Thinking about getting my BJCP certificate.

[Jako]

Keep going back and forth. Can someone tell me about the process?

I wonder if it would help make me a better brewer? I plan to do local brew comps as a way of giving back to the community. My long term goal is to compete on a high level as a homebrewer. Just don't want to invest time and effort in something that wouldn't fit my goals.

Any feedback is appreciated.

 

[Qhrumphf]

Step 1: online entrance exam. Timed but open book. Predominantly if not entirely multiple choice. Covers styles and judging fundamentals. It's pass/fail.

Step 2: once entrance exam is passed, take seated tasting exam. 90 mins and closed book, 6 beers, fill out scoresheets as you would in a competition. You'll be graded on completeness, descriptive ability, and feedback to brewer that are solely based on what you write, as well as perceptive accuracy and scoring accuracy that will be compared against several high ranking judges who act as proctors who will be evaluating the same beers alongside the examinees.

Step 3: judging experience. You get judging points per comps judged (minimum one point per comp and with a normal single day AM-PM two round comp that'll be it, but it's technically 0.5 points per flight judged, so big comps where you do 3 or 4 sessions over multiple days you could get 1.5 or 2 points, as well as another 0.5 pts if you're picked to judge BOS) and non-judging points for stuff not directly judging (stewarding comps and competition administrative staff are the primary means of non-judging points for low ranked judges).

Score on tasting exam plus experience points determines rank. For any rank half of experience must be judging, though it can be 100% judging too. If your exam score qualifies you for a rank you don't have the points for, you remain the highest rank you DO have the points for, and once you have the points you'll be promoted.

Exam score <60: Apprentice. No experience needed. Must retake and pass tasting exam within a set period (1 or 2 years, I don't recall) or have to start over with entrance exam.

Score 60+: Recognized. No experience required.

Score 70+: Certified. 5 points (2.5 judging) required

Score 80+: Combined with 10 judging points qualifies you to take the written exam, necessary to achieve the higher ranks (see below).

Step 4: Written exam. 90 minutes closed book. 20 T/F judging fundamentals questions that earn no benefit for right answers but incur a penalty for wrong answers. Then five essay questions that cover styles, recipes, off flavors, ingredients, and all manner of brewing knowledge. Two style questions, two technical questions, and a recipe question will be on every exam.

Average score of 80 between tasting and written exam: National rank. Requires 20 points (10 judging).

Average score of 90 between tasting and written: Master rank. Requires 40 points (20 judging

After that is Grand Master. Same exam requirements as Master. 100 points (50 judging), as well as a measure of service to the organization (principally grading, proctoring, and administering exams but not limited to that) required per each Grand Master rank.

 

[Qhrumphf]

As far as whether or not it will help you as a brewer and as a competition entrant, yes simply put. Absolutely. It'll help you critically evaluate your beer, understand beer styles better, help you determine where things went wrong with a beer, and help you understand what competition judges are looking for.

 

[dmtaylor]

Do it. It is worth the investment. Becoming a judge will give you more knowledge to be able to better understand and appreciate all the different styles. The process of becoming a judge, as well as the judging itself, will introduce you to many very knowledgeable people with whom you can have discussions as deep or as broad as you like on a variety of beer and brewing topics. And yes, you will become a better brewer because of all of this.

Just accept all of this with grains of salt as well. The BJCP gets a lot of things wrong, too, and that's okay. They are human, as we all are human. When you become a part of BJCP, you'll need to tow the line for the most part when it comes to competitions. But when it comes time to fill out the "Overall Impressions" section of a scoresheet, or when it comes time to change the guidelines again (whenever that happens), you will have opportunities and a little more latitude to express your own views based on your own research or experiences.

