BJCP woes

[monty3777]

I am in shock. I spent the last several days sending emails and making phone calls and every BJCP exam within 5 hours of me is full for 2011! Maybe I'm missing something because I'm not a part of any organized brewing club, but getting a place in an exam seems like half the challenge!!

Either way - it's been fun studying!

 

[Edcculus]

Hmm, didn't have that problem My club organized a group and scheduled a time/place etc for the exam. We did have about 4 people who drove 4+ hours to be in the exam, other than that, it was people in the club. I know our exam was pretty full just from club members. Thats probably your problem. I'm assuming most of the exams are organized because enough people in a club got together and decided they wanted to set one up. I can see extra spots being very hard to come by.

I'd email all of the orgainzers, because there is a good chance someone might drop out of one of the exams.

 

[Hermit]

What area are you in? Our club is having classes now and talk is of scheduling the exam once we know the end date. I'm in the Youngstown, Ohio area.

 

[monty3777]

I live in eastern Iowa - so I looked into classes in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois. I am on a few waiting lists - and all the organizers have been really cool about encouraging me to put my name on a back up list. But one exam already has 15 people on the back-up list.

I am a competition BBQ cook (KCBS) and the CBJ program consisted of signing my check, taking a 4 hour class, and learning to fill out the forms. I'm really impressed with the things beer judges are expected to know by comparison.

It's also a LOT cheaper to compete in beer comps than BBQ comps so I'm sending in a few bottles to a comp in January. All in good fun. I'm really looking forward to honest feedback so that I can improve my brews.

 

[ChshreCat]

Confused... are you wanting to be a judge or just wanting to enter comps? The test is to become a judge. Anyone can enter the competitions.

 

[monty3777]

Confused... are you wanting to be a judge or just wanting to enter comps? The test is to become a judge. Anyone can enter the competitions.

Yeah, I get it. I'd just like to give both a try

 

[ChshreCat]

Ok. Might have just been too many beers before reading your post. I wasn't sure which you were after. heheh

 

[remilard]

I am in shock. I spent the last several days sending emails and making phone calls and every BJCP exam within 5 hours of me is full for 2011! Maybe I'm missing something because I'm not a part of any organized brewing club, but getting a place in an exam seems like half the challenge!!

Either way - it's been fun studying!

Get on waiting lists for those exams, people drop out. Otherwise shoot for 2012. Start judging and studying now.

 

[Homercidal]

I found the same thing. When I first looked into it, I was shocked by how much studying was necessary, and then shocked by how hard it was to find and enter an exam! I just gave up. For now I'm concentrating on practicing my tasting...

Seriously, I want to assist with competitions next summer. Be it as an organizing helper, pourer, whatever. Just to see what a comp is like, and what the judges go through first hand. AND keep practicing the tasting!

 

[cclloyd]

You can pick up a lot of great info and some good insight into the comps by stewarding during comp judging. Stewards keep the score sheets squared away, pour the beers in the flight being judged, replenish water and bread for the judges etc, and also get to sample and evaluate along side the real judges. I did it this past spring for the comp our club co-hosts each year (Best Florida Brewing Competition) and learned a lot.

 

[remilard]

At most regional competitions you can judge without any experience as unless you are drawing judges from out of town most metros do not have enough BJCP judges for a 200 entry competition. Everyone judges for the first time once. Judging a few times before the exam will help you anyway.

Experience points (judging or non judging) from competitions can be applied to your record when you come a BJCP member (when you take the exam) retroactively for two years.

So if you want a judge, volunteer to judge. If the organizer doesn't need you to judge they will certainly need stewards and that gets you experience points too. Just be sure to tell the organizer you intend to join the BJCP so they include you on their report. When it comes to doling out staff points, you only have so many so it doesn't make sense to allocate any to someone who never intends to join the program.

If you steward and intend to become a judge some day, tell the head judge that you are interested in learning. A lot of stewards are just helping out so I won't proactively try to educate them since most aren't interested in it.

 

[monty3777]

I'm going to steward a comp in February in Wisconsin. I look forward to learning the ropes!