Sometimes I'm Judgy

The Big Guy and I had the opportunity to judge at the Indiana Brewers' Cup held at the state fairgrounds airless over a week ago. It was our first time judging, and I really enjoyed it.

I was actually a little bit nervous going into it. Having seen some of the feedback that The Big Guy has gotten for beers he's entered in previous competitions, I know how important it is to get meaningful feedback. With that in mind, I wanted to be sure that any feedback I had was going to be useful for the brewer. I was incredibly grateful to he more experienced judges I got to sit with for answering all my questions and really making me feel more comfortable with the whole process.

This was a big competition. Hats off to everyone involved in getting things organized and making sure that things ran smoothly during the competition. There were three sessions for the judges: one Friday night, then Saturday morning and afternoon. We only participated in the sessions on Saturday.
 

Of all the beers I tasted that day, most were good, a few were great, but none were bad. With eleven beers in the first session and ten in the afternoon session I think that's pretty impressive. Both flights I judged were homebrews, while The Big Guy got to judge a professional category.

There's a sheet that walks you through the different aspects of the beer that you're judging: aroma, flavor, mouthfeel, appearance, and overall impression. When we took our exam we weren't abel to have the style guidelines out for reference, but in the competition we were. That was a huge help for me, just having something to refer back to and use as a measuring stick for everything I tasted. We were judging based on those guidelines and how close the beer comes to being a perfect example of the desciption provided.

That's where some of the hard part comes in for me. A beer that's slightly off style may be more enjoyable than something brewed perfectly within the guidelines, but may not get as high a score. I tried to capture that in the overall impression section by asking myself if I'd drink a whole pint and possibly order a second.

We definitely learned a lot and both of us are excited to be a part of more competitions. We're both Recognized with the BJCP, but with a few more competitions, we'll be able move up to the Certified rank.  That's where our scores have us. It's interesting that you don't start out at the rank you earn with your scores alone. But having gone through a competition, I think there's a lot you really only learn by doing it so it does make sense. 

 

Congratulations to everyone who placed and won their categories, including The Big Guy who took first place in the homebrew stout category. For a complete list of the winners, click here. If you're interested in learning more about the Brewers' Cup, click here.
 

BREWniversity: BJCP Style Series

This is the first post in a series that we're starting in the BREWniversity section of the blog. The Big Guy and I are about to take an exam that will (hopefully) result in the two of us becoming certified judges for brewing competitions. I say hopefully, because there's a lot to learn. I'm a little nervous about the exam itself, but I'm also looking forward to the practice. And there will be plenty of practice.


We're taking the BJCP, or Beer Judge Certification Program, exam. Some of the things we need to know are the features that make each style distinct. We also have to know the common sources of off-flavors and how to correct them, but it's the first part that we're going to focus on here.

I'll be honest and say that writing this series is definitely self-serving because it's going to help me learn and remember the small details about each, but I'm also hoping that it will be interesting.

One of the biggest things that makes this type of experience different from what I do on Untappd is that in an official judging scenario, it doesn't matter if I like the beer. It only matters if the beer is a good example of the style. The opposite is also true- a beer can taste great but be a bad example of the intended style.

So over the next several BREWniversity posts, we'll explore the unique qualities of the different beer styles, and review some good examples of each one. As you can see in the picture above, it's going to take some time to go through all of the styles, but it's a commitment I'm willing to make. You can also see that things are tabbed and color-coded. I managed to make drinking beer nerdy. The Big Guy wasn't surprised.

If you're interested in learning more about the BJCP, take a look at their website at http://www.bjcp.org.

Ron Smith's Masters of Beer Appreciation

My parent's always wanted me to get my MBA. I doubt they were thinking about Ron Smith's Masters in Beer Appreciation, but that's exactly what the Little Lady and I did. We just finished up getting certified to appreciate beer... Although this certification really has no formal value, I am excited we got it.

The courses are offered a few times a year and consist of three classes that go from 2 till 6 on a Saturday. Basically the class puts every beer style imaginable in front of you. You get to taste, smell and evaluate with ten or fifteen other people. If you aren't interested in learning anything, drinking the beers is well worth the price of admission. But if you are interested in learning something, Ron, the instructor, goes through the history and a little bit of why the brew came about in that specific region. He tells you about local customs and some unique features of each brew. There aren't a lot of opportunities to try this many unique brews from around the world. On top of this, Ron has traveled throughout Germany and Belgium and his stories are a riot.

Ron Smith is one of the leaders at the Foam Blowers of Indiana, the largest Indy based homebrew club around. He is also a National level BJCP (beer judging certification program) judge. He is also a Certified cicerone (another certification we are going for). Although the credentials are awesome, the truely impressive part of what Ron brings to the table is his passion and experience. Throughout the class he tells you that every beer is in fact his favorite style and whether or not that's cheating, it does show a huge love for the industry and the craft beer culture.

The Little Lady and I are starting to prepare for his study class so we can also get set to be BJCP judges. The more I learn about craftbeer and the history of beers around the world, the more I realize I don't know.

Lucky for us there are great teachers like Ron to help us figure it all out.

My First BJCP Homebrew Competition

I entered my first homebrew competition last week at The Ram downtown Indy. The judges were all BJCP (beer judge certification program) and so far I really had only been judged by my friends and a couple other home brewers. The competition was the Rye Not competition, and we could do any type of style that we wanted, as long as we included at least 20% rye. I really haven't done a rye beer, so I figured let's make this doubly difficult and try a style I haven't brewed.

So that is why The Empty Can's Farmer's Ho American Farmhouse Ale was born. It's a farmhouse with 25% rye and American hops. I knew that the judges would look at style and judge based on the appropriateness of that style, but I really wanted to give the beer my own flair. Just so everyone is clear, I am probably not good enough or experienced enough to give beer my own flair, but I try every time

We all showed up at the Ram's downtown restaurant this past Saturday to hear the results, pick up our score cards and drink some limited release brews from the Ram. Keep in mind this was my first time being judge by people with true credentials and experience, so I was basically shitting my britches. My wife came with me to clean up if there was really a problem. 

Right away when we rolled in, I saw Jake from Indiana Beer and Will from Sun King, two guys I have tasted with in the past. They welcomed me and totally chilled out a little bit of my personal freakout. This was Will's first go around and Jake has done it so many times he's a judge now (well done it so many times and passed the certification exam, which the Little Lady and I are planning to take this fall).

I got my score back and I was just above mediocre. This was a huge hit to the ego, but one of the judges did such a great job outlining what I should have done, that I started thinking about my next brew. I also got some help from Jake and Will deciphering the intricate score card (by the way, I am more firmly rooted in the Beer Barons 1-5 overall scale after seeing how silly some of the criteria really can be). I took both judges advice and brewed up something new on Sunday. We'll see how it comes out!

Whether it's the craftbeer community or the homebrew community, everyone wants you to succeed. We are lucky enough to be a part of a culture that really cares about the movement, not just their own profit line. 

On that note- there's been a lot of talk about the Magic Hat VS West Six lawsuit. For me it is too bad that it got this far. In a business that is more like a brother / sisterhood, I expect more camaraderie and a great desire to make sure that everyone is taken care of. It sucks that the lawsuit happened, but as a craft drinker it really turned me off to both breweries. I was never a huge Magic Hat fan, but I wont be buying their beer again anytime soon, and I haven't had West Six, but I wont bend over backwards to find it. 

Thank you to the Indiana craft beer and homebrew scene. You are a great group of people and we are lucky to be able hang out!