The BURP Club will once again sponsor a competition open to all event participants. The competition will take place Saturday morning at 10:30 AM (Deadline for entries, 10:00 AM). This year's competition will be the second (and probably final) MASHOUT clone competition. By tradition, the previous year's winner(s) have had the honor of calling the clone for the next year. The winners of last year's Brooklyn Brown Ale clone competition, Brian Dueweke and Bob "Mac" McEwen, have selected Aecht Schenkerla Rauchbier as this year's clone. The rule for keg entries is being waived this year because of this late announcement. Kegs are welcome, but only two 12 oz bottles are required to enter the competition. The judges will consist of commercial brewers attending the event as well as selected BJCP-certified judges. Prizes will be awarded to the top 3 beers. Schenkerla is the classic Bamberg beechwood-smoked lager, although homebrewers have also brewed excellent examples as ales. Michael Jackson, on his Beerhunter website, describes Schenkerla as follows: "It is made to the malty density of a Marzen (March) beer, but emerges with the unexceptional alcohol content of 4.8 per cent. It has an intensely smoky aroma, palate and finish, with a malty middle, only a light hop character, and the smoothness imparted by a lager yeast". The BJCP website provides a lot of good background on classic rauchbiers as well as brewing guidelines. To approximate this beer, you will want to either smoke your own malt or use Weyermann's Rauchmalt as the primary malt in your grainbill.
 

25  June 2005, by Bill Ridgely.