Subject: Digest for the period 4/2/2004 - 4/3/2004 Date: Sat, 03 Apr 2004 01:00:43 -0500 Table of contents ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Re-takes (Bob Sheck) 2. Re: Digest for the period 4/1/2004 - 4/2/2004 (Scott Bickham) 3. Advanced Homebrewing Program (Keith Lemcke) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Bob Sheck Date: Thu, 01 Apr 2004 20:54:39 -0500 Subject: Re-takes I look forward to re-taking the written portion. It's not so much a worry whether I will be allowed three hours or two and a half- what's important to me is that I won't lose my pace being interrupted with that tasting thing half-way through. So- when I tested first time, I found it very distracting to be interrupted about mid-way through the exam with the tasting portion. Bob Sheck // DEA - Down East Alers - Greenville, NC bobsheck`at`earthlink.net ********************************************************************** * JudgeNet - the beer judge digest * * Send plain text only, no HTML, MIME, encoded text or attachments * * Send subscription requests & changes to judge-request`at`synchro.com * ********************************************************************** ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Scott Bickham Date: Fri, 2 Apr 2004 07:39:13 -0500 Subject: Re: Digest for the period 4/1/2004 - 4/2/2004 This one is easy. What is the "right" answer when a beer is evaluated? Right now, part of the tasting score is based on description, completeness, and feedback, and these are fairly straight-forward to assess. But the remaining part of the tasting score is based on perception and scoring accuracy, which are two of the key aspects of judging. We have all judged enough to know that there is a lot of variation in these areas. So there is at least a risk of greater variability on the tasting portion. I'm not talking about the proctors here, although that is occasionally an issue that the graders have to deal with. One solution is to offer the exams much more infrequently - maybe only one in each BJCP region per year, with a panel of at least 3 noted judges against whom the examinees are evaluated. We could do that, but those sitting for the exam would have to travel and have less flexibility as far as scheduling the exam. We currently offer between 30 and 40 exams per year, and most judges are able to find an exam within a few hours of their home at least once every two years. So to make taking the exam more convenient, we put more weight on the essay portion. This may sound bass-ackwards, but there is actually an amazing correlation between the essay and tasting performance. For example, examinees who do poorly on the style questions are unable to provide decent descriptions of beer characteristics on the scoresheet or properly compare the beer they are tasting to the description given in the style guidelines. Also, those who do poorly on the technical questions are often unable to give correct or helpful feedback for either the recipe or off-flavors. I would personally like to have more weight on the tasting exam - and that is yet another question the exam committee is considering - but many of those who have graded exams feel that we first need to take steps to reduce the risk of variability in the tasting exam. I have counted no fewer than 18 exam proposals that have been posted here or communicated by the graders, so my guess is that no system will please everyone. Scott > > Ok, I realize that it's been requested that we table "exam" type > questions for now, but a friend of mine brought up a question for which > I didn't have a good answer, to wit "Given that the focus of the program > is judging, and the focus of judging is the scoresheet, why the HELL is > the weight of the exam 70/30 the OTHER way?" ********************************************************************** * JudgeNet - the beer judge digest * * Send plain text only, no HTML, MIME, encoded text or attachments * * Send subscription requests & changes to judge-request`at`synchro.com * ********************************************************************** ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Keith Lemcke Date: Fri, 2 Apr 2004 09:41:23 -0800 Subject: Advanced Homebrewing Program Siebel Institute of Technology, America’s leader in professional brewing instruction, is proud to announce the Advanced Homebrewing Program, our first course designed specifically for amateur brewers. The Advanced Homebrewing Program (June 21-25, 2004) combines professional educational content, world-class instruction, and state-of-the-art hobby brewing equipment to create a fast-paced and information-rich program. But the educational experience is only half of the story: We are also adding a whole lot of fun to this brewing recipe. The Advanced Homebrewing Program is being held at the campus of Fort Lewis College in beautiful Durango, Colorado. The staff of Fort Lewis College and the local brewing community are pulling out all the stops to create a week of pure hospitality, taking students throughout the Durango area to experience one of the nation’s most unique brewing cultures. Brewery tours, dining experiences, and sampling of fine-quality ales and lagers are on the agenda after your day’s study is through. You can get complete details on the Siebel Institute / Fort Lewis College Advanced Homebrewing Program on the Siebel Institute web site at http://www.siebelinstitute.com/course_desc/homebrewing.html . ********************************************************************** * JudgeNet - the beer judge digest * * Send plain text only, no HTML, MIME, encoded text or attachments * * Send subscription requests & changes to judge-request`at`synchro.com * ********************************************************************** Subject: