comp scoring question

[Dirk McLargeHuge]

In general, how long are you given to judge the beer and fill out the sheets? Most of my score sheets bordered on the illegible. It that a result of the time constraints and having to hurry or is that an indication of how much the judge had to drink?

[crupp]

Dirk McLargeHuge wrote:

In general, how long are you given to judge the beer and fill out the sheets? Most of my score sheets bordered on the illegible. It that a result of the time constraints and having to hurry or is that an indication of how much the judge had to drink?

That's a good question. In general, one can take between ten and fifteen minutes (if not more) to judge a beer. That being said, some times my hand feels like it's about to fall off by the end of a competition in which I've judged 20-30+ beers. So I think it may have more to do with fatigue than time constraints and/or alcohol intake.

Most judges put their email address on the score sheet. If they don’t, I think they should. If you can't read your score sheet, scan it and email it to them. If you don’t have a scanner, I’m sure that you can work something out. I'm sure that they would be more than happy to decipher it for you.

jacob wrote: [quote]
The best solution is for more experienced brewers to man up and take the BJCP exam and help make judging as a whole better. Your palate and experience can help make everyone else better. [quote]

Well said, jacbob! I agree...it is not a flawless process; but before a brewer starts to criticize the process and the people devoting their time and energy to the to the betterment of hobby, they should give it a try.

[Dirk McLargeHuge]

D'OH! Fatigue. Shoulda seen that coming.

Thanks.

[jacbop]

My non-homebrewer, non-judge buddies are always making cracks about how "hard" it must be for me to go and drink beer all day at a competition. They think A) I'm gonna get drunk and B) it is going to be a big happy drinking fest. I've had non brewers see the BJCP logo and think that "beer judge" must be joke, kind of like a Naked Lacrosse Team T-Shirt. I roll with the punches and play along, but judging is definitely a day of work.

For anyone who has never judged before, I recommend the following exercise:
1) get up at 6 AM and drive 60 miles away to get a coffee and then drive back home (to simulate getting to the competition in time for registration as BDawg suggested).
2) Pour 4 tablespoons of your homebrew into a clear plastic cup.
3) Smell it, look at it, taste it, think about it, write about it. Keep this up for 10-15 minutes in a quiet and focused manner.
4) Repeat 30 or so times all day long with a quick break for lunch. Your hand will hurt by the end of it.

Busted Myth A) At a rate of only 8-10 oz of beer per hour (much of it going into the dump bucket) you are not getting a buzz.
Busted Myth B) The entire room is more like a library rather than a bar, so there is no back slapping carousing going on during the competition.

But it is still a blast! I always learn a lot when I judge and I always meet more brewers/judges who are passionate about beer. And there is often black slapping carousing after the competition!

jacbop
Chicago, IL