BJCP Final Assigned Score

[zombiefreak]

I entered a couple beers in a competition and got my score sheets back. One of my beers got a 40/50 from two BJCP Judges. One judge was listed as a Master and one as Certified and a Professional Brewer. While both judges gave me 40/50, my Final Assigned Score was listed as 38. How do you get a lower Final Assigned Score when the two judges who judged your beer gave you a 40? How is Final Assigned Score really determined?

Also, this beer has the box checked that says it advanced to a BOS round. I did not win a medal for this beer and the winners listings say that there were 13 beers in my category. The BOS winners were in other beer categories. I thought you had to be the best in your category...or close to be considered for a BOS round. So my question is, how do you advance to a BOS round with a score of 40 and not even get 3rd place in your category? Were there really that many great beers in one category?

Ironically this same beer, from the same batch got me two second place awards at two other competitions in the last month and those scores were lower than this one.

 

[wonderbread23]

Getting a 38 from two 40's seems like a clerical error. I wouldn't sweat it.

As for the BOS check mark, I'm guessing this is for a Mini-BOS, not an overall BOS. Mini-BOS is often used to determine 1st, 2nd, 3rd when a category is large enough to have more than one table scoring beers. The relative scores in which judges assign beers often vary greatly table to table. One table's 40 could be equivalent to another table's 35. A mini-BOS throws out the scores and simply judges the top beers from each table in a head-to-head flight picking three beers to place. This often explains why a seemingly high score doesn't place.

The BOS round is typically comprised of the gold medal beer from each category.

 

[Dmlsys23]

When I stewarded the other weekend I was told to just average the judges' scores for the Final Assigned Score. I'd have given you the 40; I'm thinking that others are right and it was a clerical error. And the BOS checkmark was for Mini-BOS at my competition.

 

[hoperific]

Either way a 38-40 is a great score! Sometimes it depends on the comp and the judges. I've had beers score lower and medal in one comp and score higher and not medal in a different more competitive comp. Recently I had a beer score a 29 one week and a 42 the next week and move on to overall BOS. Variation happens.

It could be a clerical error, but they might have adjusted the final scores based on the results of the mini best of show round. Sometimes a comp director wants the beers' scores to be in order. If they winners of the mini BOS ended up beating your beer but had a score of 39, then they might have lowered your official score to 38.

Sub categories will compete in a mini BOS to determine the winner for that category. So you can have American Pale Ales competing against browns and ambers in mini BOS. A comp director can also choose to combine categories into larger medal groups if they want to. For example, light lagers could be grouped with pilsners. As far as who advances to mini BOS, it is up to each judging pair. Each pair usually advances their top 1-3 beers. The reason for mini BOS is to account for scoring variation between different judging pairs doing the same category. But, you really shouldn't have, say, stouts in the same grouping as light lagers or pale ales. What was your beer and what were the medal winners?

 

[zombiefreak]

Thanks all for the info, I had not entered any competitions until recently. The info on the mini BOS and how it works is helpful. Mine was in fact a mini BOS. Again, thanks for your input, I appreciate it.