[Bel Air Brewing]

I get to judge each and every beer that comes out of the taps at Bel Air Brewing...does that count?

Nope

No matter, as my taste senses are well refined. Actually, after reading reports about judges and contests, we have little if any faith in the results.

[denny]

I get to judge each and every beer that comes out of the taps at Bel Air Brewing...does that count?

Nope

No matter, as my taste senses are well refined. Actually, after reading reports about judges and contests, we have little if any faith in the results.

That's  a poor conclusion, IMO.  BJCP doesn't mean you're perfect of course.  But it means that there's been a consensus about your tasting and description abilities.  Try becoming BJCP...if your senses are that well honed, the brewing community would appreciate your input.

[chumley]

I've never had any interest, and I've been brewing for 30 years.  It always seemed kind of silly, the idea of trying to match a made up standard for a style. I like to brew beer that I like to drink without any regards towards matching a style.

[Bel Air Brewing]

I've never had any interest, and I've been brewing for 30 years.  It always seemed kind of silly, the idea of trying to match a made up standard for a style. I like to brew beer that I like to drink without any regards towards matching a style.

We agree. If I wanted an exact beer on tap, say a Pilsner Urquell, i would just buy a keg. Much easier.
While we do brew certain styles of beer, European Pils for example, or a Fest Bier, making a clone beer is not what we do.
Brewing good beer, that we enjoy drinking, is what it’s all about.

My partners jokingly say we have our costs down to $22 per 12 ounce bottle.

Our plan is to enter 3 samples of the same beer in the largest brewing competition event next year. We fully expect to get 3 totally different score sheets based on reports from others who have done this experiment.

[ynotbrusum]

The thing about competitions is that the judges are predisposed to look for and find flaws.  The more experienced the judge, the better able to find and describe those flaws.  But when a truly flawless (Limited perceivable flaws, anyway) beer comes across in a competition, there is usually a strong consensus among the judges.  Any particular competition may have many inexperienced judges, such that pairing with experienced judges is difficult, in which case, the entry may be judged poorly - as to sensory analysis or descriptive analysis.  That would prevent it from passing on to mini BOS in that category - a shame.  However, those beers that pass on to mini BOS or overall BOS are generally assured of passing through a more highly refined Set of palates with better judging skills.  It’s definitely not perfect, but it is a systematic approach to a subjective endeavor that attempts to insert some objectivity.

[goose]

Certified here B0849.  Working toward National.

But some would say I am cerifiable!   

[ynotbrusum]

Good luck, Goose.  I took the written exam a couple years ago, but scored a couple points shy of what I needed - be sure to manage your time - I ran out Due to taking too much time on the recipe. I scored Master level on that part but bombed the last section as no time remained.  Better to give a rough answer and leave time to come back to fill in more as time allows, than to have a minute to finish an entire question....  I don’t write legibly, either, so the graders probably had a hell of a time reading my handwriting.

[goose]

Good luck, Goose.  I took the written exam a couple years ago, but scored a couple points shy of what I needed - be sure to manage your time - I ran out Due to taking too much time on the recipe. I scored Master level on that part but bombed the last section as no time remained.  Better to give a rough answer and leave time to come back to fill in more as time allows, than to have a minute to finish an entire question....  I don’t write legibly, either, so the graders probably had a hell of a time reading my handwriting.

I have heard that from a lot of people including one of the locals that scored high enough to become National.  When I took the legacy written exam, I also spent way too much time of the recipe (got Master as well on that question).  I won't make that mistake again.  Don't need as high a score on the written this time as I scored an 86 on the last tasting exam, but will shoot for as high a score as I can get!  This is my winter project this year.

[ynotbrusum]

You will do well I am sure.  If there weren’t a time limit on the test, I could have written master level stuff across the board, but time is part of the test.  It was worthwhile putting in the study time, because I learned so much in the process and had it down cold...if only I had learned to write legibly and quickly!  I can hear the voice of my second grade teacher giving me that D in penmanship “Someday you’ll regret not writing more neatly!”  Haha, she was right.

One improvement on the test would be to allow typing it, but I see the inherent concerns over cutting and pasting.

[hopfenundmalz]

I get to judge each and every beer that comes out of the taps at Bel Air Brewing...does that count?

Nope

No matter, as my taste senses are well refined. Actually, after reading reports about judges and contests, we have little if any faith in the results.

