Sun Jul 20, 2008 2:36 pm
I just judged a sweet competition in Appleton, WI yesterday. Such a great time. It was a small competition, but I like smaller comps because you can take the time to do the job right, there is not a rush to have 6 beers judged per hour or anything like that, as there is with most other comps.
The best advice I can give to any judge is...... print off some name labels ahead of time to stick on the judging sheets. Include your name, rank and judge ID (if you have it), and email address. You don't want to be writing that shit dozens of times on each score sheet. It makes life so much easier.
But seriously.... Do get some practice at home. Best thing you can do is get your hands on some homebrew from your buddies and judge theirs. Even judge your own. I do, just for the practice, and then when I enter competitions, I compare my notes with theirs.
I think it is important to judge independently. Don't let any other judges influence you into thinking there's acetaldehyde or diacetyl in a beer, when you know in your heart that you don't detect it at all when you taste it. Maybe it is in there, maybe it isn't. Experienced judges are NOT perfect. Call it as you see it. Put down your OWN comments, not someone else's. And if you find that a fellow judge is talking too much and influencing the comments your are writing, politely ask them to shut up so you can come up with your own ideas. Independent judging is of huge benefit to the homebrewer. I know I hate it when I enter a competition and get two scoresheets back, both with almost exactly the same comments word for word. It happens far too often. I like to get a more broad and independent look at my beer. Then if the independent comments jive, I know there's a pretty good chance that it's true and not just groupthink.
Of course, you should always try to be as descriptive as possible. For instance, terms like "nice color", "good malt", and "fruity esters" aren't nearly as good as "deep copper, almost brown", "sweet caramel with a touch of burnt toast", and "tangerine citrus hoppiness up front; a hint of pear or apple in the aftertaste".
Offer improvement suggestions, whether with ingredients or technique, or both, even if it is a good beer. "Not to style" doesn't tell them anything. Neither does "nothing wrong with this beer". In your opinion, as a judge, would it benefit from a little more hop bitterness, flavor, or aroma? Is it TOO malty or TOO complex for the style? Let them know!
The hardest thing for me was to give an awesome beer a bad score because it didn't fit the guidelines. There was a beer yesterday, entered as a blonde ale, that was totally not a blonde ale, but it was such a great beer. It was red in color, cloudy, and very biscuity. Reminded me of Fat Tire. Why it was entered as a blonde ale was beyond me. It would have scored about 39 as an amber ale, but as a blonde ale, it only got a 27. Sad, but it had to be done, it was just plain entered in the wrong category.
A few more:
Don't eat any garlic or onions 24 hours before the competition.
Do eat a good balanced breakfast or lunch before you judge.
Do floss and brush your teeth before you judge. Also brush the back of your tongue. Might seem odd, but it's a great habit to get into. That's where millions of bacteria like to hang out. They can screw up your senses.
Bring two mechanical pencils and some paper, and a copy of the style guidelines if you have them printed out.
That's everything I can think of right now. Enjoy.
Dave
"This is grain, which any fool can eat, but for which the Lord intended a more divine means of consumption. Let us give praise to our Maker, and glory to His bounty, by learning about... BEER!" - Friar Tuck (Robin Hood - Prince of Thieves)
