The Winterbrew 2015 competition was held on January 17, 2015 by the Square Kegs Homebrew Club in Chicago. I was so impressed with how they put together the Hirter Überbrew German lager competition over the summer that I knew I had to send some entries in for the winter event.

I entered in the three beers that I had on tap – the Lite American Lager, a Dark American Lager, and a Traditional Bock. Of the three, I expected the two American lagers to do well. The dark lager is especially delicious, and more complex than expected despite its simple recipe. I was a bit hesitant about even sending in the bock because of an odd sourness that has developed while carbonating. But I had already paid the entry fee, so I bottled it up and wished it luck.

And the results are in!

The Bock took home 3rd place with a score of 35.5.

The Lite American Lager was awarded 2nd place with a score of 34.

And while the Dark American Lager didn’t place, it still scored really well with a 33.

I haven’t gotten the official score sheets back yet, but I’m looking forward to the feedback. The Lite American Lager is a fantastic beer. I hope to make some minor tweaks to it that will help it score in the upper 30s.