Categories are designated by numbers. Subcategories are designated by letters. Please note the instructions for entering.

Ales | Lager | Mixed | Mead | Cider

HYBRID/MIXED STYLES

The following beers are fermented or aged with mixed traditions. They can be brewed as an ale or lager (please include unusual ingredients) or be made using unusual techniques or procedures.

18. German-Style Ale
Category award is sponsored by H.C. Berger, Fort Collins, Colo.

a) German-Style Kölsch/Köln-Style Kölsch

German-Style Kölsch is warm-fermented and aged at cold temperatures (German ale or alt-style beer). German-Style Kölsch is characterized by a golden color and a slightly dry, winy and subtly sweet palate. Caramel character should not be evident. The body is light. This beer has low hop flavor and aroma with medium bitterness. Wheat can be used in brewing this beer which is fermented using ale or lager yeasts. Fruity esters should be minimally perceived, if at all. Chill haze should be absent or minimal.

b) Düsseldorf-Style Altbier

Copper to brown in color, this German ale may be highly hopped (though the 25 to 35 IBU range is more normal for the majority of altbiers from Düsseldorf) and has a medium body and malty flavor. A variety of malts, including wheat, may be used. Hop character may be evident in the flavor. The overall impression is clean, crisp and flavorful. Fruity esters should be low. No diacetyl or chill haze should be perceived.

19. German-Style Wheat Beer
Category award is sponsored by Tabernash Brewing Co., Denver, Colo.

a) Berliner-Style Weisse

This is the lightest of all the German wheat beers. The unique combination of a yeast and lactic acid bacteria fermentation yields a beer that is acidic, highly attenuated and very light bodied. The carbonation of a Berliner weisse is high, and hop rates are very low. Hop character should not be perceived. Fruity esters are evident. No diacetyl should be perceived.

b) German-Style Hefeweizen/Hefeweissbier

The aroma and flavor of a weissbier are decidedly fruity and phenolic. The phenolic characteristics are often described as clove- or nutmeglike and can be smoky or even vanillalike. These beers are made with at least 50 percent malted wheat, and hop rates are quite low. Weissbier is highly carbonated and medium to full bodied. Bananalike esters are often present. If yeast is present, the beer will appropriately have a subtle breadlike yeast flavor and a characteristically fuller mouthfeel. No diacetyl should be perceived. Cloudiness is OK.

c) German-Style Dunkelweizen

This beer style is characterized by a distinct sweet maltiness, and roasted malt and chocolatelike character, but the estery and phenolic elements of a pale weissbier are present. Color can range from copper-brown to dark brown. Carbonation and hop bitterness are similar to a pale South German-style weissbier. Usually dark barley malts are used in conjunction with dark Cara or color malts, and the percentage of wheat malt is at least 50 percent. No diacetyl should be perceived.

d) German-Style Weizenbock

This style can be either pale or dark and, like a bottom-fermented bock, has a high starting gravity and alcohol content. The malty sweetness of a weizenbock is balanced with a clovelike phenolic and fruity-estery banana element to produce a well-rounded aroma and flavor. As is true with all German wheat beers, hop rates are low, and carbonation is high. It has a medium to full body. If dark, a mild roast malt character should emerge in flavor and, to a lesser degree, in the aroma. No diacetyl should be perceived.

20. Smoked Beer
Category award is sponsored by Jim's Homebrew Supply, Spokane, Wash.

a) Bamberg-Style Rauchbier

Rauchbier should have smoky characters prevalent in the aroma and flavor. The beer is generally toasted, malty sweet and full bodied with low to medium hop bitterness. "Noble-type" hop flavor is low, but perceptible. Low "noble-type" hop aroma is optional. The aroma should strike a balance between malt, hop and smoke. Fruity esters, diacetyl and chill haze should not be perceived.

b) Classic-Style Smoked Beer

Any classic style of beer can be smoked. The goal is to reach a balance between the style’s character and the smoky properties.

c) Other Smoked Beer

Any beer to which smoke flavors have been added.

21. Fruit and Vegetable Beer
Category award is sponsored by the Purple Foot, Milwaukee, Wis.

a) Fruit and Vegetable Beer

Any beer using fruits or vegetables as an adjunct in either primary or secondary fermentation, providing obvious, yet harmonious, fruit and vegetable qualities. Fruit and vegetable qualities should not be overpowered by hop character. If a fruit or vegetable (such as juniper berry or chili pepper) has an herbal or spice quality, it is more appropriate to enter it in the Herb and Spice Beer category.

b) Classic-Style Fruit and Vegetable Beer

Any classic-style beer using fruits or vegetables as part of the flavor profile and providing obvious, yet harmonious, fruit and vegetable qualities.

22. Herb and Spice Beer
Category award is sponsored by Marin Brewing Co., Larkspur, Calif.

a) Herb and Spice Beer

Use of herbs or spices (derived from roots, seeds, fruits, vegetables, flowers, etc.) other than hops to create a distinct character. Underhopping allows the spice or herb to contribute to the flavor profile.

b) Classic-Style Herb and Spice Beer

Any classic-style beer using herbs or spices as part of the flavor profile and providing obvious, yet harmonious, herb and spice flavor.

23. Specialty and Experimental Beer
Category award is sponsored by Great Western Malting Company,Vancouver, Wash.

Any ale or lager brewed using unusual techniques and/or ingredients other than (or in addition to) malted barley as a unique contribution to the overall character of the beer. Examples of specialty beers include (but are not limited to) beers brewed with honey, maple sap or syrup; worts heated with white-hot stones; and low- or nonalcoholic beers. Examples do not include the use of fruit or herbs, although they can be used to add to the character of other ingredients. The overall uniqueness and experimental quality of the beer should be considered.

a) Specialty Beer

Any nonclassic style fitting the above description.

b) Classic-Style Specialty Beer

Any classic ale or lager to which special ingredients have been added or a special process has been used. Examples include honey Pilsener, maple porter, sorghum stout, pumpkin pale ale. Brewer should specify classic style.

24. California Common Beer
Category award sponsored by Anchor Brewing Co., San Francisco, Calif.

a) California Common Beer

Light amber to copper. This beer has a medium body, toasted or caramellike maltiness in aroma and flavor, and medium to high hop bitterness. Hop flavor is medium to high. Aroma is medium, and fruitiness and esters are low. Low diacetyl is OK. Uses lager yeast. This beer is fermented at warm temperatures but aged at cold temperatures.

Ales | Lager | Mixed | Mead | Cider