Just out of curiosity, to enter a homebrew into a competition like a State/county fair or any other, does the brew have to be my own recipe? Can it be from a "kit" like from midwest or lhbs?

Thanks

i have never entered a competition, but i would think that any beer that you make, whether it's a kit or someone else's recipe would be ok. if you made it, it's yours.
gary

I would have to agree with Shineman. I have entered a few competitions and all the judges care about is what style of beer you have attempted to make so they can base their scoring on that. I have even read testimonials in brew supply catalogs that say something like "our kit won this competition", etc. Remember, a recipe is a recipe, but executing it is a different story. I encourage entering competitions for the feedback on your skills and of course the glory if you brew a great batch.

miguelito wrote:Remember, a recipe is a recipe, but executing it is a different story.

Absolutely agree! Recipe formulation is only where brewing begins. You and I could brew the exact same recipe and enter the resulting beer in the exact same competition. Yours might win a medal, while mine fails dismally. Variances in brewing equipment, thermometers, air temperature, water chemistry, sanitation, even the shape of your fermenters!....all of these things can add up to make for very different results.

Cool!
Thanks for the feedback. I think I might give it a shot some time. If I win, place or show, maybe I might get funds allocated from the financial manager (wife) to improve my personal brewery.