I hope that you and every prospective and current judge out there will never fear to express in words what they are tasting and why it is great or not great, regardless of rank. I swear I learn as much from Recognized rank judges as I do from Masters. Don't let anyone else tell you what you are tasting, regardless of rank. They are your taste buds. You are the one tasting. Put down what you taste, and let that be your one true guide, regardless of BJCP or anything else. I wish this to be true for every judge and beer enthusiast out there.

Dave Taylor
Certified #A0511

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are my own and BJCP didn't tell me to say any of that stuff. They might not even agree with me on all of it. And I don't care. I'm my own person and spoke from my own heart. Cheers.

 

[Qhrumphf]

Also should be noted that experience can come before any of the exams (whether as judge or steward or staff). Competition organizers submit a list to the BJCP, and non-BJCP judges and stewards/staff will receive those applicable points retroactively if they do decide to enter the program (mostly automatically though some times a name gets misspelled and the like but if you keep track of what you've judged/stewarded/staffed, a few emails can get any points that don't show up automatically added in)

To that end, what you could do, assuming comps in your area are still happening in the age of COVID, is sign up as a steward. While most comps try to get experienced judges (though most will still seat novice judges but pair you with an experienced one), most comps require no experience to steward. This will allow you to see and experience the judging process without the pressure of actually judging. Most all judges are happy to share samples and thoughts on a beer with their steward.

 

[Qhrumphf]

Do it. It is worth the investment. Becoming a judge will give you more knowledge to be able to better understand and appreciate all the different styles. The process of becoming a judge, as well as the judging itself, will introduce you to many very knowledgeable people with whom you can have discussions as deep or as broad as you like on a variety of beer and brewing topics. And yes, you will become a better brewer because of all of this.

Just accept all of this with grains of salt as well. The BJCP gets a lot of things wrong, too, and that's okay. They are human, as we all are human. When you become a part of BJCP, you'll need to tow the line for the most part when it comes to competitions. But when it comes time to fill out the "Overall Impressions" section of a scoresheet, or when it comes time to change the guidelines again (whenever that happens), you will have opportunities and a little more latitude to express your own views based on your own research or experiences.

I hope that you and every prospective and current judge out there will never fear to express in words what they are tasting and why it is great or not great, regardless of rank. I swear I learn as much from Recognized rank judges as I do from Masters. Don't let anyone else tell you what you are tasting, regardless of rank. They are your taste buds. You are the one tasting. Put down what you taste, and let that be your one true guide, regardless of BJCP or anything else. I wish this to be true for every judge and beer enthusiast out there.

Dave Taylor
Certified #A0511

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are my own and BJCP didn't tell me to say any of that stuff. They might not even agree with me on all of it. And I don't care. I'm my own person and spoke from my own heart. Cheers.

+1 to all of this.

A big problem in the homebrew world (and to a lesser extent the commercial beer world) is people assigning power and authority to the BJCP and its style guidelines that it doesn't have or want. The BJCP doesn't define what is allowed in brewing nor say anything that doesn't fit into their style boxes to be bad beer. Nor do they claim to be the end all be all style authority.

The BJCP seeks to provide developement of objective beer evaluation and develop style guidelines that can be used as an objective metric to judge against in competition. That's it. They allow comps to do pretty much whatever they want with minimal restriction (don't even have to use the BJCP guidelines, as long as some sort of published guidelines are used, even if said guidelines are developed by the comp itself). Anything else is reading in something that isn't there.

And within their style guidelines, they are constantly evolving. Each revision of the guidelines tries to adjust to what is currently being brewed, not dictate what is to be brewed. But as said above, they still get things wrong here and there.

Cheers

(I'm a BJCP Grand Master btw)

 

[Jako]

+1 to all of this.

A big problem in the homebrew world (and to a lesser extent the commercial beer world) is people assigning power and authority to the BJCP and its style guidelines that it doesn't have or want. The BJCP doesn't define what is allowed in brewing nor say anything that doesn't fit into their style boxes to be bad beer. Nor do they claim to be the end all be all style authority.

