Kolsch - War of the Worts 2012 - Score Sheets

Recently I brewed a classic kolsch  that I thought turned out pretty well, so I decided to get it reviewed in a local homebrew competition. I don't normally brew classic style beer, so this is the first time that I have entered a competition.

It was reviewed by two different judges, and I got an average score of 28/50 using the 2008 BJCP Category 6C - Kolsch guidelines. Although it was lower than I expected, I was very pleased by the feedback. Most of the categories had at least some positive notes, and the lower score sheet mentioned ageing the beer might lessen the sulfur component that both sheets mentioned.


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I found it interesting that this sulfur characteristic was used as a negative on both of the score sheets. My girlfriend, who can smell onion on my breath after 12 hours and a tooth brushing, enjoyed the beer and didn't mention any off smells. Also the BJCP guidelines states that "Some yeasts may give a slight winy or sulfury character (this characteristic is also optional, but not a fault)", so I'm a bit confused by the scoring.

The beer was brewed at the same time as a trappist ale, and this led me to compromise on my fermentation temperature. This might have lead to some of the negatives that the judges picked up on. A score sheet commented that the recipe is "excellently crafted", so this beer might be in my fermenter again for a refreshing brew this summer.

I am saving some bottles to be scored at NHC later this month. It will be interesting to see if there is a difference in the scoring emphasis away from punishing for a sulfur characteristic, and a difference in my beer from ageing (and hopefully not oxidation). I'll keep y'all posted.