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- How do I enter?
- Who runs the Dominion Cup?
- What can I try to win?
- What is the Plato Award?
- Who will judge my beer?
- Who/What is the BJCP?
- Why are you qualified to judge my beer?
- Will I get feedback on my beer?
- When will I get results?
- How many bottles do I need to send in?
- What are the requirements for the bottles?
- Will I get my beer or empty bottles back?
- How do I know what style to enter my beer in?
- Can I enter my beer in multiple categories?
- What categories do you accept for competition?
- Is there a limit to the number of beers I can enter?
- I don't live near Virginia. Can I still compete?
- How much does it cost to enter? What is done with the money?
- I think I deserved better scores - can I appeal?
- How will I know who won?
- Is there an online registration system?
- What are the steps to complete Online Registration?
- What if I forgot my username / password?
- Why is my address / email address / etc required?
- How Do I Pay for Entries?
- What if I don't have a paypal account?
- Can I pay entries by check or cash instead of online?
- Do I have to use the online registration?
- Do I need to fill out BJCP Paperwork / Entry Forms / etc to go with the entries?
- Why can't I print my bottle labels?
- What about refunds?
- Can I change an entry once it is entered online?
- What is the deadline for online registration?
Entries may be delivered in person or shipped to the Weekend Brewer or to any JRHB club meeting. Additional clubs in Virginia are also working to setup drop-off points for us, so check with your club to see if this is being arranged. If you completed the online registration, you need only deliver the 2 bottles and the bottle labels printed from the Online Registration site. Otherwise, an official BJCP entry form along with the entry fee of $7 must accompany each entry. Entries must be received no later than July 30 for consideration.
The Dominion Cup is put on by the James River Homebrewers, an active homebrewing club in central Virginia (Richmond area). The Dominion Cup is sanctioned by the Brew Judge Certification Program, and follows all rules therin. The James River Homebrewers meet the 2nd Wednesday of every month at Mekong Restaurant in Richmond, Virginia. We are always looking to meet new beer enthusiasts and brewers of all levels. Feel free to come to a meeting and find out more!
Every year, we make an extraordinary effort to provide some of the best prizes for our winners. We are able to provide some level of prizes to the top beers in each flight as well as the best in show for the entire event. Please take a moment to check out our sponsors (see links to the right) who have been extremely generous again this year in providing prizes for the event. Prizes range from growlers, textbooks, ingredients (including yeast, malt, and hops), brewery merchandise, magazine subscriptions, and all sorts of other items.
New this year - we have established a "Brewer of the Year" style award known as the Plato Award. This award will have prizes similar to the B.O.S. award in quality and will be given to the brewer with the most 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place finishes at any first-round table based upon the following points scale:
- 1st Place at table: 5 pts
- 2nd Place at table: 3 pts
- 3rd Place at table: 2 pts.
The points are weighted to give more points for first place winners, but to allow those brewers who have a lot of finishes to have a chance at it. The winner will be added to a plaque on display at the Weekend Brewer (Plaque will have a nice hydrometer mounted to it with names of each annual winner below).
As a sanctioned BJCP event, we will have certified BJCP judges at every table judging beer. We typically have some non-certified judges as well who have extensive brewing and tasting experience. Our club is committed to providing qualified judges and recently held a certification class and exam to get more judges certified within the club. Last year, we were fortunate to have multiple National and Master judges at the event.
The Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) is non-profit organization whose goals include promoting the appreciation of real beer, recognition of different styles of beer, and recognizing judging ability and certifying judges. They have collectively over the years provided a guide for different styles of beer used to compare similar types of beer and provide a basis for competition.
Why are you qualified to judge my beer?
In the end, judging is of course a very subjective manner, and many qualified judges may produce different results based on the situation at hand. As such, we try to provide experienced, BJCP certified judges in a panel to compare the beer to basic style guidelines and come to a consensus in the most fair manner known. In the end, remember that we all try to learn more about brewing and the appreciation of beer. In the end, the homebrewer should be the most competent judge of his/her beer - brew what you like!
Will I get feedback on my beer?
Yes! We will return all score sheets to the brewer's address listed on the entry form. One of the most important parts of any competition is the valuable feedback on beer sensory evaluations detected by the judges and suggestions for improvement.
We will try to return all score sheets within 1 month of the competition. If you are a club member, we will bring the results to the next club meeting to save on shipping. If not, we will promptly mail the results back to you. We also offer to scan in the results and email them to you if you prefer this over the hand-written paperwork.
How many bottles do I need to send in?
Please provide 2 bottles for competition. As we anticipate a large number of entries, extra bottles beyond 2 will not be stored for competition. It is necessary to have 2 in order to have a beer succeed at the first round and then proceed to the best of show round.
