriot Homebrew Contest will have their
beer brewed and brought to market by The Boston Beer Company and served at
Gillette Stadium for the 2010/2011 Pro football Season (including
pre-season).
- The Boston Beer Company, will take the recipe and
reproduce, as faithfully 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 visitors of Gillette Stadium, the homebrewer will receive a one time
royalty of $2000.00. If you are the Grand Champion of the Contest, you
agree to disclose your complete recipe to The Boston Beer Company and
assign to The Boston Beer Company all commercial and intellectual property
rights to your winning beer, subject only to your right to receive the
$2000.00 one-time royalty. By entering the Contest, grants The Boston Beer
Company and its agencies the right to use 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 advertising and
trade, 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 site between January 1, 2009 and
February 2, 2010. 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 February 3, 2010 and April 26, 2010. 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 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.
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).
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. You can
deliver your beers to the Samuel Adams Boston Brewery, Monday-Friday (12/07/09-
12/18/09) between 9 AM- 5PM.
Samuel Adams Boston Brewery
30 Germania Street
Boston, MA 02130
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 June 1, 2010.
If after
reading the above, as well as the entire rules and regulations packet, you
still have questions about the competition, please email:
patriothomebrew@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