Las Vegas Winterfest 2008

The Southern Nevada Ale Fermenters Union is pleased to announce our annual homebrew competition. The competition will take place on 9 February 2008, at the Freakin' Frog. Judging begins at 9 AM.

Winterfest will be an AHA- and BJCP-sanctioned competition with all beer, mead and cider styles accepted. As always, we will need all the judge/steward assistance we can muster. For more information, please contact organizer Scott Alfter at 775 309-4001, or fire off an email to scott@beerandloafing.org.

Rules

• The deadline for all submissions is 1 February 2008. Out-of-town participating judges and stewards may bring their entries with them to the competition. No late entries will be accepted.
• Your beer, mead, or cider must be homebrewed; no Brew-on-Premises or commercial entries allowed.
• Bottles must be 10 to 14 ounces in size, brown or green in color, and free of all labels. No clear bottles or swing-top bottles accepted. (No bottles that have been painted brown, either. Yes, we have received entries in the past that were in clear bottles that had been painted brown. Go figure.)
• You must submit two bottles per entry (beer, mead, or cider).
• Properly filled-out bottle labels according to BJCP specifications with brewer and entry info attached by rubber band on each entry (no tape) are required. (Spiffy new online label generation is now available. Labels generated by brewing software (such as ProMash) are acceptable.) Make sure that all of the information necessary to judge your entry is included! For example, the sweetness and carbonation level of meads needs to be specified. If you're submitting an entry in subcategories 16E, 17F, 21A, 22B, or 22C, or categories 20, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, or 28, consult the BJCP guidelines for further guidance on what information is needed. Since a properly-filled-out label has all the information we need to judge your entry, there is no entry form that also needs to be filled out.
• The entry fee is $7 per entry. Checks should be made payable to Scott Alfter. There is no limit on the number of entries. However, there is a limit of two entries per subcategory. (For instance, two American pale ales and an American amber ale would be acceptable. Three American pale ales wouldn't. Pick your best two and send them.)
• It is the responsibility of the brewer to enter their beer into the appropriate category. Winterfest uses the 2004 BJCP style guidelines, available here.
• Entries will be accepted between 21 January and 1 February 2008. Judges from outside the Las Vegas area can bring their entries with them the day of the competition.
• If you are shipping your entries, they must be sent to arrive between 21 January and 1 February 2008 to
  

Scott Alfter
SSAI
2170 E. Maule Ave.
Las Vegas, NV 89119

No late entries will be accepted. Make sure payment is enclosed.

• Hand-carried entries will be accepted at the monthly SNAFU meeting on 8 February. Bring cash or check for entry-fee payment. Out-of-area judges and stewards have the option to hand-carry their entries to the competition on 9 February. To arrange an alternate date/location to hand over your entries, send mail

Entries will be evaluated by two judges using 2004 BJCP guidelines and 50-point score sheets. The minimum scores for first, second, and third places are 35, 30, and 25 points. All first-place entries (in categories that have them) will advance to the Best of Show round.

When it comes to homebrew competitions, one of the highest values in rating a contest is the quality of the awards. At Winterfest we strive to be the best. All first, second, and third place winners receive attractive ribbons signifying the event. These awards cost more, but they show our commitment to the contest. All entries that qualify for the best of show round receive a handsome award for this accomplishment. First, second, and third Best of Show will also receive recognition awards. Additional awards include honorable mentions to entries that score high but fail to place.

Thank you for your support and good luck.

-- ScottAlfter - 8 Dec 2007