Return-Path: judge-owner at synchro.com Received: from srvr22.engin.umich.edu (root at srvr22.engin.umich.edu [141.212.2.35]) by srvr5.engin.umich.edu (8.8.8/8.8.8) with ESMTP id CAA05814 for ; Thu, 30 Jul 1998 02:29:07 -0400 (EDT) Received: from synchro.com (cccox.ne.mediaone.net [24.128.144.90]) by srvr22.engin.umich.edu (8.8.8/8.8.8) with SMTP id CAA26837 for ; Thu, 30 Jul 1998 02:29:06 -0400 (EDT) From: "JudgeNet - the beer judge digest" To: "Digest Recipients" Reply-To: "JudgeNet - the beer judge digest" Subject: Digest for the period 7/29/98 - 7/30/98 Message-ID: Date: Thu, 30 Jul 1998 02:03:23 -0400 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Hops: 1 Table of contents ------------------------------------------------------ Re: Judge Questions (Mike Kidulich) -------------------------------------------------------- From: Mike Kidulich Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 20:18:52 -5 Subject: Re: Judge Questions > Howdy. I just wanted to ask a couple of questions about judge topics. I am > not yet a judge, but feel I should know a few things before I jump into > the ring. > > Specifically, I want to know if it is required for judges to know EVERY > style. I know the particulars on quite a few styles, but if judges are > assigned randomly to panels, I might not be able to do a good job on > certain panels. That is, I don't know the particulars for every style, and > if I were assigned to a panel like Weisse, I would just be guessing. It is not a requirement to know every style of beer to judge beer. Typically, the judge coordinator will ask about style preferences, both to match the judges experience to the style, and to make sure the judge does not have an entry in a given category. You *do* need to be familiar with all beer styles to be prepared for the exam, but thats another story. > > In reviewing several style guidelines, I have seen that nearly every > governing body recognizes beer styles slightly differently. To keep all of > these guidelines straight in my mind concurrently would be a herculean > effort. (If it really is required, I might have to forget some other > important facts, like my name, address, telephone number, etc.) Wouldn't > it be appropriate to have a crib sheet on the table that outlined the > specifics of the style, such as flavor faults, required taste components, > color range, etc.? Most competitions will state which guidelines they are using to classify entries, such as AHA or BJCP, or publish their own guidelines to be used in judging. Appropriate reference materials will usually be provided. Judging beer is not a test of how well you have memorized the style guidelines. Reviewing style guidelines before a judging session is always a good idea, as style definitions do change from time to time. Also, other references are used when needed, such as the style books published by the AHA, or Michael Jackson's writings. If there is any question regarding style, don't hesitate to ask for more information. > > It seems that many of Jeff R.'s comments about his CAP (and his belief > that it was poorly judged) could have been addressed directly by judges > using a review sheet. More directly, many of the negative comments may > have been absent had the judge(s) really understood that certain flavor > components were allowed, etc. > > I am looking forward to taking the judge's exam, and thank you for the > bandwidth. Good luck with the exam. I took it about 1.5 years ago. It's a tough test, but well worth the effort. Mike Kidulich, President Emeritus/BJCP Coordinator Upstate New York Homebrewers Association mjkid at ix.netcom.com http://www.ggw.org/unyha/ Return-Path: judge-owner at synchro.com Received: from srvr22.engin.umich.edu (root at srvr22.engin.umich.edu [141.212.2.35]) by srvr5.engin.umich.edu (8.8.8/8.8.8) with ESMTP id CAA05814 for ; Thu, 30 Jul 1998 02:29:07 -0400 (EDT) Received: from synchro.com (cccox.ne.mediaone.net [24.128.144.90]) by srvr22.engin.umich.edu (8.8.8/8.8.8) with SMTP id CAA26837 for ; Thu, 30 Jul 1998 02:29:06 -0400 (EDT) From: "JudgeNet - the beer judge digest" To: "Digest Recipients" Reply-To: "JudgeNet - the beer judge digest" Subject: Digest for the period 7/29/98 - 7/30/98 Message-ID: Date: Thu, 30 Jul 1998 02:03:23 -0400 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Hops: 1 Table of contents ------------------------------------------------------ Re: Judge Questions (Mike Kidulich) -------------------------------------------------------- From: Mike Kidulich Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 20:18:52 -5 Subject: Re: Judge Questions > Howdy. I just wanted to ask a couple of questions about judge topics. I am > not yet a judge, but feel I should know a few things before I jump into > the ring. > > Specifically, I want to know if it is required for judges to know EVERY > style. I know the particulars on quite a few styles, but if judges are > assigned randomly to panels, I might not be able to do a good job on > certain panels. That is, I don't know the particulars for every style, and > if I were assigned to a panel like Weisse, I would just be guessing. It is not a requirement to know every style of beer to judge beer. Typically, the judge coordinator will ask about style preferences, both to match the judges experience to the style, and to make sure the judge does not have an entry in a given category. You *do* need to be familiar with all beer styles to be prepared for the exam, but thats another story. > > In reviewing several style guidelines, I have seen that nearly every > governing body recognizes beer styles slightly differently. To keep all of > these guidelines straight in my mind concurrently would be a herculean > effort. (If it really is required, I might have to forget some other > important facts, like my name, address, telephone number, etc.) Wouldn't > it be appropriate to have a crib sheet on the table that outlined the > specifics of the style, such as flavor faults, required taste components, > color range, etc.? Most competitions will state which guidelines they are using to classify entries, such as AHA or BJCP, or publish their own guidelines to be used in judging. Appropriate reference materials will usually be provided. Judging beer is not a test of how well you have memorized the style guidelines. Reviewing style guidelines before a judging session is always a good idea, as style definitions do change from time to time. Also, other references are used when needed, such as the style books published by the AHA, or Michael Jackson's writings. If there is any question regarding style, don't hesitate to ask for more information. > > It seems that many of Jeff R.'s comments about his CAP (and his belief > that it was poorly judged) could have been addressed directly by judges > using a review sheet. More directly, many of the negative comments may > have been absent had the judge(s) really understood that certain flavor > components were allowed, etc. > > I am looking forward to taking the judge's exam, and thank you for the > bandwidth. Good luck with the exam. I took it about 1.5 years ago. It's a tough test, but well worth the effort. Mike Kidulich, President Emeritus/BJCP Coordinator Upstate New York Homebrewers Association mjkid at ix.netcom.com http://www.ggw.org/unyha/