Beer Judge School Blog

Blog Moved!

Dave Louw — Wed, 11 May 2011 05:17:00 GMT

We've moved the Beer Judge School blog to a different location. If you've subscribed to this feed then you'll want to switch over to http://beerjudgeschool.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss. You can also find a version at http://beerjudgeschool.blogspot.com.

Dave.

Beer Week events for 2011

Dave Louw — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 05:57:00 GMT

We will have our annual Beer Judging 101 event for San Francisco Beer Week on Sunday February 13^th at The Englander. This is the same location as the previous years. Details are here, and we are getting close to sold out. Using www.beerbybart.com is a safe way to go should you attend.

This year also marks the first time for the judging seminar for Sacramento Beer Week. This is their second year for their beer week, and Lockdown Brewery’s tasting room in Rancho Cordova is reserved for Saturday March 5^th. Sign up here. The light rail in Sacramento is just around the corner from the location.

Hope to see you there.

David

BJCP Online Course update

Dave Louw — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 06:22:00 GMT

Just a few minor updates, as well as some clarifications. The course is just the student and I. So we are not waiting for others to get on board in order to start. So you are not going to be slowed down by anyone other than yourself. Likewise if I get behind on something, keep up on me. I might restrict the starting of new students due to my work load, but I can take on a dozen people easily. Therefore a dedicated group in one area or club can all be accommodated. I keep track on an Excel Spreadsheet in order to stay organized. Plenty of spaces are currently available. Follow the directions in the syllabus regarding contacting me.

If you are considering getting involved in beer judging, get started by checking out the scheduled competitions at www.bjcp.org and volunteer as a steward. You will see what is involved in the process and meet some judges and of course, sample some competition beers and check your perceptions.

Check out the updated syllabus.

Private beer judging events

Dave Louw — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 04:28:00 GMT

Recently I was asked to do a beer judging for the brewing employees of a Bay Area company. As this only involved about 10 beers and not open to the public, this was a low-key project. The brewers were able to get a one-on-one discussion of their beers, and ask me questions on improving their beers. Some learned about finings for beer clarity, but getting immediate feedback on their beers will help them to improve their brewing. This might be the main goal of an effective beer judge. An informal competition took place for about half a dozen of the beers, with BJCP scoresheets used. As this was a company involved in the science field, sanitation was not an issue with any of the beers. This was greatly appreciated. Despite the experience levels of brewing throughout their company, some of these beers were impressive. One was probably the best oak-aged beer I have had the pleasure of sampling. An invitation to return has already been extended. I am available for more events like this. Just contact me at dteckam@beerjudgeschool.com

David Teckam

Corporate Beer Seminars

Dave Louw — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 16:31:00 GMT

Last year I had the opportunity to lead a beer appreciation seminar for a major corporation. This was not directly related to the corporation’s business, but rather an informative, yet entertaining, session for employees that participated in a training program in San Francisco. The presentation was similar to our Beer Judging 101 class as an introduction to good beer. We sampled 10 beers, in pairs, and matched them with food from the hotel restaurant menu. One pairing was Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout with a chocolate decadence cake. The Cilantro Lime Chicken went very well with Witbier offered. This hour-and-a-half talk was enthusiastically received, as many were taking notes, and telling their co-workers who did not attend, that they missed out.

If you are interested in such a presentation for your organization please contact me at dteckam@beerjudgeschool.com

David Teckam

SF Beer Week Classes

Dave Louw — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 16:26:00 GMT

With the end of San Francisco Beer Week, our seminar at The Englander is our second one done for this event. Despite doing this on Super Bowl Sunday (there was not much of an option), we sold out for the 101 portion, and were within a few tickets of selling out the 201 part. Once I get the accurate list of what beers we tried, you can click the blogs link above, to see in the View Comments section. Like with the other seminars. We are looking forward to a 301 seminar in the summer for BJCP judges. This will be something more in depth than what we have done already.

