This article represents the first impressions of a newby recognized BJCP judge at a local event in Stockton. Its my hope that it may be of value to those who are interested in become a beer judge or just somebody who wants to see a competition from some else’s prospective. And of course, being that its just a perspective, its just my opinion of events and not necessarily the same for you.

The competition signup originally showed up in the mail shortly after I got my notice that I had passed my BJCP exam. I believe I got the original request via email and followed it up via the same. Sometime later, I received two tickets to the fair, a parking pass and a pamphlet of the competition as well as a letter of introduction from the Brew Angels, the club sponsoring the event.

I wasn’t completely sure what time the judging would start but the flyer said that the final rounds were at noon on June the 20^th so I figure I would get there a little early. Driving from Oakland to Stockton was easier than I had assumed and it took me only an hour to get their. One thing the packet didn’t include was a set of directions so I used the address on the flyer with one of the mapping website on the net to get directions. From the directions it told me how to get from my house to the freeway, I guessed it was going to get their but via a way round about route (the directions should 5 streets to get to the freeway when I already live on the street the connects to the on ramp!).

The beers to judge and the souvenir mug

Once at my destination, I figured out how to get into the fair before the gates were open and found the event. I got there early at eleven o’clock for the event which officially started at noon. Coffee and bagels were available to the judges and stewards. Sign-ups included a glass with the fair logo, key chain with a local homebrew shop and a name badge so everybody new your name without asking. Access to the event tent was pretty easy to figure out even without directions.

For what I gathered from the those who helped to prelim the beers, they had about 250 beers and spent quite a bit of time prelimining them. All the beers were written up at the prelims and then again if they passed into the final round of judging. Many of the members expressed the normal exhaustion of staying up past midnight prelim the night before.

The setup of the judging area consisted of 4-5 tables around one corner of one of the exhibition centers. In addition to the tables there was also a few cases with beers from previous competitions and another case with beer for the label competition. I took a couple of snap shots of some of the labels I liked such as the Home wrecker ale and the Big Hill Brewery Steam engine Steam beer.

Before the competition, I talked to some judges who were getting used to the new judge sheets. The new judge sheets for those who haven’t seen the new BJCP score sheets, several changes have been made to it. First, the score range has been expanded so that a poor beer gets a score of 13. A new world class level has been added in addition with a score of 45-50. They also have included some check boxes for Style significant flaws and Intangibles.

In my first time at judging at this competition, I was given a flight of American Amber and IPA to judge with two fellow judges. I believe there levels to be a recognized judge and an Experienced judge. Our flight consisted of seven beers, two of which were American Ambers and the rest IPA. Our best beer scored a combined 106 followed by 2^nd and third at 101 and 100. All of our scores fit within 5 points of one another with rare exception.

The head steward and the display cases.

During the judging, small cubes of French bread were available as well as bottles of commercial water ( I think it was crystal geyser). The stewards did a good job of getting us the beers and keeping the supply of water and bread coming. There was a little problem with some of the beers being too cold but the judges recognized the problem and it was corrected immediately.

At the end of the first flight, there was about an hour break, a little long of me but it was ok. The second flight reorganized the judges again into a new group of 4 judges. This time the flight was for brown ale. I think it would have been better to have the browns judged earlier since they have more subtle flavors that could be easier to judge with a fresh palate.

In the second flight of judging, there was a greater discrepancy in scores and a lot of matching of scores. From my perspective, there was one judge that I scored with consistently with , one who always scored high, especially for beers that had problems, and the last one who’s scores were less predictable. These are pure observations of course and are not criticisms at all, just highlights a different dynamic. We got through all of the beers in pretty good time. The highlight of the beers ended up being the favorite by a clear lead of 160 total over the next places of 2^nd and 3^rd at 130 and 120. The breakdown of beers were 1 nut brown ale, 3 English, 1 unknown brown judged as an English and 2 American browns.

After the 2^nd Flight, it took about an hour to figure out that my services were complete. It was my assumption that the judging of the BOS were going to be done by the more seasoned judges and I didnt envy their tasks but I wanted to stick around and see if there was anything else they needed help on. After seeking out the head steward, I figured that my task was done and set for the road.

Overall the competition was a lot of fun with come interesting ideas for future events. The stewards did a great job of organizing the beers and proofing the judges score sheets to make sure it was fully filled out and math checks. They also did a good job of helping remind judges of filling out the new boxes on the form. As for room for improvement, the scorekeeping took longer than I thought it would but not especially slow. I think I would organize the beer flights so that the browns were judged in the first flight rather than the second. Luckily the time between the flight allowed my palate to reset. Of some of the special features of the event were the outdoor area they set up with a brewery setup. The bagels and water were also nice features to help keep the judges happy. All in all, it took from noon to 4:15 to get though the two flights.

Below are the categories judged:

(Taken from the competition flyer)

Homebrew Competition

Beers, Ales, Lagers & Meads

Div 486 Ales Class

American Including IPA
Belgian & French
Brown
English
Stouts & Porters
Strong Ale (Barley Wine)
Any other, Specify

Div 487 Lager Class

American
Bock
Classic Pilsner
German
Vienna/Oktoberfest
Any Other, Specify

Div 488 Mead

Fruit
Spiced
Traditional
Any Other Specify

Div 489 Mixed Style

California Common
Fruit, Herb, & Specialty
German
Wheat Beer
Sugar Beer
Any Other

Div 489 Non-Alcholic Carbonated Beverages

Colas
Root Beers
Fruit

Div 491 Label Competition Class

Hand drawn
Computer drawn