[Pinski]

Looking it all over again, I think instead of laboriously trying to rote memorize 80 styles, I will start with the 12 recipe styles. 12 months ought to be plenty of time to really dig into each one, including writing score sheets on each with a classic example, researching, writing, and brewing my own recipes.

Meanwhile I'll chunk away at the others, maybe grouping them as they compare to the big 12 so it makes sense in my head.

The other side project will be nailing down my knowledge of techniques, ingredients, and troubleshooting.

Seems like a wise approach, I dove in to the BJCP a couple years ago, took the tasting and got an 83 and started busting my but to get experience points to qualify to sit for the written.  My timing really sucked as the 2015 Guidelines transition has really taken the wind out of my sails regarding any meaningful preparation for the written.  Feeling in a bit of limbo as to how best to refocus and questioning if its worth the effort. I think I'm done "busting my ass" trying to qualify to achieve some nebulous BJCP rank. At Certified, I feel confident enough to judge with anyone (not saying I'm as skilled) and not feel intimidated by their experience but rather excited by the opportunity. Think I'll lean on actually judging, learning from other judges and BREWING to fortify my judging experience for the time being.

Look at the BJCP study guide. You need to know 12 recipes. The new styles will need to be known for the comparison question, but there are styles not on the portential list, so don't spend time on those. Look at the list of questions concentrate on those too.

Amanda pointed out that they tell you what they will ask, concentrate on those questions.

Thanks Jeff, I suppose I just got flustered with the changes having put so much effort into learning the 2008 styles inside and out. Study smart, not hard, right?

[santoch]

EVERY question is available here:

http://www.bjcp.org/docs/BJCP_Study_Guide.pdf

The written exam questions are found starting on page 20 of 66 (it is listed as page 17 at the bottom of the page due to cover page, etc).

All questions are laid out essentially the same way:
As far as the recipe question:

T14. Provide a complete ALL-GRAIN recipe for a  <STYLE*>, listing ingredients and their quantities,  procedure, and carbonation.

Give volume, as well as original and final gravities.

Explain how the recipe fits the style's characteristics for aroma, flavor, appearance, mouthfeel, and other significant aspects of the style.

*Styles may include:
Belgian Tripel
Märzen
Festbier
Doppelbock
American IPA
Czech Premium Pale Lager
American Porter
Weissbier
German Pils
Irish Stout
Strong Bitter
Double IPA

10%
Target statistics (starting specific gravity, final specific gravity, and bitterness in
IBUs or HBUs) and color (as SRM or a textual description of the color).

20%
Batch size, ingredients (grist, hops, water, and yeast) and their quantities.

35%
Mashing, boil, fermentation, packaging, and other relevant brewing procedures.

35%
Explain how the recipe fits the style's characteristics for aroma, appearance, flavor,
mouthfeel, and other significant aspects of the style; and describe how the ingredients
and processes used impact this style.

The things that get forgotten most often:

1) Water volumes including all losses, etc.
2) Including just the recipe but not talking through how it and the processes that were used fit the style.
3) Forgetting to compare the recipe target stats with the Style stat ranges.
4) Skipping over procedures such as packaging or fermentation processes such as diacetyl rest.
5) The recipe doesn't have to win the Ninkasi.  Just because your system gets 81% efficiency, you can use whatever efficiency you want to use that makes your math easy.
Same with hop IBU extraction calcs.  Similarly, don't go nuts with specialty malts. Just hit the basics.  Your award winning American Porter may use many different malts, but you can and should keep it simple on the exam

Hint: A REALLY good way to organize your answer is to break it into sections based on the things that the graders are looking for, and check them off in the top part of the question as you answer them. That works for other questions, too, BTW.

[klickitat jim]

EVERY question is available here:

http://www.bjcp.org/docs/BJCP_Study_Guide.pdf

The written exam questions are found starting on page 20 of 66 (it is listed as page 17 at the bottom of the page due to cover page, etc).

All questions are laid out essentially the same way:
As far as the recipe question:

T14. Provide a complete ALL-GRAIN recipe for a  <STYLE*>, listing ingredients and their quantities,  procedure, and carbonation.

Give volume, as well as original and final gravities.

