THE 13th ANNUAL HURRICANE BLOWOFF HOME BREW COMPETITION RULES, REGULATIONS AND OTHER INFORMATION
We invite all brewers, judges, stewards and beer, mead and cider aficionados to participate in the 13th Annual Hurricane Blowoff, always an AHA/BJCP sanctioned competition, which takes place April 25th – 26st. If you would like to judge or steward, please indicate that on the on-line entry form, which can be found at www.palmbeachdraughtsmen.com. Even if you have never participated in a homebrew competition, this is a great opportunity to learn more about the 28 categories of beer, mead and cider, so we encourage you to join us!!
The competition will kick-off with judging, starting at 5:00 pm on Friday the 25th at Ragtops La Salle party center in West Palm Beach. Ragtops is located at 2119 S. Dixie Hwy, just north of Belvedere Rd and at the corner of Claremore Dr. It is not far from the I-95 and Belvedere Rd exit and is just south of downtown WPB. We’re working on an event for after the judging on Friday night, more details to follow.
On Saturday, the 26th, judging recommences at 9:00 am at LaSalle Club at Ragtops. The judging will be completed by 2 pm, and then it will be time to enjoy some beers made by the Palm Beach Draughtsmen. There are also several fine establishments nearby; Roxy’s Irish pub has a great tap selection (309 Clematis St – Downtown WPB) and Brewzzi Brewpub is located in nearby CityPlace, on Okeechobee Blvd in downtown WPB. There will be an awards dinner and party at Ragtops, starting at 8pm. We’ll also have the usual array of excellent raffle items and are working on live entertainment! Tickets will be available soon for the dinner and awards party, and can be purchased on-line (www.palmbeachdraughtsmen.com) or at the BX Beer Depot, 2964 2nd Ave N, Palm Springs.
Eligibility: The Hurricane Blowoff Competition is open to all home brewers. No commercial entries or entries brewed at a commercial establishment will be accepted.
How to Enter: Each entry will consist of three (3), 10 to 14 ounce (beer) or 7 ounce (meads and ciders) bottles, which must be brown or green colored glass only. All bottles must be free of ink name-brand lettering, and paper labels. Raised "NO DEPOSIT", or manufacturing codes are acceptable, as are Sam Addams-style bottles which contain minimal raised glass. Bottle caps must be blacked out to eliminate any identifying markings or graphics. Grolsch-type or swing top bottles are not eligible. Bottles not meeting these requirements will be disqualified. You may submit as many entries as you like, but no more than two for each sub-category will be allowed. If you have any questions about bottle eligibility, please send an email to: webmaster@palmbeachdraughtsmen.com.
Entries will be accepted starting on March 14th and must be received by 8pm on Friday, April 11th. The entry fees are as follows: single entries are $6 each, and $5 each for bulk entries totaling 5 or more. Entries received after April 10th may be accepted at the competition organizer's discretion, at $12 per entry. Please make checks payable to Palm Beach Draughtsman, Inc. (do not send cash). A completed entry form must accompany every entry. Entry, bottle and judge forms may be completed online or hard copies may be printed at www.palmbeachdraughtsmen.com. Entry fees can be paid via PayPal through the Palm Beach Draughtsman website, or can be submitted with a hard copy of the entry form. Attach a completed bottle ID form to each bottle with a rubber band only. Glued or taped ID forms will not be accepted and those entries will be disqualified.
Shipping: Ship entries to the attention of Sally Parson, BX Beer Depot,
2964 2nd Ave N, Palm Springs, FL 33460. For any shipping questions,
please contact The BX Beer Depot at (561) 965-9494 between 10am-8pm EST.
We will work on establishing drop-off points listed below:
Drop-Off Points – We’ll attempt to have one in the following cities: More information and deadlines to follow as they are established:
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Ft.
Lauderdale/Miami
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Tampa Bay/Dunedin Coordinated with the "Evil One", Apr 7th or 8th |
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Orlando/Melbourne |
Port St. Lucie/Stuart TBA
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Categories: All 2008 BJCP beer, mead and cider categories (28 total) and associated sub-categories will be accepted in this competition. Each entrant is responsible for placing his or her entries in the proper category-we are not mind readers (though we wish we were!). Be sure to select the correct category number and sub-category letter on your entry and bottle ID forms. All entries will be judged according to your information and classifications listed on your forms and failure to supply a fully completed entry form may result in the entry being judged in the wrong category/subcategory. The Palm Beach Draughtsmen reserve the right to combine categories depending on number of entries. Visit the BJCP on line at www.bjcp.org, for a copy of the current Style Guidelines and for additional style information. First, Second, and Third place medals will be awarded for each category. A Best of Show award will be presented and the highly sought-after Category 5 award will be presented to the brewer with the highest overall point total.
Lodging: There are several hotels in the area of Ragtops-Club LaSalle, site of the 13th annual Hurricane Blowoff. The hotels listed are the closest and offer the most reasonable room rates. Prices listed are the regular room rates and all of the hotels offer a 10% discount for AAA members. I have also listed the driving distance of each hotel from Club LaSalle:
$129.00 per night single or double. ($99.00 per night for Priority Club members)
(561) 659-3880
$99.99 per night per night single or double
(561) 471-8700
$119.00 per night king bed, $129.00 per night double beds
(561) 472-7333
Of the hotels listed, the Hampton Inn is the newest and the nicest followed by the Holiday Inn and the Best Western. There is also a Crowne Plaza Hotel approx. 1.5 miles away (561) 689-6400. Their rates are $174.00 per night for a standard room and $184.00 per night for a suite and a Hilton Hotel approx. 2.4 miles away (561) 684-9400. Their rates are $179.00 per night for either a king or double room.
The Hotel Biba is a very nice 43 room boutique type Bed and Breakfast hotel located a few blocks from Club LaSalle (walking distance)(561) 832-0094. It originally was a motor lodge, but has been completely renovated. Their rates are $169.00 per night for a queen room, $181.00 per night for a king room and $194.00 for a double room. www.hotelbiba.com. I have stayed there and the rooms are very nice, as is the expanded continental breakfast (and no affiliation...)
Directions:
To Ragtops - Florida's Turnpike or I-95 to the Sothern Blvd exit. Proceed east to S. Dixie Hwy (US 1) and turn right. Ragtops is located on the west side of Dixie Hwy, at 2119. There is a Ragtops parking lot on the corner of S. Dixie Hwy and Claremore Dr which will be available.
To Hotels – see above
2008 Hurricane Blowoff Competition Staff :
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Competition Organizer: Joe Peters
Registrar: Jan Rodusky |
Judge Director: Nick Marshall
Head Steward: Pat Fossett
Chef Extraordinaire: Vince Yeck |
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