What are the requirements for the bottles?
For storage reasons: bottles must be standard brown bottles between 10oz and 14oz in size. No recognizable marks may be visible (reuse of nation-wide commercial branded bottles with raised lettering is okay). Caps must not have any distinguishable marks (scratch out with black sharpie if necessary). No permanent labels may be attached (the Bottle entry lable should be attached via rubber band only). Grolsch style bottles are acceptable, but keep in mind you will not get them back.
Will I get my beer or empty bottles back?
No, it is not feasible for us to keep track of the empty bottles (once we open them, we cannot track them anyway), nor is it practical to ship them back to you. Unused beer is typically used by the club for training in the beer styles and judging in future BJCP classes or club meetings.
How do I know what style to enter my beer in?
Refer to the BJCP style guidelines found here. You can always ask your other brewing friends and get their feedback on this as well. Pay critical attention - even if you attempted to brew a particular style, it may actually fit better into a different style than you aimed for. It is important to enter your beer in the proper category to be judged fairly.
Can I enter my beer in multiple categories?
You may enter as many beers/categories as you desire, as long as you submit the proper number of bottles and entry forms/fees. It is discouraged to enter the same beer across multiple categories, especially extremely similar categories, as they may be judged by the same table and typically you will not get a great variety of feedback as a result.
What categories do you accept for competition?
We accept all beer categories from the 2008 BJCP Guidelines including mead and cider.
Is there a limit to the number of beers I can enter?
There is no limit. You may enter as many beers as you have available, as long as you include the proper entry forms and fees.
I don't live near Virginia. Can I still compete?
Yes, we will accept beers from just about anywhere, as long as they are brewed by a non-commercial home-brewer. If you do not live nearby (or even if you do in some cases), we will ship your results and any prizes you win to the address on your entry form. Last year we had 422 entries from over 16 states spanning both coasts of the US.
How much does it cost to enter? What is done with the money?
The entry fee is $7 per entry. If you do not pay via online registration, make checks payable to the James River Homebrewers. We use the money to put on the event (including reserving the rooms for the event, lunch for volunteers, paperwork, glassware, shipping of prizes, etc. If there is any extra money (this would be rare!), we put it into the club fund to support other events/activities/learning for the homebrew club.
I think I deserved better scores - can I appeal?
No. It's really not possible to recreate all the conditions on a given day that led to a particular score and then re-judge it relative to the other beers in the same flight. Although many times beers perform very differently from competition to competition, this is often due to bottle-variation, problems in shipping, distractions or problems at a particular judging table, or individual judges' perception abilities varying from person to person. We realize this is not a perfect science, but should rather be looked at as a way to gather valuable feedback on your beers, learn more, and grow as a brewer.
There will be an awards ceremony at the Dominion Cup just after the Best of Show round for all 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in flight results. The Best of Show winners and Plato Award winner will also be announced at that point. We will post the results with the winners on the Dominion Cup website after the event. Winners will also be notified via email. 2009's winners are posted here and 2010's winners are posted here.
Is there an online registration system?
Yes! We have worked hard to provide an easy to use online registration system that will ensure proper entry of your beers into our database. The system will allow you to register as a user, add your entries, pay for the entries, and then print the bottle labels.
What are the steps to complete Online Registration?
- First - register as a user on the system. Click on the "Create a new Dominion Cup User Account" from the Online Registration Menu.
- Once you have an account setup, Click Add Entries to add a beer for competition. Include all information required for your beer and style. Refer to the BJCP guidelines for styles 6D, 16E, 17F, 20, 21, 22B, 22C, 23 to ensure you indicate the correct base style and/or special ingredients.
- Repeat step 2 as needed for additional entries.
- Click on the Pay For Entries link to pay for your entries. You will be directed to the PayPal Website to complete payment details.
- Once your entries are paid for and the payment has processed (usually instantly), You can Print bottle labels.
- Click on the "Print Label" link next to each entry to print the bottle label for that entry. You must print each entry individually.
- Deliver or ship your bottles to the Weekend Brewer (4205 West Hundred Road, Chester, Va. 23831) or bring to a club meeting by no later than August 1, 2010. 2 bottles for each entry are required. Attach the bottle labels via rubber band ONLY. No other paperwork is required for online registration.
- That's it - if you need to make changes to an entry or your user information, there are links available for that from the main online registration system.
What if I forgot my username / password?
Click here and we will reset your password and email your log-in information to the email address you have on file.
Why is my address / email address / etc required?
We will need to mail your score sheets back to you after the competition is done as well as any prizes you may have won. Therefore, it is necessary to have your contact information on file with us. Also, if for some reason you have lost your log-in information, we need your email address to reset your login information for you.