Explain how the recipe fits the style's characteristics for aroma, flavor, appearance, mouthfeel, and other significant aspects of the style.

*Styles may include:
Belgian Tripel
Märzen
Festbier
Doppelbock
American IPA
Czech Premium Pale Lager
American Porter
Weissbier
German Pils
Irish Stout
Strong Bitter
Double IPA

10%
Target statistics (starting specific gravity, final specific gravity, and bitterness in
IBUs or HBUs) and color (as SRM or a textual description of the color).

20%
Batch size, ingredients (grist, hops, water, and yeast) and their quantities.

35%
Mashing, boil, fermentation, packaging, and other relevant brewing procedures.

35%
Explain how the recipe fits the style's characteristics for aroma, appearance, flavor,
mouthfeel, and other significant aspects of the style; and describe how the ingredients
and processes used impact this style.

The things that get forgotten most often:

1) Water volumes including all losses, etc.
2) Including just the recipe but not talking through how it and the processes that were used fit the style.
3) Forgetting to compare the recipe target stats with the Style stat ranges.
4) Skipping over procedures such as packaging or fermentation processes such as diacetyl rest.
5) The recipe doesn't have to win the Ninkasi.  Just because your system gets 81% efficiency, you can use whatever efficiency you want to use that makes your math easy.
Same with hop IBU extraction calcs.  Similarly, don't go nuts with specialty malts. Just hit the basics.  Your award winning American Porter may use many different malts, but you can and should keep it simple on the exam

Hint: A REALLY good way to organize your answer is to break it into sections based on the things that the graders are looking for, and check them off in the top part of the question as you answer them. That works for other questions, too, BTW.

Steve, I assume its wise to explain the calculations you used. Such as: "To calculate SRM (lbs x deg L ÷ gals) × 1.5 = SRM for each grain, then add all sub totals".

IBU seems like it would take some explaination... or a rudimentary pencil calculation other than Tinseth or Rager, since writing out the utilization coefficient chart would kill the 90 minutes LOL


Edited to add:

Left to my own, I would probably deal with IBU like this: "Calculating IBU the modern way requires lengthy math and utilization charts, and are still only ballpark estimates. A quick manual method I use for 5 gal is based on 1.070 wort. AA × ounces × 3 = IBU at 60 min. For 15 min additions ÷ by 2. For every 10pts below 1.070 add 10%. For every 10pts under 1.070 subtract 10%

5 gals 1.050 with 1oz 10% @ 60 and 1oz 5% @ 15
10×1=10×3=30 +20%= 36
5×1=5×3=15 ÷2 =7.5+20%= 7.6 (
36+8= 44IBU

[AmandaK]

To add to Steve, I find that many people don't even really answer the last part of T14. The fact that it's one of the most important part of the question is lost on many.

35%
Explain how the recipe fits the style's characteristics for aroma, appearance, flavor,
mouthfeel, and other significant aspects of the style; and describe how the ingredients
and processes used impact this style.

A lot of examinees just regurgitate the style guidelines here. That's not the question. The question is how the recipe and process you described is going to fit the style. It makes me sad when people start going into a dissertation on what a German Pils is rather than how their recipe and process will make a beer in the style. 

[santoch]

Rager is actually pretty easy to memorize:

if you can memorize the number 7462 and 50:


IBUs for 1 hop addition

IBUs = (OUNCES OF HOPS) * %UTILIZATION * %ALPHA * 7462
           -------------------------------------------------
                 VOLUME(gallons) * (1 + GA)

if wort OG is <= 1.050 then GA = 0
otherwise:
GA = (BOIL_GRAVITY - 1.050)
     ----------------------
             0.2


Then, for the utilization constant, just assume 30% at 60 mins, 10% at 15, and 0% at 0.

See, it really is not that hard and it will get you full points because its close enough.

[dmtaylor]

The following is an estimation method that very closely emulates the results you would get from Tinseth.  I like to call this “the Taylor formula”.  Yes, I invented it.  Give it a try and see how close you get to Tinseth.  These rules are designed for pellet hops used in 5 gallons final boil volume, 60-minute boil, @ approximately 1.060 OG.  All you really need to remember is numbers containing a bunch of 6's.

