Becoming a beer judge
I have begun a course of study to prepare to take a test and become a certified beer judge.
I belong to a local fermentation club called the Valley Fermenters. Every year they host a homebrew competition, and I've participated a couple of times as a non-certified judge. Contrary to what you might imagine, judging is actually hard work, requiring a discerning taste and an ability to to describe, on paper, the components of what is being tasted, how these tastes fit into the appropriate style category, and how the brewer could improve his or her process to make the beer better. In order to accomplish all this, the judge has to know all the various flavor components in a given style of beer, the characterisitics of the various styles, and the ingredients and processes that go into making the beer.
Despite this challenge, I've enjoyed the judging that I've done, and I'm finally ready to take the next step and become certified through the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP). Several members of the Valley Fermenters are certified judges, and one of them has offered to tutor a class and then proctor the exam. The exam, by all accounts, is extensive and grueling: ten comprehensive essay questions and three blind tastings.
The range of experience among the students of this class is pretty interesting: there is at least one person who has never actually made beer before, a few people who have made homebrew from extract kits, a couple of all-grain brewers, and one person who has a set-up in his garage that can produce 50-gallon batches. I'm fairly well-positioned in the group since I'm the only one with professional brewing experience AND the only one who got a degree in Brewing Sciences. Of course, this puts pressure on me to do extra well on the test.
The class is also interesting in that we've got a pretty even split between males and females. Female beer judges are something of a rarity, so I'm proud to belong to a group that defies the national average.
We've had a couple of classes so far, covering the fundamentals of sensory analysis and the basics of how barley is malted. Next week we plan to meet at Berkshire Brewing Company to witness some professional mashing action. It promises to be much fun.
I belong to a local fermentation club called the Valley Fermenters. Every year they host a homebrew competition, and I've participated a couple of times as a non-certified judge. Contrary to what you might imagine, judging is actually hard work, requiring a discerning taste and an ability to to describe, on paper, the components of what is being tasted, how these tastes fit into the appropriate style category, and how the brewer could improve his or her process to make the beer better. In order to accomplish all this, the judge has to know all the various flavor components in a given style of beer, the characterisitics of the various styles, and the ingredients and processes that go into making the beer.
Despite this challenge, I've enjoyed the judging that I've done, and I'm finally ready to take the next step and become certified through the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP). Several members of the Valley Fermenters are certified judges, and one of them has offered to tutor a class and then proctor the exam. The exam, by all accounts, is extensive and grueling: ten comprehensive essay questions and three blind tastings.
The range of experience among the students of this class is pretty interesting: there is at least one person who has never actually made beer before, a few people who have made homebrew from extract kits, a couple of all-grain brewers, and one person who has a set-up in his garage that can produce 50-gallon batches. I'm fairly well-positioned in the group since I'm the only one with professional brewing experience AND the only one who got a degree in Brewing Sciences. Of course, this puts pressure on me to do extra well on the test.
The class is also interesting in that we've got a pretty even split between males and females. Female beer judges are something of a rarity, so I'm proud to belong to a group that defies the national average.
We've had a couple of classes so far, covering the fundamentals of sensory analysis and the basics of how barley is malted. Next week we plan to meet at Berkshire Brewing Company to witness some professional mashing action. It promises to be much fun.