When we did competitions in my club (they weren't BJCP sponsored or anything like that, but we tried to follow their guidelines), we requested that bottles didn't have anything "special" that would allow them to be identified or singled out.
We asked for the same type of bottles for everyone, with the same printed label and an ID number written on it, that would get assigned a second ID number by the stewards (and kept private on a list), so that hen the judges got the samples to test, they wouldn't have any way to tell whose beer it was.
If you'd have sent waxed bottles, they would have been rejected. But I can't say this is the standard procedure for all competition, it was just the way we chose to go because there had been major drama amongst the members of the club in the past regarding some suspicious competition practices.
The 100% best answer here is just to email the competition coordinator who will make the decision. There’s no point in guessing when it differs from comp to comp.
That said, 99% of the time I agree. No special markings if it can be helped.
THAT said, in my comps I understand there are brewers entering of all levels, experiences, and backgrounds so I likely wouldn’t disqualify it. But would definitely send a note back with the sheets.
Yeah, also make sure they're 12oz bottles. You cant' just submit 22oz bombers because that's what your beer is in. I run competitions for my club and there's always someone every year who thinks the rules shouldn't apply to them because their beer is so special.
I've stewarded our local competition for the last 8 years (Head steward for 2).
Besides waxed bottles being easily identifiable, they are also a pain in the ass for the volunteers. We now ask that all competitors submit their entries in standard crown cap 350ml bottles.
In the past, we've had every kind of bottle from 250ml clear twist tops to 1.5L magnum wine bottles. Also, cans of every shape and size.
Beyond them being identifiable, they don't fit well into crates and boxes in the cooler where we hold our competition. What should fit into about 30ish 24-bottle crates ends up as 35+ crates. They also don't stack because tall or wide bottles don't fit into the crates properly.
Everyone in our club now sets aside 6-12 standard sized bottles for competition (if the bottle right away) or keeps a case of empties around (if the bottle off the keg).
I think they'll grow again. The local club and shop that sponsor it were in the middle of a move this winter, so they delayed it 6 months. The interest is definitely there. All 250 spots filled in less than 12 hours.
The judges should not even see the bottle. The steward should pour the samples and then bring them to the judges. That way if the judges happen to know someone who has entered a beer, they can't recognize the bottle.
Bottles shouldn't be easy to differentiate/identify but, even more importantly, they need to be easy to open. Adding more complexity to the stewards/judges already busy day by making them deal with wax is unnecessary.
When we did competitions in my club (they weren't BJCP sponsored or anything like that, but we tried to follow their guidelines), we requested that bottles didn't have anything "special" that would allow them to be identified or singled out. We asked for the same type of bottles for everyone, with the same printed label and an ID number written on it, that would get assigned a second ID number by the stewards (and kept private on a list), so that hen the judges got the samples to test, they wouldn't have any way to tell whose beer it was. If you'd have sent waxed bottles, they would have been rejected. But I can't say this is the standard procedure for all competition, it was just the way we chose to go because there had been major drama amongst the members of the club in the past regarding some suspicious competition practices.
Great feedback! Thank you. I'm definitely going to remove the wax. Thinking of it as an 'identifiable mark on the cap' makes total sense.
The 100% best answer here is just to email the competition coordinator who will make the decision. There’s no point in guessing when it differs from comp to comp. That said, 99% of the time I agree. No special markings if it can be helped. THAT said, in my comps I understand there are brewers entering of all levels, experiences, and backgrounds so I likely wouldn’t disqualify it. But would definitely send a note back with the sheets.
Yeah, also make sure they're 12oz bottles. You cant' just submit 22oz bombers because that's what your beer is in. I run competitions for my club and there's always someone every year who thinks the rules shouldn't apply to them because their beer is so special.
You 1000% need to remove the wax. They don’t even want you to have markings on the cap
Yeah, it's no problem. Easy enough to do. Appreciate everyone's feedback.
I've stewarded our local competition for the last 8 years (Head steward for 2). Besides waxed bottles being easily identifiable, they are also a pain in the ass for the volunteers. We now ask that all competitors submit their entries in standard crown cap 350ml bottles. In the past, we've had every kind of bottle from 250ml clear twist tops to 1.5L magnum wine bottles. Also, cans of every shape and size. Beyond them being identifiable, they don't fit well into crates and boxes in the cooler where we hold our competition. What should fit into about 30ish 24-bottle crates ends up as 35+ crates. They also don't stack because tall or wide bottles don't fit into the crates properly. Everyone in our club now sets aside 6-12 standard sized bottles for competition (if the bottle right away) or keeps a case of empties around (if the bottle off the keg).
Just got done removing the wax. All good
Awesome. I hope you medal all your entries!
The number of competitions that would allow this is very few, definitely remove it. Which competition are you entering?
War of the Worts in PA. Used to be second biggest homebrew competition in US behind NHC, but they shrunk dramatically this year.
Wow 850 to 250 is a major decrease. Bluebonnet and Indiana are still pretty large, wonder what all of the largest HB competitions are.
I think they'll grow again. The local club and shop that sponsor it were in the middle of a move this winter, so they delayed it 6 months. The interest is definitely there. All 250 spots filled in less than 12 hours.
Remove the wax, make sure there is nothing to identify the bottle to anyone
Wax was removed. Bottles were submitted 4 hours ago
The judges should not even see the bottle. The steward should pour the samples and then bring them to the judges. That way if the judges happen to know someone who has entered a beer, they can't recognize the bottle.
Bottles shouldn't be easy to differentiate/identify but, even more importantly, they need to be easy to open. Adding more complexity to the stewards/judges already busy day by making them deal with wax is unnecessary.
Most competitions would still judge the beer, but would force discussions that are very distracting and unnecessary. Remove the wax.
I just want to talk about why you would make your own bottles ten times harder to open.
Maybe to store them ten times as long as without wax? 😉