3.6 * oz * AA% = IBUs from bittering hops added @ about 60 minutes left in the boil
1.6 * oz * AA% = IBUs from flavor additions @ 10-15 minutes
0.6 * oz * AA% = IBUs from aroma @ 5 minutes

Add all these together, and then add another +1.5 to the final total to get the final grand total IBUs.

For different batch volumes (V) other than 5 gallons, you need to multiply the result by 5/V.  If you use whole hop cones, then multiply your final result by 0.9 (a.k.a., 90%).

Should be accurate within like 3-4 IBUs, close enough, for reasonable gravities.  For high gravity the results are a bit lower, and vice-versa.

[klickitat jim]

Guess I will learn Rager. Interesting but my scratch method is closer to tinseth than rager

[dmtaylor]

Guess I will learn Rager. Interesting but my scratch method is closer to tinseth than rager

*cough cough*

[klickitat jim]

I'm just going to comply and learn rager. Its only like 1% of the score, but I might need it lol

[MDixon]

There is a lot to learn besides calculation of hop bitterness. You can simply state the bitterness utilization is assumed as 25% Bittering, 5% Flavor, 0% Aroma. If a grader is hyperfocused on how the bitterness should be calculated then they are missing the essence of the recipe question.

Stats:
Simple and easy 10% - just have the stats for your particular recipe - OG, FG, IBU, SRM, ABV - be sure they meet your recipe

Batch Size/Ingredients:
Not as simple 20% - this would be grains, water, hops, yeast, etc. Some explanation is necessary, but not so detailed as remembering a hop calculation formula IMO.

Mash/Boil/Packaging:
This is where graders start to remove points and is a difficult 35% to achieve for most - just describing a decoction mash could take a page so better to mention traditional methods and have an infusion for your recipe and why your recipe can be made in that manner. Don't forget water treatment, volumes, carrying out the mash, vorlauf, boil, hop additions, cooling, pitching, fermentation (all with temps), and packaging with priming or CO2.

How It Meets Style:
35% which should be easy, but never is - most people forget this is over 1/3 of the question and focus elsewhere. Don't regurgitate the style guidelines, explain why your recipe meets A A F M for the style.


Now there are 5 questions in 90 minutes which would allow you to spend 18 minutes on the question. You also have some T/F which only count against you so you must focus on them, they will not take long. Let's give them 5 minutes so now you have 17 minutes per question on the exam. All of the above must be on the page in 17 minutes or you must steal time from another question. On my last written I wrote as fast as I could and it took me around 20 minutes to put the recipe question on the page in a manner I thought would earn full marks.

[denny]

Guess I will learn Rager. Interesting but my scratch method is closer to tinseth than rager

Learn Tinseth.....really

[klickitat jim]

Guess I will learn Rager. Interesting but my scratch method is closer to tinseth than rager

Learn Tinseth.....really

It would be impressive to memorize his utilization rate chart, huh?

[AmandaK]

Anecdotally, I used HBU calcs for IBUs on my written portion. But then again, that was back in 2011 and with the Legacy exam. Perhaps (?) there was a bit more leniency in calcs then? Idk.

But then again, as long as the calcs are correct I doubt I would count off for HBU calcs while grading. Maybe they get a bit of a pat on the back for Tinseth calcs, but you also have a higher chance of getting those wrong.

There are more important issues on the written than what IBU equation to use though.

[klickitat jim]

Anecdotally, I used HBU calcs for IBUs on my written portion. But then again, that was back in 2011 and with the Legacy exam. Perhaps (?) there was a bit more leniency in calcs then? Idk.

But then again, as long as the calcs are correct I doubt I would count off for HBU calcs while grading. Maybe they get a bit of a pat on the back for Tinseth calcs, but you also have a higher chance of getting those wrong.

There are more important issues on the written than what IBU equation to use though.

For sure. IBU is a rabbit trail. You "could" write for 90 minutes about IBUs and get a 1% on the test... or take a swing at it and move on. I plan to write IBU range, target, hop type, AA, amount, time, and a short quip on how I came up with that. Then on to the rest...

[santoch]

The point is to justify that the values (IBUs, SRM, OG) that you are using agree with the targets.  Something easy to remember is the way to go.  Folks are familiar with Rager and  Tinseth, so using an easy method that agrees with those models is goodness.