[toby]

It should be about your knowledge on those styles. In other words, if all one knows about a certain style is what the guidelines say, for example you've never tasted one... you ought to check the box that you can't judge those. Check the prefered box on the styles you really know.

That's pretty much how I do it.  It's part of the reason I'm retiring my Scotch ale from comps after this year.  I love the style and have pretty much already proven I can brew a great one, so I hate excluding myself from judging them (although I'm probably the worst nightmare of people who can't brew a good one lol).

[brewinhard]

Also pleased to hear about the Wild Ale category.  I too have been getting a little upset with judges dinging my 100% brett beers for not being sour or funky enough. 

[klickitat jim]

It should be about your knowledge on those styles. In other words, if all one knows about a certain style is what the guidelines say, for example you've never tasted one... you ought to check the box that you can't judge those. Check the prefered box on the styles you really know.

That's pretty much how I do it.  It's part of the reason I'm retiring my Scotch ale from comps after this year.  I love the style and have pretty much already proven I can brew a great one, so I hate excluding myself from judging them (although I'm probably the worst nightmare of people who can't brew a good one lol).

Actually enjoying one of my Scottish Exports right now while reading the new guideline on them. There's nothing its missing.  Finally! (Edit, meaning it doesn't have BBQd bog)

Interesting to see that Bellhaven is #1 now and Pelican is nipping at Orkneys heals.

[69franx]

I like the note at the top that says roughly: other formats are currently being created. The quick link to the available guidelines are a nightmare to try to read on a laptop, at least as compared to the 2008 guidelines. I like the expanded format, and extra categories, but I dont plan on ever printing out 93 pages, or however many a better formatted lineup is. i love the opening sections talking about their goals, and the hows and whys of the new guidelines though. Having never entered a contest, and only using the 2008 guidelines as a baseline for what I want to create, this is a huge change. i hope to judge someday, and the way this is set out should make it easier to judge as long as one knows what they are judging: it should be easier for a judge to evaluate a category they are not familiar with due to the focus on perceptions rather than ingredients or processes. Just $0.02 from a non competitor/non judge, so take it for what its worth. I like it, but its a lot to digest and format is a challenge right now

[klickitat jim]

I feel like I should expand a little on what I said before regarding opting out of judging some styles. The exam, I think, is mainly to determine the judges level of ability to perceive and properly document those perceptions. Also to determine knowledge of brewing to some degree, and ability to articulate suggested tips on how to improve. Also to determine a judges ability to properly assign a score to a beer. The higher ranked a judge is, the more skill and knowledge they probably have. If a decent judge had the guidelines in hand, though he or she had never tasted a classic example, he or she will be able to do a fairly good job at filling out a score sheet. I'd rather get feedback from that guy than my BMC drinking, non brewing, buddy. But, if the judge's experience in that style is limited or nonexistent, I just don't see how they could decide who the winner is. They may be able to weed out faulty entries, maybe even forward the two or three most drinkable entries. But I for one would not feel comfortable at all if I had to assign gold silver bronze to a style I had never tasted before.

I've never tasted mead before. I think I could detect foul off flavors. I think I could tell you which one of a group tasted best to me. But there's no way I could give advice or win-place-show them. I am certain that no respectable mead maker would want my feedback or to find out that I would be deciding if his mead was a winner or a loser. If all judges would excuse themselves from styles they don't really know, there would be... world peace.

[MDixon]

It's all about experience. When I first took the BJCP exam any style above 6% was illegal to sell in NC. As you can imagine tasting those beers was a challenge. In the end what dragged down my initial taste exam score was not my ability to sense, it was my ability to fill out the score sheet. I never made that mistake again and over time I improved. At one time I felt ill prepared to judge certain categories - meads, ciders, etc., but over time I've gotten to the point I'm good with judging anything. Can I do an excellent job of telling a cidermaker how to improve in process? No, but I can tell them what they should eliminate or add, or where I believe things went wrong. I can pretty much judge anything given a set of style guidelines and I'm sure many other judges are in the same boat.

What will be challenging once the guidelines are established across all competitions will be the BOS round. When that Piwo Grodziskie hits the table I'm going to have to reference the guidelines. With the completely new numbering system I suspect BOS rounds will slow down until people become familiar with them. I never took the time to memorize the 2008 numbers so I probably won't wast time on the 2015. I will take the time to read and comprehend all the styles, but remembering what is 9B isn't going to help me judge beer in a glass, it will however help speed up a BOS round, but some beer geek at the table will have those set in memory after a few comps.

[udubdawg]

Remember, commercial examples are now supposed to be listed in alphabetical order; do not take anything else from what is listed first.

[klickitat jim]

Remember, commercial examples are now supposed to be listed in alphabetical order; do not take anything else from what is listed first.

Right on, I went back and read that part of the instructions. It renders the listed commercial examples pretty much meaningless. Which is good. It shouldn't be about searching for clones of the top example.

[beersk]

Too much detail, too many "styles", and some false info. The German lager section for Munich helles in the ingredients says "German Saazer-type hops". What?  Hallertauer, Hersbrucker, Spalter... Not Zatec hops... That one stood out and bothered me. But then again, why should I rely on BJCP? I don't ever care to judge beers or enter competitions.

[udubdawg]

Saazer-type is covered in the glossary.

I'd like to remind people that its about an impression. How does the beer taste, smell, look, feel. It isn't about what the ingredients are, not while you're judging it. (Obvious specialty info exceptions aside.)

[AmandaK]

[img]
Too much detail, too many "styles", and some false info. The German lager section for Munich helles in the ingredients says "German Saazer-type hops". What?  Hallertauer, Hersbrucker, Spalter... Not Zatec hops... That one stood out and bothered me. But then again, why should I rely on BJCP? I don't ever care to judge beers or enter competitions.

Did you participate in the public review of these guidelines?

[beersk]

[img]
Too much detail, too many "styles", and some false info. The German lager section for Munich helles in the ingredients says "German Saazer-type hops". What?  Hallertauer, Hersbrucker, Spalter... Not Zatec hops... That one stood out and bothered me. But then again, why should I rely on BJCP? I don't ever care to judge beers or enter competitions.

Did you participate in the public review of these guidelines?

Nope. I didn't know about them.

[klickitat jim]

Too much detail, too many "styles", and some false info. The German lager section for Munich helles in the ingredients says "German Saazer-type hops". What?  Hallertauer, Hersbrucker, Spalter... Not Zatec hops... That one stood out and bothered me. But then again, why should I rely on BJCP? I don't ever care to judge beers or enter competitions.

Here ya go. Maybe this will help.

[hopfenundmalz]

Salazar type German hops? Tettnanger Tettnang and Spalter Spalter have Saaz DNA, it is the local terroir that makes them a little different.

Maybe my Helles didn't judge well since I used Hallertau Mittlefrueh. 

[dsmitch19]

Too much detail, too many "styles", and some false info. The German lager section for Munich helles in the ingredients says "German Saazer-type hops". What?  Hallertauer, Hersbrucker, Spalter... Not Zatec hops... That one stood out and bothered me. But then again, why should I rely on BJCP? I don't ever care to judge beers or enter competitions.

Here's the text about the ingredient section from the introduction. It isn't meant to be a full accounting of every possible ingredient.

"Characteristic Ingredients. We don’t attempt to provide enough details to create a recipe for
every style, but we do try to describe the typical ingredients (and sometimes processes) that help
drive the character that distinguishes the style from others. Not every beer is going to be made
the same way or using the same ingredients; we are simply describing what is typical, not what is
required."