The BJCP seeks to provide developement of objective beer evaluation and develop style guidelines that can be used as an objective metric to judge against in competition. That's it. They allow comps to do pretty much whatever they want with minimal restriction (don't even have to use the BJCP guidelines, as long as some sort of published guidelines are used, even if said guidelines are developed by the comp itself). Anything else is reading in something that isn't there.

And within their style guidelines, they are constantly evolving. Each revision of the guidelines tries to adjust to what is currently being brewed, not dictate what is to be brewed. But as said above, they still get things wrong here and there.

Cheers

(I'm a BJCP Grand Master btw)

Thank you for the very detailed reply it was exactly what i was looking for. I really want to push myself to learn something new or have something i am building up to. I think i have put open a brewery of my own behind me now and i feel like this is a reasonable way to "move up" while not getting too serious.

If you don't mind me asking how long did it take for you to work your way up to grand master? congratulations, very very cool achievement.

 

[Qhrumphf]

I judged my first comp and took/passed my first tasting exam in 2014 (took a second try at the tasting to push my average with the written to 90+). I hit Master in 2017 and Grand Master I in 2019. I'm a ways out from GM II though. Getting the judging points is the most time consuming part.

 

[Jako]

Do it. It is worth the investment. Becoming a judge will give you more knowledge to be able to better understand and appreciate all the different styles. The process of becoming a judge, as well as the judging itself, will introduce you to many very knowledgeable people with whom you can have discussions as deep or as broad as you like on a variety of beer and brewing topics. And yes, you will become a better brewer because of all of this.

Just accept all of this with grains of salt as well. The BJCP gets a lot of things wrong, too, and that's okay. They are human, as we all are human. When you become a part of BJCP, you'll need to tow the line for the most part when it comes to competitions. But when it comes time to fill out the "Overall Impressions" section of a scoresheet, or when it comes time to change the guidelines again (whenever that happens), you will have opportunities and a little more latitude to express your own views based on your own research or experiences.

I hope that you and every prospective and current judge out there will never fear to express in words what they are tasting and why it is great or not great, regardless of rank. I swear I learn as much from Recognized rank judges as I do from Masters. Don't let anyone else tell you what you are tasting, regardless of rank. They are your taste buds. You are the one tasting. Put down what you taste, and let that be your one true guide, regardless of BJCP or anything else. I wish this to be true for every judge and beer enthusiast out there.

Dave Taylor
Certified #A0511

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are my own and BJCP didn't tell me to say any of that stuff. They might not even agree with me on all of it. And I don't care. I'm my own person and spoke from my own heart. Cheers.

thank you very much for the reply. "I hope that you and every prospective and current judge out there will never fear to express in words what they are tasting and why it is great or not great, regardless of rank" this really resonates with me. Reminds me of the military. But i could see how easy it can be to be swayed one way or another based on another's opinion i see it daily. Genuinely grateful for your prospective on this.

 

[Qhrumphf]

thank you very much for the reply. "I hope that you and every prospective and current judge out there will never fear to express in words what they are tasting and why it is great or not great, regardless of rank" this really resonates with me. Reminds me of the military. But i could see how easy it can be to be swayed one way or another based on another's opinion i see it daily. Genuinely grateful for your prospective on this.

The core of it is, training as a judge won't make you a better taster. It will help you better identify and describe what you're tasting and why it's there, and potentially how to correct it.

But your actual sensitivities are what they are. Some are more or less sensitive to various compounds than others. Spiked beer tastings are invaluable in this regard, especially with flaws but really for any compound. That way you know what to look for with a given compound (with the important caveat that adding things to a beer won't always present the same way it might when naturally occuring). But also you can get an idea of your personal sensory thresholds for a given compound. If you know you are really sensitive (or insensitive) to acetaldehyde, that is a good thing to know. Diacetyl is a common sticker in competitions because some are super sensitive and others are all but completely blind to it. If you know you're strong with diacetyl and a higher ranked judge insists it's not there- that doesn't mean it's not there. You're likely just more sensitive than they are. A good judge will know this about themselves and know when to defer regardless of rank.

