2008 National Organic Brewing Challenge An AHA/BJCP Sanctioned Competition The judging of this years entries was held on Sunday October 19 Check out the 2008 Winners Page: 2008 NOBC Winners Now, organic brewers can compete head to head in a national competition that is professionally judged just for organic beers. The basic spirit of this contest is to celebrate the diversity of organic ingredients that are available. Creative & inspired interpretation of recipes is strongly encouraged because not every ingredient under the sun is available organic. The range of ingredients may be more limited, but with today's choices of fresh, clean, organic ingredients, virtually any style is possible to homebrewers with open minds and creative skills! Brewing great organic beer at home is a true challenge, and now those who take the challenge can realize the rewards of prizes and recognition that participating in this contest can bring. These challenges are similar to what commercial organic breweries face- how to brew popular, tasty beer styles without resorting to conventionally grown malt, hops, or chemical additives. Brewers who make the choice to brew organic are helping fund a global endeavor to support the huge effort organic hop and malt growers face in cultivating crops commercially and profitably without using a toxic soup of chemicals. The contest rules differ slightly from other homebrew contests because all of the ingredients must be verified organic. Just as professional brewers of certified organic beer have to show documentation that all ingredients are USDA certified, the entries will have to include a complete recipe listing the source of each ingredient- good practice for homebrewers hoping to “go pro” as organic brewers in the future. Similar to the German beer purity law, the Reinheitsgebot, which states that the only ingredients used for the brewing of beer must be Barley, Hops and Water, Seven Bridges promotes the “Organic Beer Purity Standard” which further states that all of the Barley and Hops must be organic. This competition presents a new challenge to modern day homebrewers accustomed to a huge selection of hops, barley malt, malt extract, and other brewing ingredients, because ingredients that are organically grown make up a much smaller list. Homebrewers are expected to use creative interpretation and skill in ingredient selection to brew world famous beer styles such as IPA, Oatmeal Stout, Hefeweizen, and Pale Ale using only organic ingredients. This challenge is reminiscent of the early days of modern homebrewing in the late 70’s and early 80’s when homebrewing became federally legal in 1978 and quality ingredients available to homebrewers were scarce but the desire to brew great beer at home was strong. Important Links: 2008 Entry Form: Download the Contest Entry Form Details on How to Enter: Entry Requirements and Instructions: Printable Flyer: 2008 NOHC Flyer 11 x 17 Printable Poster: 2008 NOHC Official Poster Prizes & Official Contest Sponsors: 2008 Prizes and Sponsors Beer Judge Certification Program Website: BJCP Website Organic Beer Homebrew Recipe Database: 7 Bridges Organic Beer Recipe Database Volunteer Judges and other Volunteers are wanted- Contact us if interested: 7bridges@breworganic.com 2007 Competition- pictures, list of winners, and winning recipes: 2007 NOHC Archives Dates: Entries begin September 1st, 2008. Entry deadline is October 10th at 5 pm. Entries received before or after the entry dates will not be entered in the contest. Judging & Awards Event October 19: Judging for this contest will be held on Sunday October 19 from 10 am to 5 pm. At 6 pm an organic Oktoberfest and awards event will be held and is open to all participants, customers of Seven Bridges, and guests. Only judges, volunteers, and Seven Bridges staff will be permitted to attend the judging. Event hosted by: Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant 33 East San Fernando Street San Jose, CA 95113 phone: 408-294-6785 http://www.gordonbiersch.com Entry Requirements- Homebrew Division: Entry fee of $7 for first entry and $5 for each additional entry from the same brewer. 