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Author Topic: Better Beer Scores-Craft Beer U  (Read 7103 times)

Offline Pinski

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Better Beer Scores-Craft Beer U
« on: February 24, 2012, 01:06:48 am »
I'm wondering if there are folks out there that have taken the Better Beer Scores online course and subsequently passed the BJCP exam? Testimonials? I read the ones on the the Craft Beer U site but none mentioned exam success that they attribute to the course. It looks like a pretty good and convenient program.
Steve Carper
Green Dragon Brewers
Clubs: Oregon Brew Crew & Strange Brew
BJCP Certified

Offline edvinjonsson

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Re: Better Beer Scores-Craft Beer U
« Reply #1 on: February 24, 2012, 01:59:15 am »
This is gonna help me too, I was gonna post about the same thing but you beat me to it. I don't really care about the BJCP exam right now, I've only been brewing for about 9 months and I want to become better at judging beer, appreciating every flavor in it, and detecting off-flavors. I don't know anything about the course but for $200 its not really expensive. Any comments on it?

Offline MDixon

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Re: Better Beer Scores-Craft Beer U
« Reply #2 on: February 24, 2012, 06:21:54 am »
This is my $0.02, so take it for what it is worth.

I took my first BJCP Exam a very long time ago and the questions were not published. If fact you had to scour the web to find any inkling about what was going to be included. I'm not sure they were published the second time I retook the exam. Now everything is on the BJCP site to see in the BJCP Study Guide.
http://www.bjcp.org/examcenter.php

In April the exam will change to a web-based exam. Since no one outside of some exam graders has been associated with that question pool and the questions are not going to be published I'm not sure how the Better Beer Scores folks plan to handle their coursework moving forward, especially with an exam they have never seen and one which is not going to repeat the questions. The pool of questions is large and will be rotated and my understanding is the randomization will keep the exam from being repeatable for nearly 10 years.
http://mashbang.wordpress.com/2012/02/13/bjcp-exam-changes-in-april/

Now the BJCP Written Proficiency Exam will mirror the current exam and BBS may help in that manner, but the examinee will already have a taste score 80 or above by that time and 10 judging points so they will be experienced. That question set for that exam will be published (as it currently is). I just cannot see anyone paying big $ for exam prep anymore. I do believe we will see many try to take the web-based entry exam with little to no prep and that would be a bad idea. It isn't going to be easy just because it's available on the web. The BBS guys may be able to create a study course for it since it will query similar information to the current exam, but in a different format.

- -

As far as how to evaluate a beer properly, here is a writeup.
http://mashbang.wordpress.com/2012/02/22/beer-evaluation-at-competition/

Detecting off-flavors and aromas takes some practice to train your palate to recognize them. The best thing you can do IMO is to find flawed samples or to doctor the beers and learn what those flavors and aromas are, what causes them, and how to identify them. After several thousand beers you'll be a pro, and very, very happy ;)
It's not a popularity contest, it's beer!

Offline hopfenundmalz

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Re: Better Beer Scores-Craft Beer U
« Reply #3 on: February 24, 2012, 06:43:07 am »
Nice little write up on beer evaluation Mike.
Jeff Rankert
AHA Lifetime Member
BJCP National
Ann Arbor Brewers Guild
Home-brewing, not just a hobby, it is a lifestyle!

Offline jmcamerlengo

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Re: Better Beer Scores-Craft Beer U
« Reply #4 on: February 24, 2012, 07:54:05 am »
Whats the best/cheapest way to get "doctoring" kits to add the off flavors to beers? Ive been wanting to do this for a while now.
Jason
-Head Brewer, Brewtus Brewers in the Shenango Valley. Hopefully opening a brewpub/nano brewery in the next couple years.

Offline Mark G

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Re: Re: Better Beer Scores-Craft Beer U
« Reply #5 on: February 24, 2012, 08:11:41 am »
Whats the best/cheapest way to get "doctoring" kits to add the off flavors to beers? Ive been wanting to do this for a while now.
I believe the BJCP has a kit, but it's only available to those in the program. Check their website for details. The Siebel Institute also sells a kit, but it's not cheap, $190. http://www.siebelinstitute.com/products-a-books/sensory-training-kits?page=shop.product_details&category_id=6&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=18
Mark Gres

Offline MDixon

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Re: Better Beer Scores-Craft Beer U
« Reply #6 on: February 24, 2012, 08:16:19 am »
It's not a popularity contest, it's beer!

