The LongShot question: To submit to the humiliation, or just keep those bottles for my own enjoyment?

[Rob DeNunzio]

With the soon-to-be-legendary Sam Adams homebrew competition fast upon us, along with its phantasmagorical promise of having the winners' beers produced en masse by big Jim Koch himself, even I - I, who has never once entered a beer into a contest, joined a homebrew club, or even pitted my recipes against the rules of common decency - am debating posting a few very well-cushioned bottles off to Boston.

But before I waste three or so bottles that will most certainly serve me just fine without having my likeness depicted artfully on the label: Are any of you Aleuminati planning on taking the plunge this year, even now that its popularity has grown to the point that they'll likely be wading through thousands upon thousands of competing brews, making it more of a long shot than ever? Or have any of you been bitten by the competition bug and submitted your prized recipes to other judgings? Any medal winners in the crowd? I'd be curious to hear how the experience affected you and your brewing: whether it made you more or less confident in your brewing, and how you felt getting such subjective analyses in response to what is for most of us a result of hard work, time - not to mention a bit of emotional attachment and artistic expression.

[Rob DeNunzio]

Hi Deege,
I put some links to the submission page and guidelines in my post on LongShot here. From what I understand, they're taking submissions between April 15 and May 1, and they do indeed send you copies of the judging paperwork. Maybe, like you're thinking, it's worth entering for the chance at getting some professional feedback...

[Deege]

When is the deadline for submissions? I might try entering a Märzen if there's time. Do you know if they give any feedback? I'd be a very long shot to win, but I'd love to hear what I can improve.

[Rob DeNunzio]

If I put a reminder on my calender to get to brewing with the contest in mind early enough, maybe I'll throw my hand in for the 2009 competition. But since most of the stuff we do is of the strong and/or Belgian ilk, we'd be way behind the eight ball in getting any of our (relatively speaking) showstopper brews out there in time this year. And that scotch ale we've got going right now is less of a "longshot" than say a "crapshoot" or a "hail mary" or maybe a "toss up" or "fat chance."

[Shawn, the Beer Philosopher]

Can't say that I have ... and can't say that my brewing prowess is anywhere near the point I'd feel confident to to enter the Longshot contest. Having said that, though, I have enjoyed the beers this (not so) little competition has yielded thus far as a drinker if not a brewer. I have several bottles of Don Oliver's Old Ale from last year down in the cellar still ... and I'm looking forward to this year's lineup - minus the hop-bomb, of course. Rob, are you entering a brew for next year's consideration?