Digest for the period 4/2/2004 - 4/3/2004 Date: Sat, 03 Apr 2004 01:00:43 -0500 Table of contents ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Re-takes (Bob Sheck) 2. Re: Digest for the period 4/1/2004 - 4/2/2004 (Scott Bickham) 3. Advanced Homebrewing Program (Keith Lemcke) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Bob Sheck Date: Thu, 01 Apr 2004 20:54:39 -0500 Subject: Re-takes I look forward to re-taking the written portion. It's not so much a worry whether I will be allowed three hours or two and a half- what's important to me is that I won't lose my pace being interrupted with that tasting thing half-way through. So- when I tested first time, I found it very distracting to be interrupted about mid-way through the exam with the tasting portion. Bob Sheck // DEA - Down East Alers - Greenville, NC bobsheck`at`earthlink.net ********************************************************************** * JudgeNet - the beer judge digest * * Send plain text only, no HTML, MIME, encoded text or attachments * * Send subscription requests & changes to judge-request`at`synchro.com * ********************************************************************** ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Scott Bickham Date: Fri, 2 Apr 2004 07:39:13 -0500 Subject: Re: Digest for the period 4/1/2004 - 4/2/2004 This one is easy. What is the "right" answer when a beer is evaluated? Right now, part of the tasting score is based on description, completeness, and feedback, and these are fairly straight-forward to assess. But the remaining part of the tasting score is based on perception and scoring accuracy, which are two of the key aspects of judging. We have all judged enough to know that there is a lot of variation in these areas. So there is at least a risk of greater variability on the tasting portion. I'm not talking about the proctors here, although that is occasionally an issue that the graders have to deal with. One solution is to offer the exams much more infrequently - maybe only one in each BJCP region per year, with a panel of at least 3 noted judges against whom the examinees are evaluated. We could do that, but those sitting for the exam would have to travel and have less flexibility as far as scheduling the exam. We currently offer between 30 and 40 exams per year, and most judges are able to find an exam within a few hours of their home at least once every two years. So to make taking the exam more convenient, we put more weight on the essay portion. This may sound bass-ackwards, but there is actually an amazing correlation between the essay and tasting performance. For example, examinees who do poorly on the style questions are unable to provide decent descriptions of beer characteristics on the scoresheet or properly compare the beer they are tasting to the description given in the style guidelines. Also, those who do poorly on the technical questions are often unable to give correct or helpful feedback for either the recipe or off-flavors. I would personally like to have more weight on the tasting exam - and that is yet another question the exam committee is considering - but many of those who have graded exams feel that we first need to take steps to reduce the risk of variability in the tasting exam. I have counted no fewer than 18 exam proposals that have been posted here or communicated by the graders, so my guess is that no system will please everyone. Scott > > Ok, I realize that it's been requested that we table "exam" type > questions for now, but a friend of mine brought up a question for which > I didn't have a good answer, to wit "Given that the focus of the program > is judging, and the focus of judging is the scoresheet, why the HELL is > the weight of the exam 70/30 the OTHER way?" ********************************************************************** * JudgeNet - the beer judge digest * * Send plain text only, no HTML, MIME, encoded text or attachments * * Send subscription requests & changes to judge-request`at`synchro.com * ********************************************************************** ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Keith Lemcke Date: Fri, 2 Apr 2004 09:41:23 -0800 Subject: Advanced Homebrewing Program Siebel Institute of Technology, America’s leader in professional brewing instruction, is proud to announce the Advanced Homebrewing Program, our first course designed specifically for amateur brewers. The Advanced Homebrewing Program (June 21-25, 2004) combines professional educational content, world-class instruction, and state-of-the-art hobby brewing equipment to create a fast-paced and information-rich program. But the educational experience is only half of the story: We are also adding a whole lot of fun to this brewing recipe. The Advanced Homebrewing Program is being held at the campus of Fort Lewis College in beautiful Durango, Colorado. The staff of Fort Lewis College and the local brewing community are pulling out all the stops to create a week of pure hospitality, taking students throughout the Durango area to experience one of the nation’s most unique brewing cultures. Brewery tours, dining experiences, and sampling of fine-quality ales and lagers are on the agenda after your day’s study is through. You can get complete details on the Siebel Institute / Fort Lewis College Advanced Homebrewing Program on the Siebel Institute web site at http://www.siebelinstitute.com/course_desc/homebrewing.html . ********************************************************************** * JudgeNet - the beer judge digest * * Send plain text only, no HTML, MIME, encoded text or attachments * * Send subscription requests & changes to judge-request`at`synchro.com * **********************************************************************