If you’re a homebrewer, you may hear the acronym BJCP tossed about at homebrew shops, and if you’ve been to a homebrew competition you’ve almsot assuredly seen it on name tags or placards. The BJCP is the Beer Judge Certification Program; a nonprofit organization started in 1985 to “to promote beer literacy and the appreciation of real beer, and to recognize beer tasting and evaluation skills.”
Basically, someone who is BJCP certified has undertaken a course of study to learn to recognize the specifics of the various beer styles as defined by the BJCP — someone who has completed this course is a certified beer judge. They possess an understanding of what makes a particular beer fall within a categorical style, what the positive points of the style are, what flavors or attributes — like sulfur or overcarbonation — might be considered defects in the beer, etc. They are the ultimate beer geeks…
And I’m about to infiltrate their ranks — I start my BJCP course of study this Sunday. (Would’ve been this past Sunday, but class was cancelled at the last minute due to inclement weather here in Baltimore.) I should be fully certified if I pass the examination following the 11 week course, three and a half hours per class. Marathon, right? Especially considering I don’t even really have much of an intention to become a beer judge at competitions.
So why would I put myself through all this?
For you – the reader – of course. I’m interested in broadening my knowledge of beer styles so I can do two things: acquire more knowledge about how to brew stylistically sound beers and transmit that information here ; and make more informed commentary on the beers I drink, and subsequently tell you all what’s up with those beers.
That said, I also think it’s important to note that while I respect the knowledge BJCP certified folks possess, I also don’t see the style guidelines as sacrosanct by any means. I generally think blind adherence to beer dogma is about as good as blind adherence to any religious dogma. Sometimes you have to question the big book of whatever you believe in to find new truths. Just like any of the classic modern painters, a real understanding of the history of art, design, and form helps the apprentice effectively break the rules of the master and create something entirely new and hopefully sublime. Consider my BJCP experience an apprenticeship. So while I hope to come out of the experience better informed and more powerfully armed with beer knowledge, I have no intention of over-geeking you loyal readers with clerical minutiae that doesn’t add up to anything. Nor do I think that the enjoyment of beer is made all that much better by analyzing every sip one takes. Please feel free to remind me of this any time you think this writer crosses the line.
Expect to see a weekly posting detailing the specifics of the course on Sundays or Mondays until my examination. I hope to tell you all what I tasted, and what I learned in the class each time, hopefully with a light-hearted approach.
So let me get this straight — you’re gonna do a weekly posting about what you learned in class that Sunday?!
You better be writing things down pretty well, Ryan, especially during the 3 weeks of Belgians. Barleywine week was a blur for me.
The NHC competition is coming up around the corner, and David Houseman is looking for potential judges in April. You and your readers interested in judging or stewarding should consider applying.
Jeff Sanders
BJCP Certified
I’m certainly not going to be posting from class, if that’s what you were wondering. Mainly, I was just hoping to talk a bit about what the classes are like for anyone who might be interested, and talk about what we tasted.
I’m actually heading to the Rite Aid in a bit to pick up “school supplies” so I’m ready to take notes.
We are scheduled to finish class sometime in mid May, so I won’t be ready for competitions by April unless they’re accepting apprentice judges.
[...] in March, I posted about the beginnings of my BJCP study course adventure. I wrote about how I didn’t intend to become a beer judge, how I felt that blind adherence to [...]