SM2010 - The results

The Swedish Championships in homebrewed beer 2010 (aka SM2010) were a blast! While the rest of the family enjoyed a day at Liseberg, I tasted almost half of the beers competing for the people's choice awards. As you can see in the results, the hop monsters were the clear favourites, not entirely to my surprise. I seem to be an outsider, thinking that 100 IBU is way too bitter for a beer. And I don't like Cascade hops either. Luckily, there were also some belgian-style beers that took home a medal in the people's choice, like my two favorites "Mon Dieu" (a golden stron ale treated with the champagne method) and "Bonnagaarden Syrat Vitöl" (a low alcohol belgian wit with a refreshing sourness.
Well, let's see how it went for my beers then. As I wrote earlier, I had 4 beers in the competition, and here are the results in ascending order:

• Rivus Niger Dubbel: 32/50 (comments on DMS, alcoholic flavor, slight oxidation and lack of complexity)
  
• Saison Matilda: 37/50 (slightly plastic aftertaste ans some oxidation, was probably very good but now a bit tired)
  
• Slànte (Belgian scottish strong ale): 38/40 (Not enough belgian character, slightly oxidized)
  
• Rivus Niger Tripel: 40/50 (nice smell, nice looks, good balance between fruit and spice. A bit too alcoholic taste, one judge found it too bitter for the style
  

I can only agree with the judges, they gave me a fair judgement. After all, this was the first time I brewed this styles, and I definately learned a few things. Mainly, avoid oxidation! I'm already charged to brew the new and improved versions of these wonderfully low IBU begians.