Style is another issue. I have encountered plenty of high ranking judges who are arrogant and think they know everything and will insist on something contrary to guidelines (often something outdated) without even looking at em when you're looking right at the guidelines seeing otherwise. While the accuracy of styles in the guidelines (especially European ones) can be questioned, in many of these cases it's not what's happening. And even in that case, with competitions the guidelines are the standard you judge against, full stop, regardless of their accuracy in the outside world.

 

[Davedrinksbeer]

Is your goal also to open your own brewery or become a brew master for a microbrewery? Getting a Beer Judge license would definitely help make you a better brewer but also I will mention that the best Brewer I know and is a master Brewer at the local micro brewery really never scored well at brew competitions. He would brew fantastic beers but judges would score him low because it didn’t fit the beer style. To me brewing beer for your fellow man to drink is slightly different than brewing for a beer competition. I know I’ve brewed beers also that my friends said were the best beer they ever tasted only to score low in beer competitions. I remember I made a cherry wheat beer that was really good but scored low because the judges said it tasted too much like cherries.

 

[shetc]

I think it helped me a lot. Well worth the effort. (I have spare homemade flashcards if you want them.)

 

[Jako]

The core of it is, training as a judge won't make you a better taster. It will help you better identify and describe what you're tasting and why it's there, and potentially how to correct it.

But your actual sensitivities are what they are. Some are more or less sensitive to various compounds than others. Spiked beer tastings are invaluable in this regard, especially with flaws but really for any compound. That way you know what to look for with a given compound (with the important caveat that adding things to a beer won't always present the same way it might when naturally occuring). But also you can get an idea of your personal sensory thresholds for a given compound. If you know you are really sensitive (or insensitive) to acetaldehyde, that is a good thing to know. Diacetyl is a common sticker in competitions because some are super sensitive and others are all but completely blind to it. If you know you're strong with diacetyl and a higher ranked judge insists it's not there- that doesn't mean it's not there. You're likely just more sensitive than they are. A good judge will know this about themselves and know when to defer regardless of rank.

Style is another issue. I have encountered plenty of high ranking judges who are arrogant and think they know everything and will insist on something contrary to guidelines (often something outdated) without even looking at em when you're looking right at the guidelines seeing otherwise. While the accuracy of styles in the guidelines (especially European ones) can be questioned, in many of these cases it's not what's happening. And even in that case, with competitions the guidelines are the standard you judge against, full stop, regardless of their accuracy in the outside world.

This is something I have thought about a lot recently. Even questioning if I could even be a judge as some times I feel numb to some flavors. But over time as I expand my recipes and try new malts and yeast I am starting to notice the ingredients in some beers.

Did you do anything in particular to help you learn or "practice" if you will when it comes to tasting besides the sensory kits.

Today I spent a little bit of time looking over the BJCP website and to me it looks like a lot is self paced learning then its up you to take the test etc.

 

[Jako]

Is your goal also to open your own brewery or become a brew master for a microbrewery? Getting a Beer Judge license would definitely help make you a better brewer but also I will mention that the best Brewer I know and is a master Brewer at the local micro brewery really never scored well at brew competitions. He would brew fantastic beers but judges would score him low because it didn’t fit the beer style. To me brewing beer for your fellow man to drink is slightly different than brewing for a beer competition. I know I’ve brewed beers also that my friends said were the best beer they ever tasted only to score low in beer competitions. I remember I made a cherry wheat beer that was really good but scored low because the judges said it tasted too much like cherries.

I had similar experience. It almost gave me a bad taste about the whole idea. But I took a step back and realized they were correct. It wasn't a perfect style example. But the judges did mention it was a great beer.