301 will have to be special to attract the experienced judges who think they have tried it all. I have some rare beers lined up, and I will find some very creative homebrews.

Next big project for me will be helping with the regional judging for the National Homebrew Competition in Lodi CA. Brian Cooper is the organizer, and we hope to get as many qualified judges and stewards as possible. You can e-mail me for more information on this one. April 17th and 18th.

Hope to see you there,
David

San Francisco Beer Week 2010

Dave Louw — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 19:53:00 GMT

Following the same structure as our previous beer seminars (our last one being at the AHA Conference June 16th 2009), our next one is the opening day of San Francisco Beer Week on February 7th at noon http://www.sfbeerweek.org/schedule. You can register at http://beerjudging101sfbw.eventbrite.com/ The previous blogs have the details, including what beers we tried. San Francisco Beer Week also includes the Toronado Barleywine Festival judging. This will be February 13th at The Peacock Lounge, across the street from the Toronado. This is sort of the opening of the beer judging season for those in Northern California. The Toronado will feature only Barleywines on their draft system. And 50 Barleywines on tap is a sight to behold.

The next beer judging event will be the National Homebrewers Conference. One of the first rounds will take place in Lodi, California. April 17th and 18th we will be looking for qualified judges to handle one of the premier homebrew competitions in the world. Organizer Brian Cooper has shown great skill with organizing our beer judging seminars, and I expect this event to be run just as smooth.

Hope to see you at these events.

David Teckam

Beer Characteristic Flash Cards

Dave Louw — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 17:32:00 GMT

We've revised the beer characteristic flash cards so you can use them to help study for the beer characteristic question on the exam. You can find it on the "Additional Resources" page of the site or download it here. We hope it helps you prepare for an area of the exam that many students find challenging.

Online Enrollment

Dave Louw — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 02:06:00 GMT

With the start of my last preparatory course for a while, I will be making a switch to online teaching, maybe for a couple of years. This is meant to help those who are beyond the range of classes that might be offered by a homebrew club. Some people will travel a hundred miles or so for an exam, but that is usually not reasonable for proper exam preparation. Once the syllabus on this site is updated, the details for my online course will be more clear. This will be in Need Help.

There is no enrollment time. It will be a matter of potential examinees finding an exam and giving the contact person (go to Need Help to see the list of scheduled exams), and themselves, proper notice. All one would need to do is to allow themselves about three months for studying with me, and to have the commitment to do this.

I will be teaching my current group of students through mid-November. After that, I will be ready to take on more students. I am careful not to overwhelm myself, and I have a track record for exam success. Some students I did not meet until exam day, but they all passed. You can contact me for more information if you are interested.

David Teckam

AHA Pre-conference event

Dave Louw — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:11:00 GMT

With the AHA Conference in Oakland over, that also means our most recent Beer Judging 101/201 Seminar is history. This also sold out and was very warmly received. Brian Cooper told me that attendees raved to him when they saw him during the conference. The AHA Conference brought in people from the East Coast and many signed up for both portions.

We are considering our next 101/201 Seminar for Stockton CA for the first Saturday in December. Nothing in stone yet; just planning ahead. We are also working on a concept for a 301 class that will go into more depth and will be geared towards the BJCP judge. This will be a requirement for the class.

I’ll have a list of beers we sampled for the June 16th seminar very soon.

David

Sam Adams Longshot, AHA nationals, and Amador County Fair

Dave Louw — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:35:00 GMT

While the Sam Adams Longshot competition is long done with (at least our part of choosing a beer to be considered by the company for release), it is still a fine memory as this is a premier event for the beer judge. Much thanks to Boston Beer Company for treating the judges so well. A hotel room and meals paid for is a great way of taking care of the judges. I thought I would be reporting on how a different score sheet was used,but the standard BJCP score sheet for maximum brewer feedback was used.The Grand Prize I spoke of in the last posting will be $5000 and Boston Beer Company will make your beer for their Longshot pack due out next year, if I am correct. Of course, that is up to them, and their company chooses the final winners. There are other judgings for this competition in other areas of the country.

