The Black Feather stout is my American style stout I constructed years back for the sole purpose of entering it in competition. It has done well every year, but not as well as hoped. So we need to take a look at just what we can change or fix.

Before we do this, we gotta figure out just what it is we are trying to make. Yea, American Stout. But that’s not as easy as easy to figure as one may think. Do we really know what that is?

http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style13.php Mmmyeaa, so is the foreign extra an American. No wait. It says the American is the Foriegn extra, wait… It says the Foriegn is a sweet stout but sometimes a dry stout or maybe an imperial stout. WtF?

How the hell do you interpret that? I for one went for a sweeter stout with quite a few late editions. Because to me, if you say American anything it’s late hops. And each year the judges score it as needing a lot more hop aroma.

But it clearly states, medium to VERY LOW hop aroma. (Translation: judges don’t know dick and are going by what they like rather than what it’s supposed to be. I figured that out pretty quickly)

So. That leaves me in a tough spot. Do I leave it where I like it, by the guidelines or raise it for the judges that are judging it wrong? I am leaving it. My luck would be that I then get a judge who knows what’s what then ding me for being to high.

Next is flavor. Really I think mouthfeel is dictating this. While the score here is just fine. I think going the thick sweet route might be distracting.

Looking back at some of my old notes I see my self describing it as “thick as troll blood”. Thick is fine. But I’m thinking it’s too much and is covering up things.
She ways in at 60 IBU. Nothing crazy, but still should be noticeable. Never once, as many times as I had this, have I ever mentioned bitterness. And in this beer you should notice bitterness.

I have considered raising the IBU to contrast the sweet, but have never gotten any feed back from anyone that would justify this. It may look right on paper, but it’s perception is low. Even for me it’s low. But the next factor might play a part.

I mash this high. 158 high. That’s high. Probably too hight. Moving the temp down to 154 might be just what it needs. It will still be sweeter with all the crystal, but maybe a bit drier and move the focus off of the feel and back to the bitter and roast like it should.

Over all this was always a good beer. If this beers purpose was to be drank and enjoyed like any other beer, then I would probably just leave it where it is.

But this beer is was made to win this contest. And win as an American stout. Contents have lots of good beers. You gotta work the judges. Even if that means not following the guidelines. Even if that’s the point of the whole thing.

I had even thought of entering it in the Foriegn extra category. I know the judges have a predetermined thought about the whole American thing. And have plenty of examples of American browns and ambers to base it on.

But when you throw the “Foriegn” part in there, they get a whole new mind set. They don’t have a lot to base anything on other than the written words. So when those card reading judges get to the first line of The Foriegn, “Tropical versions can be quite sweet without much roast or bitterness” I’ll be in like Flynn