Brewing to style is a lot of fun to me and honestly I am not that creative but I love the chase of getting a classic perfect. A complex beer to me can hide lots of flaws but a great example of a simple beer shows attention to detail that I really appreciate.

For me I like my lifestyle and I enjoy planning container vessels. The idea if risking it all on a brewery especially after this virus would feel really irresponsible. For now I will play pretend brewery in my basement and make my pizza for friends. Anyone in North Utah is welcome!

 

[Jako]

I think it helped me a lot. Well worth the effort. (I have spare homemade flashcards if you want them.)

i would love them, send me a PM and i will pay for shipping or whatever you need me to do.

 

[Qhrumphf]

This is something I have thought about a lot recently. Even questioning if I could even be a judge as some times I feel numb to some flavors. But over time as I expand my recipes and try new malts and yeast I am starting to notice the ingredients in some beers.

Did you do anything in particular to help you learn or "practice" if you will when it comes to tasting besides the sensory kits.

Today I spent a little bit of time looking over the BJCP website and to me it looks like a lot is self paced learning then its up you to take the test etc.

Learning off flavors via sensory kits is one part. Building a sensory memory is another, and that is a lifelong process that requires thinking about what you eat and drink (and otherwise smell even if you don't eat it), especially when it's not beer. How can "ladyfingers" as a malt descriptor mean anything to you if you can't recall back to the taste/aroma of ladyfingers? Or pumpernickel bread? Especially with newer hops out there throwing some really unique traits, and some of the funkier more expressive yeast strains/blends on the market, it really helps to be a foodie in addition to a beer judge. And really just paying attention to your nose every where you go.

 

[Brewbuzzard]

I've been brewing for some 20 years and have entered and judged in countless BJCP competitions. I have never taken the BJCP classes but it is a good thing to do. It can make you a better brewer. Most of my brewing friends and both my brew buddies are BJCP certified. I judge alongside them evey year and they trust my judgement. One day I will buckle down and get it done.
I have one bit of advice to pass on. When you are judging always use the style guide lines and READ everything for the beer you are judging. Many times I have got my score sheets back only to find stupid comments knocking the beer because it didn't have something that was an option not a requirement for that style. That judge obviously didn't read or read something else into it. Example: A BJCP certified judge docked my Saison for not having coriander and orange peel, and said it was highly carbonated. If she had looked closer at the guidelines she would have seen that coriander and orange peel are an option and that a Saison is highly carbonated. The guidelines are made available to each judge for a reason. Take the classes and study hard the subject is very tasty.

 

[bwible]

I passed the exam back around 2001, seems it was different then. We did it as a group. We had weeks of study sessions, both self-study and we had one of our local grand master judges come in and go over things with us.

We did everything on exam day. As I recall, there were no multiple choice questions. We had a 10 question, all essay exam. Questions were things like:
- State the purpose of the BJCP and list 5 reasons we boil wort
- Give a 5 gallon all grain recipe for (style x) and show the math. Describe why your recipe fits this style. Style X was Octoberfest on our exam, so we got a pretty easy one.
- Compare and contrast type questions, style a vs style b
Etc

The exam was timed, I think we got 2 hours. We judged and scored 4 beers while we were answering the essay questions.

It was not an easy test, I scored 70. I lost points/scored poorly on the tasting portion because the proctor gave us a beer to judge as a pilsener beer and I whacked it for not having saaz hops and not really being a pilsener. Turns out it was Victory Prima Pils - a beer I had been on record previously (many times) as hating and stating it has a funny taste for a pils. They don’t use saaz or at least didn’t then. So I was consistent to my own tastes.

I judged for about 4 years, didn’t earn too many points. I only fell away from it because I got and still have an IT support job where I always have to work Saturdays - and it turns out almost 100% of beer competitions are always held on Saturdays. (Don’t ever accept a job working Saturdays if you don’t plan to work Saturday for the rest of your life. Once you get on Saturdays, you can never get off Saturdays.)