After you have used the online registration system to add your user and entry information, click on the "Pay for Entries" link. You will be redirected to PayPal's website where you can pay for your entries. If you do not have a PayPal Account, you can still pay for your entries via credit card or bank draft on PayPal's website. Because PayPal handles this transaction for us, we will not see any of the payment specifics, only the payment status as reported by PayPal. We have chosen to use this method both for the convenience to our entrants as well as for the security of payment processing by a well-known, established payment processing company.
What if I don't have a paypal account?
No Problem! PayPal will also accept major credit cards and bank drafts without signing up for an account. Just click on the appropriate spot when you are on PayPal's website to process your payment.
Can I pay entries by check or cash instead of online?
Yes, but it will significantly delay the processing of your payment. You also cannot print bottle labels until the system has registered that the payment has been accepted, so it is HIGHLY recommended that you pay online via PayPal.
Do I have to use the online registration?
No, you can also fill out a BJCP Entry Form and BJCP Bottle labels and ship or deliver that to the Weekend Brewer (4205 West Hundred Road, Chester, Va. 23831) along with your check made out to James River Homebrewers for $7 per entry. It is recommended that you complete the online registration however as it will make it easier for us to correctly enter your information and ensure we aren't missing anything critical for the proper judging of your beer.
Do I need to fill out BJCP Paperwork / Entry Forms / etc to go with the entries?
As long as you use the Online Registration and pay for your entries online, you will be able to print the bottle labels to go with your entries. This is the only paperwork required. ONLY If you decide to go old-fashioned and not use the online registration, then you need to fill out BJCP Entry Forms and Bottle Labels manually (see above).
Why can't I print my bottle labels?
Your payment must have cleared through PayPal before the system will allow the bottle label to be printed. Sometimes this takes a few days if you paid with eCheck and don't have a credit card linked to your account. PayPal also occasionally flags certain payments for review. If your payment status is completed and you still can't print a bottle label, please contact competitioncoordinator@jrhb.org to address the problem.
Refunds can be issued within 60 days (This is PayPal's rule, not ours). You must delete your entry (it will ask you to confirm this) from the online registration system. Refunds will not be automatic - it may take several weeks for them to be processed correctly. Contact competitioncoordinator@jrhb.org for the status of your refund.
Can I change an entry once it is entered online?
Yes, click on the "CHANGE" link next to your entry and you can update the information on it. If you have already printed bottle labels, you will have to reprint them. This will not affect your payment status.
What is the deadline for online registration?
July 30th is the deadline for online registration. This is also the deadline to get your bottles delivered. After this date, the system will not allow further changes to be made to the entries online.
How do I sign up to volunteer?
You can sign up to Judge or Steward via the online registration system. If you have a particular preference for categories to judge, please send them via email. You can also sign up by emailing competitioncoordinator@jrhb.org directly.
Steward is a great job and anyone can do it. Stewards are typically assigned one per table with the addition of a few to help with cellaring, overall paperwork, etc. Stewards typically get to sample the beer being judged at their table along with the judges and it's a great way to see just what this judging process is all about. Steward responsabilities may include:
- Distributing required materials to the judging tables
- Bringing beer from storage area to judging area
- Assisting Judge Director and judges as needed
- Providing water, cups, bread, and forms for judging tables
- Maintaining proper beer temperatures during judging
- Emptying dump buckets as needed
- Checking the paperwork as judges complete it for completeness
- Additional tasks as needed to help the competition run smoothly
Should I sign up as a judge or steward?
If you are a BJCP Certified judge, we will want you to help us judge! If you are new to this process, you should sign up to steward so you can see what it is all about. If you are an experienced judge, but not BJCP, it is okay to sign up to judge, but please list your judging experience level in liew of a BJCP ID. We may move around some judges to stewards and vice-versa depending on the experience level and needs that we will have for the event.
Where and when do I need to show up?
The Dominion Cup will be held at the downtown Richmond Capital Alehouse (623 East Main Street, Richmond, VA 23219). We will be in the Music Hall which has been reserved for this event. We need to start judging the first flight by 9:00am to stay on schedule, so we ask you to please show up by 8:30am if you are judging or stewarding. Breakfast and lunch will be provided. If you are only able to help for the afternoon session, please show up by 12:00pm.
Can I volunteer for only part of the competition?
Yes, but if you are able to stay all day, please sign up for that! There are links for either morning sessions, afternoon sessions, or both on the online registration system.
What if I need to change my availability?
Log into the online registration system and click on "Update Volunteer Status". You can also email the competition coordinator directly.
If I am volunteering, can I bring my entries on the day of the competition?
Unfortunately, we are unable to accomodate entries delivered on the day of the competition this year as we are planning to have a brief session the night before in order to reduce the number of flights required on the main day of the competition.
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