The AHA conference now being over with, gives me a good reason to post some more information on judging events. This might be the Super Bowl of competitions (despite no Grand Prize like the Longshot competition),but the quality of this national (or is it world-wide) event is probably second to none. The beers I judged were high-quality and the ciders for Best Of Show were excellent. This competition did uses the score sheets I was expecting for the Longshot. They were along the lines of check boxes, making the judging more efficient, or at least more brief. The point is that there are more than one type of score sheet that can be used in a competition.

Next up for me is the Amador County Fair. No complaints on the quality of entries here which is always nice for the judge, but the quality of judging remains a high-point for competitions I am involved in. This makes it easy to advertise this event for the brewer who would like feedback on his or her beer, mead, or cider. There is also a commercial competition that takes place at the same time, in the same room. And this is the rare commercial competition that gets feedback for the professional brewer, and utilizes yet another type of score sheet. For more information go to www.brewangels.com or e-mail me at dteckam@beerjudgeschool.com

Hope to see you there on July 11th.

David

West Coast Brewers Festival Judging

Dave Louw — Thu, 14 May 2009 15:34:00 GMT

Last Sunday was a commercial beer competition used to recognized brewing excellence for the participants of a local beer festival. Commercial beer judging is something that can be done every time we open a beer we purchase. In a formal setting, it gives feedback to the brewery. But in this case, the feedback is only in an award as no written comments are given back. This is an non-intimidating way of getting into beer judging as it seems that your opinion is your decisive factor. But the BJCP Style Guidelines are still used, and your opinion will have to be justified to your fellow judges. There were plenty of novice judges that day, but they are always teamed up with experienced (BJCP) judges. And I know these beginners all had a good time, and they were all interested in doing more of this.

Unfortunately, I will not be able to use my ticket for the competition (a reward for judging, as well as some of the leftover beer), as the next competition is the same day. The Sam Adams Longshot competition is a competition like no other, due to the Grand Prize. Another unique competition. Hope to see you there in Oakland this weekend.

David

AHA Regionals

Dave Louw — Tue, 05 May 2009 19:35:00 GMT

The AHA regionals for the West Coast were recently completed in Lodi CA. Over 500 entries were judged in two days. Nothing too different about this one except for the judges had to exercise certain restraint on pouring (only one bottle was available and some went to a further round that weekend), so re-capping was necessary for the half full bottles.

This was another opportunity for mentoring newer judges. I realize most are new compared to me, but a competition is always an opportunity to guide other judges who might be very new (less than a year of judging). Even a simple reminder such as “get sniffing that beer” was used, as this seemingly obvious first step once the beer is in the cup is too often delayed. I am not sure why people wait any length of time to get judging an entry.

Also, patience is important for the senior judges, especially when one judge is finished writing while the other judge is still working on it. Sometimes this is an opportunity to write more (check the cues under the headers to see if you commented on everything). Many times the newer judge is put at ease when you are able to detect and agree on the particulars of a given beer. And they might appreciate you pointing out the specifics that you are noting.

Before I forget again, I will apologize for poor handwriting on my part. As entrants receive my e-mail address on score sheets I hope they will give me feedback on my evaluations. Or even to have me decipher my handwriting.

Hope to see you at the next beer competition. For me it will be the West Coast Brewers Festival judging. Commercial competitions are different in a few ways.

David

Seminar in June

Dave Louw — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 13:43:00 GMT

The World Cup homebrew competition attracted 439 entries and was completed April 4th. The Trumer Brewery in Berkeley was the location for the final round. As the Best Of Show winner, Michael Frenn of Placerville will be making his Robust Porter at the Linden Street brewing for sale to the public. Having take the BJCP exam in 2007, Michael has advanced his brewing (all-grain brewing started around this time), and won a few awards that day. Nate Smith, a 2008 graduate of Brian Cooper’s preparatory course in Pleasanton, was another judge who received a mention on the BOS round. His Imperial IPA was in the top four beers.

