Yes, I did submit 7 entries to the New England Regional Homebrewing Competition (NERHBC) and one of them placed.  I was awarded first place for the European Amber Lager category – Category 3.

The Vienna lager which received a second place award in the Boston Homebrew Competition had aged nicely over the last 8 months.

If you asked me which of my beers would place in this competition, I had four entries ahead of the Vienna.  I thought my German Pilsner had a shot but there was no love.

Here is what I submitted:

1. German Pilsner

2. American Wheat

3. New England Cider

4. Oaked Medium Mead

5. Vienna Lager

6. Dusseldorf Altbier

7. Doppelbock

The first four were the freshest of the bunch so I thought they would perform the best.  The Alt and the Doppelbock were always “just ok” in my mind.  These 7 were the best of what I had on hand so having a “just ok” beer was better than the “not so great” beers that I did not send in.

The NERHBC is a Masters Championship of Amateur Brewing (MCAB) qualifying event so I gather I can enter the Vienna into that competition at some point in the future. Maybe we I get the sheets back, I will have some more information about the MCAB.

With any competition, I am curious to see what the judges thought and to see if I can improve what I brewed. The New England cider is one I would like to see what they had to say since I am poised to make another one this week. Yesterday, I brought the whole family to Cider Hill Farms in Amesbury so I could buy five gallons of their juice. If there are any tips, it could help me make a better one even though I thought the one I made last year was pretty darn good. We’ll see.

Thanks for reading. Brew On.