You say, you have refined sense of taste, which implies smell, as taste and smell make for flavor (we only taste sweet, sour, bitter, salty, umami).

If you say refined, you know what you can detect well, and what you are weak on or what you are blind to. For example, I'm not sensitive to Diacetyl at low levels, others are. Do you know that there are people, maybe 20%, that are flavor blind to it?

I know someone who is an advanced Cicerone with really great sensory abilities. It was a shock to find a complete blindness to chlorophenol.

The point here is that we are all flavor blind to certain compounds. That is why judging is done in at least pairs of judges. Larger breweries have tasting panels, where the panel members have been tested, and they make sure the flavors they are screening for are not missed.

Why am I rambling on about this? You can always get more input. Joining a club and having the experienced judges critique my beers helped. Entering competitions helped my beers improved. BJCP helped me improve my beers.

Hope this helps.

[Bel Air Brewing]

I get to judge each and every beer that comes out of the taps at Bel Air Brewing...does that count?

Nope

No matter, as my taste senses are well refined. Actually, after reading reports about judges and contests, we have little if any faith in the results.

You say, you have refined sense of taste, which implies smell, as taste and smell make for flavor (we only taste sweet, sour, bitter, salty, umami).

If you say refined, you know what you can detect well, and what you are weak on or what you are blind to. For example, I'm not sensitive to Diacetyl at low levels, others are. Do you know that there are people, maybe 20%, that are flavor blind to it?

I know someone who is an advanced Cicerone with really great sensory abilities. It was a shock to find a complete blindness to chlorophenol.

The point here is that we are all flavor blind to certain compounds. That is why judging is done in at least pairs of judges. Larger breweries have tasting panels, where the panel members have been tested, and they make sure the flavors they are screening for are not missed.

Why am I rambling on about this? You can always get more input. Joining a club and having the experienced judges critique my beers helped. Entering competitions helped my beers improved. BJCP helped me improve my beers.

Hope this helps.

Very informative. My diacetyl threshold is low, and I can pick it up in the smallest concentrations. Certainly there are things that I might be blind to, but not really certain what it might be.
As a hobby, I am an amateur chef, and enjoy cooking for large groups. Beer brewing is not unlike cooking. And yes, the olfactory senses play a major part in tasting. That’s why my first action is to check the aroma of the beer...well, I look at it first to check the clarity. Then check the aroma.

My aroma check goes back to my elementary school days, when I would always check the aroma profile before I would take a bite of any food. Yes, it was annoying to my parents!

Not being a beer “snob”, but my taste senses are pretty good. Better in fact than most of my friends.

So the large beer contests have a panel of tasters? I did not know that, thinking one judge would sample one entry of beer. So only one person would award the scores, and make comments.

We plan to enter the Bluebonnet next year. With multiple entries of the same exact beer.

[denny]

Generally there are 3 judges per table judging flights of the same style.  Then multiple tables.  You might find it informative to volunteer to steward at a comp sometime.

[Bel Air Brewing]

Generally there are 3 judges per table judging flights of the same style.  Then multiple tables.  You might find it informative to volunteer to steward at a comp sometime.

So...3 judges tasting the German Pils style in general, or 3 judges sampling each individual entry so you have 3 people who will each ultimately score your beer?

Versus one judge scoring your entry?

[jeffy]

Generally there are 3 judges per table judging flights of the same style.  Then multiple tables.  You might find it informative to volunteer to steward at a comp sometime.

So...3 judges tasting the German Pils style in general, or 3 judges sampling each individual entry so you have 3 people who will each ultimately score your beer?

Versus one judge scoring your entry?

In most of the competitions I have judged, there are flights of 6 to 12 beers of the same or similar styles.  One bottle of each is opened for a pair of two judges who fill out score sheets then discuss their comments and scores.  The top three in that flight are either awarded medals or chosen to move on to the next round.

[denny]

Generally there are 3 judges per table judging flights of the same style.  Then multiple tables.  You might find it informative to volunteer to steward at a comp sometime.

So...3 judges tasting the German Pils style in general, or 3 judges sampling each individual entry so you have 3 people who will each ultimately score your beer?

Versus one judge scoring your entry?

Flights are limited in the number of beers to prevent palate fatigue.  So, if you have say 30 pilsnero entered they might be divided between maybe 3 tables 10 beers to each with 3 judges at each table.  So, yes, you have 3 judges scoring your beer.