I e-mailed Michael and Nate to get some input regarding the effect that being a beer judge has had on their brewing.

“Judging has helped me become much more sensitive and perceptive to flavors and off-flavors. I can more quickly target a flaw or off-flavor and with pretty good accuracy point out what's wrong. My beers that didn't place on Saturday came back with many of the comments I would have made myself about those beers.”

“(I have) a much better understanding of off-flavors and a knowledge of what causes them; much better understanding of what defines a style; a better understanding of ingredients and processes needed to achieve desired flavor and palate effects.”

I certainly did not lead them to these comments. Being a beer judge will help with your brewing. That might be of importance to you.

Also on the calendar is our next beer judging seminar. To coincide with the AHA conference that starts later that week, Brian Cooper, Gail Williams, and I (with some more help) will have our event at The Englander in San Leandro. As before, we’ll keep our capacity to 35 students per class. We’ll follow the “101 and 201” concept we did last time. We recommend pre-payment to reserve your seat. This will be Tuesday June 16th.

Contact: Brian Cooper at: brewerbrian@sbcglobal.net for more info.

See you at the next beer competition. For me it will be the AHA round in Lodi CA on Sunday April 19th. I’m sure there is plenty of room for more judges and stewards.

David

Chico Homebrewing Competition

Dave Louw — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 14:58:00 GMT

While I thought World Cup would be my next judging opportunity, I squeezed in the competition from the Chico homebrew club on Sunday. Sierra Nevada is an excellent place for events with their spacious rooms and their accommodating nature for the amateur brewers. I think a couple of firsts happened that day. After 80 or so competitions I finally had a Bière de Garde in a competition. It was one of 23 styles on the Best Of Show panel. This judging will stand out for me as the unanimous choice for the best beer that day was a Premium American Lager. This is proof that the big beer will not overwhelm the little (boring) styles for the best beer in a competition. This was cleanly brewed and there was not any debate about the excellence of this beer. It still comes as a bit of a shock, but five out of five judges agreed. One was Sierra Nevada brewer Jim (sorry, I did not get the last name). As an obviously trained taster, this was a fine qualification to join the four BJCP judges. So congratulations to John Abbott of Chico for his winning beer. A simple recipe (Durst Pilsner malt and Mt. Hood hops), but well brewed.

So keep in mind that a great beer can win, regardless of the other competing beers. The good beer judge keeps this in mind.

David T.

Modesto Mashers

Dave Louw — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 15:35:00 GMT

Last week I had the pleasure of speaking at the Modesto Mashers meeting. The subject was the BJCP and how I approach the exam and preparatory course. This was most appropriate as they are to begin studying soon for an exam on August 1, 2009. As I explained that day, this is not a mind-numbing experience dedicated to memorizing beer facts or trivia. Too many people defeat themselves for the exam and hopefully I made the point of how I avoid this from happening. There are two other exams I will be involved with in Northern California. Pleasanton on October 3, 2009 and Sacramento on November 21, 2009. If you have looked at the syllabus there is a comment on page three about studying with me by e-mail. I have one student already and have the time and room for a couple more. So do not let the lack of a study group in your area keep you out of the program. If you can travel to one of the locations, I can help you prepare. You can contact me through this website. There is plenty of time and hopefully a few options for taking the exam this year, regardless of your area. I can also help you with contact through the study groups involved in the exams mentioned above.

Hope to see you at the next beer competition,

David

Welcome

Dave Louw — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 15:33:00 GMT

Welcome to Beer Judge School. We hope that the DVD that’s been made available will be of use to you, and we hope there will be more soon in the field of studying for the BJCP exam. Most of you know that the BJCP is the organization that certifies beer judges, giving beer enthusiasts credentials as judges.