3 bottles required per entry. Bottles must be no smaller than 8 oz. and no larger than 22 oz, with no labels or other markings on the bottle. All malt, hops, and adjuncts must be verified organically grown. Yeast or other ingredients containing GMO's (genetically modified organisms) are not permitted. If an organic ingredient is unknown by the contest committee (comprised of 7 Bridges staff and volunteers) further verification may be required, such as a purchase receipt showing that the item purchased is organically grown. Entry Requirements- Craft Brew Division: Entry fee of $35 per entry. 3 bottles required per entry. Bottles must be no smaller than 8 oz. and no larger than 22 oz, with no labels or other markings on the bottle. All craft brew entries must be submitted by a licensed brewery that produces organic or certified organic beer for sale. All malt, hops, and adjuncts must be verified organically grown. Yeast or other ingredients containing GMO's (genetically modified organisms) are not permitted. If an organic ingredient is unknown by the contest committee (comprised of 7 Bridges staff and volunteers) further verification may be required, such as a purchase receipt showing that the item purchased is organically grown. Rules: All Ingredients must be certified organic or organically homegrown except yeast and non flavor, non chemical additives. The only non-organic additives allowed are: Burton salts, calcium carbonate, calcium chloride, citric acid, gypsum, Irish moss, lactic acid, magnesium sulfate, potassium chloride, and yeast. Genetically modified ingredeints are not allowed. Each entry must include a recipe form which lists the source of each ingredient. Entries will be judged according to the BJCP Style guidelines which are published here: http://www.bjcp.org/stylecenter.html Entries and empty bottles will not be returned. See complete contest rules for further details. Prizes: There are prizes for the 1st, 2nd & 3rd place winning entries that score at least 25 points in each category. Winners and the winning recipes may be published on the Seven Bridges Cooperative recipe page: http://www.breworganic.com/recipes/recipes_menu.htm All prizes and sponsors are listed on the prizes and sponsors page. Categories (homebrew & craft brew): All style categories will be judged according to the BJCP style guidelines. All beer style entries will be accepted. If the style you wish to enter is not listed as a main category, you may enter it under Specialty. 1. Light Lager 1A. Lite American Lager 1B. Standard American Lager 1C. Premium American Lager 1D. Munich Helles 1E. Dortmunder Export 3. European Amber Lager 3A. Vienna Lager 3B. Oktoberfest/Märzen 8. English Pale Ale 8A. Standard/Ordinary Bitter 8B. Special/Best/Premium Bitter 8C. Extra Special/Strong Bitter (English Pale Ale) 9. Scottish and Irish Ale 9A. Scottish Light 60/- 9B. Scottish Heavy 70/- 9C. Scottish Export 80/- 9D. Irish Red Ale 9E. Strong Scotch Ale 10. American Ale 10A. American Pale Ale 10B. American Amber Ale 10C. American Brown Ale 11. English Brown Ale 11A. Mild 11B. Southern English Brown 11C. Northern English Brown Ale 12. Porter 12A. Brown Porter 12B. Robust Porter 12C. Baltic Porter 13. Stout 13A. Dry Stout 13B. Sweet Stout 13C. Oatmeal Stout 13D. Foreign Extra Stout 13E. American Stout 13F. Russian Imperial Stout 14. India Pale Ale (IPA) 14A. English IPA 14B. American IPA 14C. Imperial IPA 15. German Wheat and Rye Beer 15A. Weizen/Weissbier 15B. Dunkelweizen 15C. Weizenbock 15D. Roggenbier (German Rye Beer) 16.Belgian and French Ale 16A. Witbier 16B. Belgian Pale Ale 16C. Saison 16D. Bière de Garde 16E. Belgian Specialty Ale 18. Belgian Strong Ale 18A. Belgian Blond Ale 18B. Belgian Dubbel 18C. Belgian Tripel 18D. Belgian Golden Strong Ale 18E. Belgian Dark Strong Ale 19. Strong Ale 19A. Old Ale 19B. English Barleywine 19C. American Barleywine 21. Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer 21A. Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer 21B. Christmas/Winter Specialty Spiced Beer 23. Specialty Beer & Other Styles If the style you enter is not listed above (1- 21), enter it here. If it is a BJCP listed style (http://www.bjcp.org/stylecenter.html) enter it with the BJCP style name in this category and it will be judged according to standard BJCP judging guidelines for that style. Multiple entries are accepted in this category as long as each entry is a different beer style according to the BJCP style guidelines.

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