All in all, I learned a great deal and I’d say go for it if you have the time. Hope you like and enjoy NEIPA.

 

[dmtaylor]

@bwible, your experience is extremely similar to mine. I took the legacy exam as well -- what fun that was! The classes I took ahead of time were phenomenal. I would love to do it all again. We tasted almost every style at the time (mid 2000s, probably 2004 guidelines?). Super educational. Nice small group of about 10 people. That's the way to do it.

 

[Jako]

I passed the exam back around 2001, seems it was different then. We did it as a group. We had weeks of study sessions, both self-study and we had one of our local grand master judges come in and go over things with us.

We did everything on exam day. As I recall, there were no multiple choice questions. We had a 10 question, all essay exam. Questions were things like:
- State the purpose of the BJCP and list 5 reasons we boil wort
- Give a 5 gallon all grain recipe for (style x) and show the math. Describe why your recipe fits this style. Style X was Octoberfest on our exam, so we got a pretty easy one.
- Compare and contrast type questions, style a vs style b
Etc

The exam was timed, I think we got 2 hours. We judged and scored 4 beers while we were answering the essay questions.

It was not an easy test, I scored 70. I lost points/scored poorly on the tasting portion because the proctor gave us a beer to judge as a pilsener beer and I whacked it for not having saaz hops and not really being a pilsener. Turns out it was Victory Prima Pils - a beer I had been on record previously (many times) as hating and stating it has a funny taste for a pils. They don’t use saaz or at least didn’t then. So I was consistent to my own tastes.

I judged for about 4 years, didn’t earn too many points. I only fell away from it because I got and still have an IT support job where I always have to work Saturdays - and it turns out almost 100% of beer competitions are always held on Saturdays. (Don’t ever accept a job working Saturdays if you don’t plan to work Saturday for the rest of your life. Once you get on Saturdays, you can never get off Saturdays.)

All in all, I learned a great deal and I’d say go for it if you have the time. Hope you like and enjoy NEIPA.

This is definitely something I will have to find a work around. Might have to spend PTO to make myself available. But to my knowledge utah only has two comps so I might have to plan around that and take some trips.

 

[shetc]

This is definitely something I will have to find a work around. Might have to spend PTO to make myself available. But to my knowledge utah only has two comps so I might have to plan around that and take some trips.

It's not as tough as it used to be. For the online exam, study the style guide and the other online materials. During the online exam, go quickly through and answer the questions you know, and mark the ones you don't know. This will leave you enough time to go back and look up the answers to the questions you didn't know.

 

[Bobby_M]

You can buy the online exam as a 3 pack for $20 so you can take the heat off. Spend the first one by just taking it now with no prep just to see how you feel about the intensity of the questions. It also gives you a good idea of what kinds of questions they are. At the very least, BJCP makes you a better "styles" brewer and certainly upgrades your beer sensory vocabulary.

 

[JAReeves]

Thank you all for your replies to this. I recently printed out the BJCP style guides and am planning to take the test(s) and start judging as well. Excellent thread.

 

[TheMadKing]

I fully agree with everything above, but I would also like to add that earning certified status has kind of taken the fun out of entering competitions as a brewer.

I like to think that I'm a good judge and make a very serious effort to give good feedback on what I taste and judge by the guidelines. I've been across the table from some very experienced judges of every rank (including a grand master above I) who really disheartened my faith in the real meaningfulness of judging scores and who put minimal effort into scoresheets and made me realize that my own palate is the only thing that matters for my own beers.

I don't say this to discourage you at all, I'm very glad I have gone through the process and I learned a ton about how to methodically evaluate my own beers, but it did expose the subjectivity of competitions for me. Maybe I was too naive before though too. At the end of the day you'll only get as much out of judging as you put in, and as someone said above rank doesn't equal quality as far as judges go, so always be true to your own perceptions.