Magners bottles now have a logo

[staplefordbill]

I've spent ages trailing local pubs to find one which will keep empty Magners bottles for me. I want plain 1 pint, brown bottles without a logo as they're widely accepted for beer competitions, and I'm planning to start entering competitions next year.
I picked up the first batch from the pub today and NOOOOO! They've changed the bottles so they've got a bl**dy great logo on them now.

This has only happened recently and there's a writeup here. http://www.just-drinks.com/news/cc-grou ... 05228.aspx Not sure what I'm going to fill up my new beer crates with now. Lidls sell own-brand cider in 1 pint bottle but I don't fancy buying 100 of them.

[nastyphoenix]

Why can't you just buy empty bottles from an online brewshop?

[wmfd]

What - pay for bottles?

David

[greenxpaddy]

Why can't you just buy empty bottles from an online brewshop?

What! Pay for bottles? Not if you can help it. And even then they must come full

[staplefordbill]

Why can't you just buy empty bottles from an online brewshop?

I could, but the ones I have seen are all "gluggers" and won't be valid for all competitions, according to the March 2007 issue of Brewer's Contact (get it here http://www.craftbrewing.org.uk/index.ph ... ory/8-2007). I assume nothing has changed since the article was written, with regards to which types of bottles are accepted in national competitions.

An NGWBJ judge attends my local beer circle, and it was he who suggested getting Magners bottles.

[coatesg]

The "gluggers" not being valid for competition is rubbish - the last three nationals have accepted pretty much any bottle - the rules ask for ones without logos if possible, but will still accept them (National 2011 Rules: "Two 330-568ml brown or green glass bottles. Bottles must be free of labels, and any other identifying marks must be blacked out. Bottles will not be returned. Bottles with engraved or embossed lettering should be avoided but are acceptable. Beers may be bottle conditioned or force carbonated.")

(Picky wine circle type competitions where the cap colour, and label straightness all count for points may well require straight sided pints bottles... try Bulmers instead?). I recommend Bitter and Twisted bottles as logo free ones without the "glug" (but mostly as I have a great supply of them!), or Timmy Taylors which are slightly taller straight sided 500mls.

(Even in the article, Richard of Cheers admits that the way he wrote the rules that were discussed, you couldn;t even buy the required bottles in his shop!!)

[Spud395]

Most German Weizen bottles are logo free 5oo ml easy label removal, someone you know must drink wheat beer

[Aleman]

I could, but the ones I have seen are all "gluggers" and won't be valid for all competitions, according to the March 2007 issue of Brewer's Contact ( get it here). I assume nothing has changed since the article was written, with regards to which types of bottles are accepted in national competitions.

As Graeme has said, that rule is not really correct . . . BUT it is down to the competition organisers as to what bottles are specified/allowed. MOST NGWBJ competitions Which used to include the CBA National) do specify Pint, sloping shoulder, gold cap, however at the Skipton comp James did give the organisers a bit of a hard time to get them to accept any bottle . . . FWIA NGWBJ competitions the Judge opens and decants the beer into his glass, in a BJCP competition a steward opens the bottle and puts it into a glass for the judge (I may be wrong there, but I am fairly sure that is the suggested procedure)

An NGWBJ judge attends my local beer circle, and it was he who suggested getting Magners bottles.

Bulmers bottles are an alternative . . . indeed a requirement if you intend to enter any of the beer classes at the 'wine federation' shows. Also note the requirement for federation shows that the beer is naturally conditioned . . . no bottling bright beer

Edit : Oh . . . and that link will probably only work for registered members

[staplefordbill]

Bulmers bottles are an alternative . . . indeed a requirement if you intend to enter any of the beer classes at the 'wine federation' shows

I can get Bulmers bottles more easily from pubs so that might be an option. Why are they essential for Wine Federation shows though? They have a logo which I thought wasn't permissible?

[Aleman]

Wine Federated shows specify a 1 pint plain bottle with gold caps . . . the only ones like that now AFAIK are Bulmers bottles. Why do they specify such a bottle?? No bloomin' idea, apart from the fact that the bottles are anonymous if they are all the same.

I do find some of the requirements for federated shows strange . . . and not just for the beer classes either. . . . Perhaps that is why I just have not bothered to enter the federated shows.

One of the things the CBA could look at doing is getting rid of ridiculous 'rules' like this, although getting each individual federation / NGBWJ / and beer/wine circle to agree would be a mammoth undertaking.

The issue is that it is down to each individual competition 'organiser' that specifies the container the beer should be in, and they generally all copy someone else's rules without necessarily actually looking at the rule.

I don't think it matters what bottle the beer is in, the only time you might hit a problem is where a judge is judging a class that he has entered a beer in (which should never happen!)

[staplefordbill]

Thanks Aleman. I agree the rules are daft and can only put people off entering the competitions. Anyway, Bulmers it is for me.

[alikocho]

in a BJCP competition a steward opens the bottle and puts it into a glass for the judge (I may be wrong there, but I am fairly sure that is the suggested procedure)

In a BJCP competition one of the two judges opens the beer and pours it. That is the procedure.

Indeed,

Stewards should NOT open the competition entries unless specifically directed by the head judge.

Go check the procedures here - http://www.bjcp.org/judgeprocman.php

The point about standardised bottles is to preserve anonymity. In a small, local competition if someone uses a particular bottle style, it could stick out as theirs. Following this:

the only time you might hit a problem is where a judge is judging a class that he has entered a beer in (which should never happen!)

BJCP rules don't allow judges to judge a class they have entered, nor for stewards to steward that table. The NGWBJ does allow a judge to judge a class they have entered, but they cannot award themselves a placing.