Chicago BJCP Beer Judging Exam January 2019

[Pappers_]

http://www.singingboysbrewing.com/blog/chicago-bjcp-beer-judging-exam-january-2019

I am administering a Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) Beer Judging Examination in Chicago in January 2019 and what follows is information on that exam, the BJCP, registering for the exam, resources and other links you might find helpful.

ABOUT THE BJCP

The Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) certifies and ranks beer judges through an examination and monitoring process, sanctions competitions, and provides educational resources for current and future judges. The goals of the BJCP are to:

• Encourage knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of the world's diverse beer, mead, and cider styles
• Promote, recognize, and advance beer, mead, and cider tasting, evaluation, and communication skills; and
• Develop standardized tools, methods, and processes for the structured evaluation, ranking and feedback of beer, mead, and cider.

To become a ranked BJCP beer judge, one must pass two exams:

• The online entrance exam (a pass/fail exam of 200 questions in 60 minutes)
• The Beer Judging exam (Judging 6 beers in 90 minutes)

Judges can achieve the ranks of Recognized and Certified Beer Judge by passing the online exam and the beer judging exam. To advance to the National rank or higher, judges must also take the BJCP Written Proficiency Exam (20 TF and 5 written essay questions in 90 minutes). The BJCP also currently offers a Mead Exam to grant a Mead Judge endorsement to existing judges or non-BJCP members only interested in Mead judging.

BEER JUDGING EXAM

Tasting Exam Requirements and Registration

Exams are limited to 12 people. The tasting exam consists of evaluating six beers in 90 minutes (15 minutes per beer), completing the standard beer evaluation form used at most BJCP sanctioned competitions. You will be told the style of the beer presented to you, but nothing else. No materials will be available to you during the exam. For more information about the exams, as well as study materials, see the BJCP Exam Center Page.

To sit for the BJCP Beer Judging Exam (tasting exam), examinees must meet the following requirements:

• Be of legal drinking age (21+)
• Pass the BJCP Online Entrance Exam or be a current judge
• Pay the exam fee ($40 for new exam takers and $15 for retakes)

Passing the online entrance exam is not to be taken lightly. The exam requires a broad knowledge of beer styles, brewing process, beer faults and BJCP general information and ethics. You may take the Online exam once per day until you pass it, but know that the exam pulls from a database of thousands of questions. No two online exams are the same.

Next Exam?

As of June 2018, the next Beer Judging Exam on the schedule in the Chicago-area is Saturday January 19, 2019, 10:00 am, at Lo-Rez Brewing in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago. There are currently no other exams scheduled for 2018 or 2019 in the metropolitan area. There is an exam in Milwaukee scheduled for January 2020.

Exam Registration

Follow this link to fill out a Google Form. I will use this information for communications regarding the exam. Spots will be made available in the order in which registrations are received.

Payments

Payment may be made via Paypal, QuickPay or check to me personally - this is per the BJCP, it does not allow examinees to pay the BJCP directly. After you register (see above), I will contact you regarding payment. I must receive the full payment for your exam fee ($40 for those taking the exam for the first time, $15 for those retaking the exam) by the date I designate or your spot will be given to the next person on the list.

Simultaneous Exams

Nationally, exam seats are limited. Please do not sign up for this exam if you have recently taken the exam and are awaiting results - BJCP policy on simultaneous exams.

BJCP EXAM PROCESS OVERVIEW

Dennis Mitchell, Grand Master out of Arizona, created this easy to follow flow chart of the BJCP ranking and exam system.

OTHER INFO

How Do I Prepare for the Exam?

If there is sufficient interest, I will lead four preparatory workshops (one per month in August, September, October, November) in the Pilsen neighborhood in Chicago. The focus will be on the BJCP style guidelines, sensory evaluation of beers and completing the scoresheet. Either indicate your interest when you register online or send me an email at [email protected].

Ask current BJCP judges in your homebrew club or that you may know to taste beers with you and complete scoresheets. Become familiar with the BJCP guidelines. You do not need to memorize the guidelines, but have a familiarity with them, learn the 'families' of related styles and what distinguishes them.

Sign up to judge as a novice judge at a competition. In Chicago, between now and the exam, there are usually two competitions - Brixtoberfest in October and Chicago Winterbrew in January. As those competitions are scheduled, I will post links here.

Review BJCP resources here.

Randy Mosher's book Tasting Beer is a very good resource to help you learn about sensory evaluation of beer.

Thanks!

Thank you to Amanda Burkemper, BJCP Master Judge and Assistant Education Director, for allowing me to borrow the idea of this online process for BJCP exam registration and much of the actual content she uses for Kansas City exams.

Contact

Jim Vondracek
BJCP National Judge
[email protected]
www.chaosbrewclub.net
www.bossbeer.org

 

[Pappers_]

Bumping this, so folks who might want to register see it, but also to point out that very few BJCP exams use this online process to share info and to register. I'm only aware of two other exam administrators who do (in Kansas City and Arizona). What do you all think about this? I copied and pasted the content in the post above, but you can see it as potential judges see it at the link above.

Early results are good - in the first 24 hours of opening registration, we're nearly full. Of course, I expect some will withdraw so I will keep a waiting list.

This is my first time doing it this way and would appreciate any feedback.