GABF thoughts – splitting hairs, Vienna or Märzen?

We recently returned from competing at the Great American Beer Festival.  This is always a fabulous event and has unquestionably been terrifically good for the craft beer industry as a whole – but I still find parts of it to be a little silly, at least as far as the competition goes. 

Don’t get me wrong – competition is good. And while I think the GABF format could use a serious revision (see my earlier blog Hugh Sisson's Diary of a Brewer - On Beer Awards and Ratings), the competition definitely raises the bar, and encourages everyone to strive for that elusive “perfection.” But I definitely think that the number of “judged style categories” has completely run amok!  For example, my brewery just won the Gold for the Vienna lager style.  We are certainly very proud, and in fact this is the second year running that we have gotten the top medal in this category.  However, there is also another category – Märzen lager – which is essentially the same thing. 

Both Vienna lager and Märzen lager are the beer styles associated with Oktoberfest.  Both are amber lagers, brewed to about 5.5% ABV, fairly low hopped and with an emphasis on subtle malty complexity.  Historically, many believe the style was first developed in Vienna, and later moved to Bavaria (where it garnered the style name of Märzen or March beer).  Whether it is called Vienna or Märzen, it is essentially the same style - so why do we need two categories for it in the beer judging guidelines?  I have no idea.

I also have no idea why we need 3 different categories for wood aged beer, 3 different categories for Pilsners, 4 different variations for English style pale ale/bitter, and 6 different versions of stout – just to name a few.  It is becoming almost as challenging deciding in which category to enter your beer as it is actually producing the beer.  In my opinion that kind of misses the point.

Don’t get me wrong – I think there is a lot right with the basic concept of what we are trying to do here: teach consumers about the depth and variety of beer styles that are available.  I just think that we are in danger of becoming almost a parody of some of the silliness that we brewers often joke about with the wine snobs.  So I for one would certainly be in favor of spending less energy trying to come up with new style categories, and more energy celebrating quality beer.

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