If you are familiar at all with the 2008 BJCP guidelines (AKA every competition for the past seven years) then you are mostly familiar with the major categories for the 2016 competition–with three differences:
1.American Pale Ale, American IPA, and Strong Stouts (Tropical, Foreign Extra, American, and Imperial) have all been split into separate categories to better distribute entries in highly impacted categories.
2.Specialty IPA is now a sub-category of IPA, so stop entering your Black/Brown/Red/White/Session IPAs in the Specialty Beer category! 🙂
3.Many of the new 2015 BJCP styles have been added to what are essentially the 2008 major categories, so go wild entering your Gose, Wheatwine, and Sahti (amongst others) as first-class styles.
Otherwise everything else should feel pretty familiar, just make sure you review the updated style guidelines; many of them have been significantly updated. For instance, English Pale Ales mention significantly less caramel character than previous years after the guideline committee admitted the older guidelines were based on old/oxidized imported examples (which increases perception of caramel).
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Nutmeg and orange peel with faint hint of what way in the background. Pale malt up front, but even that is faint.
That’s NOT Maria Devan. That’s Ken Carman to your left. Can’t you tell the difference? 
That’s Maria Devan. In the picture. Between the two guys. 
In years past, I have made several visits to see family in Arkansas. Until just two years ago, what greeted me in the central portion of that state – around Little Rock and Hot Springs – was what I call a Beer Desert. That has changed. While the northwest corner of the state, home to Fayetteville and the huge University of Arkansas campus, has been fully aboard the craft beer train for awhile now, the rest of the state seems to have caught up with it.
Brooklyn uses the word nimble to describe this beer and I think it’s the perfect word to do it. Pours the darkest brown with a with a glowing tint from ruby. Fat tan head that fell slowly to cling and leave lace. Nose is hop prominent alright! At least at first it is because ti’s so fresh. they seem to burst forth.. Beautiful spice and floral from those noble hops. They shimmer even on the nose. A fruitiness that smells fresh and vibrant and a firm hop herbal that is just darn sexy. The malt that seemed shy at first keeps coming forward until you have earthy coffee, bread like pumpernickel. Flavor is mellow earthy and round. Those abundantly fragrant hops are much lighter on the palate but the herbal is the most forward flavor from them. Peppery. Coffee and a tempting dryness from the malt. Here is the part that I think is nimble. It’s so dry as to show itself off. A touch nutty, toasty and all that bread. The bitterness int he flavor is just a light touch from both hops and the malt itself and that highlights the earthy coffee . It also shows me some very smooth richness from the malt that is not caramel. Oh boy! It finishes like silk with only a tickle from bubbles and gives up some bitter chocolate in the last moments. No harshness, no astringency, no diacetyl. Lingers leisurely and shows you a last peek at those hops and all that roastiness. Just a light residual sweetness. Nimble indeed and very hearty while showing a subtle richness underneath that is the very expression of the black beer. Classic and extremely well done.
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