We hope at some point you’ll pull out a Paulaner Salvator and judge it with the video. This was recorded during my 2008 preparatory course for the BJCP exam.

The video on YouTube will tell you what you’re getting into. The chapter titled “For The Exam” is on the disk only, but other than that the entire judging portion from that day is on YouTube. We do think that this is a service to beer judges everywhere, and we hope that this website will also be of service.

Hope to see you at the next beer competition,

David

SF Beer Week Classes a Hit

Dave Louw — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 13:56:00 GMT

The beer judging seminar we did for San Francisco Beer Week at The Englander in San Leandro was a huge success. We’re happy to see the event sold-out with demand from more people who inquired late. We did admit some last-minute beer enthusiasts, so we know the demand is there for more. We’re glad the Celebrator party did not interfere with out attendance. We covered many styles and flavors as well as discussing some of the finer points of beer evaluation. The 101 course was meant to be a basic class covering sensory analysis (“Did you get the artificial butter in this beer?”) as well as some really good beers that many of the audience never had or heard of. Descriptive ability (“What kind of” and “how much” of these perceived flavors were also discussed). For 201 we got more into depth and covered some of the sources of flavors and what it takes to be a good beer judge. We expected some people to be a bit shocked at what they were tasting. Sour beers, smoky beers, hoppy, malty, fresh, and aged beers were covered that day. Those that attended both sessions got a full day’s worth of beer diversity.

We got good audience participation with many beginner questions answered as well as some insightful and thought-provoking questions being addressed.

Much thanks to Brian Cooper, Gail Williams, and Steve Shapiro for making this run so smooth. I was quite impressed this came of so well for our first time. Next year will be as good if not better. Hopefully we’ll do another one this year but in a different area.

If you own the video now (Thank You!) you’ll see there’s a holder in the cover for inserts, like with most DVDs. What I did with mine is I printed out the Feedback Worksheets and the Word List, trimmed them down to size, and fit them inside my cover. These are the essential

handouts. The other two pages are OK, but the other three pages are worth carrying with you or having close at hand when viewing.

Hope to see you at the next beer competition. For me it’s World Cup (final day).

David

Become a Fan of Beer Judge School on Facebook

Dave Louw — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 15:20:00 GMT

We've created a "Beer Judge School" product on Facebook. If you've enjoyed our online or DVD products please become a fan!

SF Beer Week

Dave Louw — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 05:59:00 GMT

For those interested in becoming a beer judge and located in the greater San Francisco Bay Area, there's a not to be missed event coming up. During the broadly coordinated SF Beer Week, David Teckam (creator and star of the Beer Judge School DVDs) will be giving two presentations on beer judging:

Beer Judging Seminar
FEBRUARY 15th, 2009
Presented by Grand Master beer judge David Teckam.
With assistance from: Brian Cooper and Gail Williams (both certified BJCP judges).

1:00 PM (intro class - "Beer Judging 101")
3:00 PM (advanced - "Beer Judging 201").
Cost: $25 for either class, or $45 for both.

Ever wonder what it is that separates a truly world class brew from a run of the mill beer? These classes are designed to help expand your evaluative, perceptive, and descriptive abilities when tasting various beers. We will discuss and demonstrate the beer judging process. We'll also examine some common defects that can come up in the brewing process.

The Intro (101) class is mainly intended for non-judges, or for those who want a refresher. It will open you up to the world of beer judging, and who knows, after experiencing this, you may be interested in becoming a beer judge.

For the Advanced (201) class, a background in critical beer tasting or judging is recommended (or the 101 class). We'll go through what is required on a sample judging sheet, and discuss judging concepts with more depth. In each class, we'll taste several beers and discuss them in detail.

Each class takes approximately one and a half hours.

Space is limited; please contact Brian Cooper (brewerbrian@sbcglobal.net) to reserve your spot.
Let us know your name and contact number (cell preferred), plus note which session(s) you're interested in.