Offline theDarkSide

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Re: Better Beer Scores-Craft Beer U
« Reply #7 on: February 24, 2012, 09:27:15 am »
The BJCP exam study guide also has suggestions to doctor beer for certain off flavors.

http://www.bjcp.org/study.php#drbeer
Seacoast Homebrew Club - Portsmouth, NH
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Offline Pinski

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Re: Better Beer Scores-Craft Beer U
« Reply #8 on: February 24, 2012, 09:36:10 am »
Very helpful information, thanks everybody!
Anyone else glad it's Friday? :)
Steve Carper
Green Dragon Brewers
Clubs: Oregon Brew Crew & Strange Brew
BJCP Certified

Offline jmcamerlengo

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Re: Better Beer Scores-Craft Beer U
« Reply #9 on: February 24, 2012, 09:38:53 am »
Very helpful information, thanks everybody!
Anyone else glad it's Friday? :)

+1 and +100000
Jason
-Head Brewer, Brewtus Brewers in the Shenango Valley. Hopefully opening a brewpub/nano brewery in the next couple years.

Offline richardt

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Re: Better Beer Scores-Craft Beer U
« Reply #10 on: February 24, 2012, 11:20:27 am »
Mike,

I don't see any new information since December 2011 regarding those BJCP judges who've reached the "Certified" level.  Do they need to first take the sensory portion of the exam and hope to score above 80 before they can retake the written portion of the exam?  thanks.

Offline dbarber

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Re: Better Beer Scores-Craft Beer U
« Reply #11 on: February 24, 2012, 11:25:59 am »
I'm not Mike, but it is my understanding that your current tasting score has to be 80 or higher in order to sit for the essay exam again.
Dave Barber
Orwigsburg, PA
AHA Member, BJCP National

Offline MDixon

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Re: Better Beer Scores-Craft Beer U
« Reply #12 on: February 24, 2012, 11:35:00 am »
I don't see any new information since December 2011 regarding those BJCP judges who've reached the "Certified" level.  Do they need to first take the sensory portion of the exam and hope to score above 80 before they can retake the written portion of the exam?  thanks.

That one I can answer...after April 1, a Certified judge with a taste score less than 80 would have to retake the 6 beer taste and achieve a score 80 or above in order to take the BJCP Written Proficiency Exam.
It's not a popularity contest, it's beer!

Offline ghumphrey

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Re: Better Beer Scores-Craft Beer U
« Reply #13 on: February 24, 2012, 11:58:17 am »
I'm wondering if there are folks out there that have taken the Better Beer Scores online course and subsequently passed the BJCP exam? Testimonials? I read the ones on the the Craft Beer U site but none mentioned exam success that they attribute to the course. It looks like a pretty good and convenient program.

Hello Pinski,

I'm one of the three partners that make up Craft Beer U along with Charlie Gottenkieny and Jonathan Aronson. True, we do have some testimonials posted on our site and plenty of other satisfied students and alumni of Better Beer Scores. However, we have yet to receive much data from alumni regarding their success taking the actual BJCP exam due to the very limited availability exam spots (in fact, I wasn't able to secure a spot myself locally until April 2013). Because of the scarcity of exam spots in the near future, we record all class sessions and make them available, along with other resources, to our students and alumni via our website for 1 year after their course ends for study/review purposes.

We are in contact with our alumni to report to us their exam results, but at present, very few have actually taken the exam. None have received their scores yet (to my knowledge). I will check with my partners and post back.

My opinion, albeit a bit biased, is that you are not going to get a better BJCP exam prep experience anywhere, whether you are taking the exam under the "old" way or the new. We are acutely aware of the changes in the exam procedures and have already taken steps to incorporate them into our curricula.

A side effect of Better Beer Scores is students reporting significantly increased beer evaluation skills and further depth of craft beer and brewing-related knowledge.

Give it a whirl! Plus, you get a 20% discount for being an AHA member.

Cheers and thanks,

Geoff
« Last Edit: February 24, 2012, 12:12:35 pm by brewblogger »

Offline ghumphrey

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Re: Better Beer Scores-Craft Beer U
« Reply #14 on: February 24, 2012, 02:11:41 pm »
We are in contact with our alumni to report to us their exam results, but at present, very few have actually taken the exam. None have received their scores yet (to my knowledge). I will check with my partners and post back.

I conferred with my partners and checked our records. We do not have any reports of scores from students/alumni as yet. Given the average turn-around time for scoring exams, we expect to have reports coming in beginning April, 2012.

Geoff