mba March 2006

mba@thebarn.com

20 participants
50 discussions

Water make-up in Twin Cities area (Document)

by jeff＠truthbrew.com

I called Inver Grove Heights and was able to obtain the needed values. I have updated the word document and attached it to this e-mail. I also used Promash to calc the values for Ca & Mg from the hardness, let me know if they seem out of line or I did something wrong. Strangely, I calced the Alkalinity using promash (input values were Hardness and pH) and the values were way off from what was given to me by the city. Please update your city if you have reliable sources. Then mail back to the clubs. I will post this on sphbc.org soon. Thanks for the info guys! Jeff Halvorson SPHBC

19 years, 3 months

FW: March Madness Results

by Al Boyce

Lots of MhBA winners at March Mashness, and several from the CURRENT BJCP class members! WATCH OUT old-timers - they're gunning for you! ;-D Best of Show First Runner Up Sean Hewitt Inver Grove Heights, MN Minnesota Homebrewers Association Old Ale Second Runner Up Ron Lockhart St. Paul, MN Minnesota Home Brewers Association California Common Beer Pale Lagers & Light Ales Bronze Ron Lockhart St. Paul, MN Minnesota Home Brewers Association Standard American Lager Dark Lagers Gold G.L. Exire LaTour Minneapolis, MN Minnesota Home Brewers Association Schwarzbier Hybrids Gold Ron Lockhart St. Paul, MN Minnesota Home Brewers Association California Common Beer English and India Pale Ales Gold Aaron Lagas, Wilbur Ince & Mike Koch Minneapolis, MN Minnesota Home Brewers Association American IPA American Ale Gold Chris Smith, Jon Messier & Corrine Dallas Minneapolis, MN Minnesota Homebrewers Association American Pale Ale Stouts Gold Ron Lockhart St. Paul, MN Minnesota Homebrewers Association Imperial Stout German Wheat Beer Silver Sean Hewitt Inver Grove Heights, MN Minnesota Homebrewers Association Dunkelweizen Belgian & French Beers Gold G.L. Exire LaTour Minneapolis, MN Minnesota Homebrewers Association Saison Strong Belgian Ales Silver Jon Messier Minneapolis, MN Minnesota Homebrewers Association Belgian Dubbel Strong Ales Gold Sean Hewitt Inver Grove Heights, MN Minnesota Homebrewers Association Old Ale Fruit Beers Gold Sean Hewitt Inver Grove Heights, MN Minnesota Homebrewers Assocication Fruit Beer Vegetable,Spice,Herb Gold G.L. Exire LaTour Minneapolis, MN Minnesota Homebrewers Assocication Spice Bronze Mark Bohrer St Louis Park, MN Minnesota Homebrewers Assocication Spice Eclectic Beers Silver G.L. Exire LaTour Minneapolis, MN Minnesota Homebrewers Assocication Specialty Beer Mead Silver Sean Hewitt Inver Grove Heights, MN Minnesota Homebrewers Association Dry Mead Bronze Sean and Michelle Hewitt Inver Grove Heights, MN Minnesota Homebrewers Association Other Fruit Melomel Cider Bronze Mark Bohrer St Louis Park, MN Minnesota Homebrewers Association French Cider Congratulations! - Al -----Original Message----- From: Gera Exire La Tour [mailto:gera_latour@hotmail.com] Sent: Monday, March 27, 2006 7:53 PM http://www.cloudytownbrewers.org/competition/comp06awards.php Congratulations to everyone.

19 years, 8 months

RE: [BJCP Board] RE: Changes to BJCP exam

by Houseman, David L

Mike, We are certifying people to be judges. But we're having to measure people somewhat indirectly. This has been a debate for a long time. In the end we agreed that a written and tasting exam, coupled with experience is the only practical way we can conduct certifications. We've even considered having examinees sit for a verbal Q&A and tastings in front of the Grand Masters, sort of like doctoral exams, but rejected that one. Not everyone who scores well on the written exam will be a good judge. Not everyone who is a good judge scored well on the exam. But it's the process we have. Changes to the exam are taking place to hopefully fix some elements of the testing. We have Ed Wolfe leading that committee. He's an expert in standardized testing, was a post-doc at the Education Testing Service and is a professor in this area at Va Tech. So the exam comes with some degree of expertise and validation. There's no point in carrying on a debate on this topic. But I will suggest that you can do well on the exam without quoting a single OG or FG. Certainly not get a 90 but easily pass. Mike you ARE a judge as far as the BJCP is concerned. You are an Apprentice. Your tasting score was quite good. So why not judge? At some point you may want to retake the exam to get a higher score, so accumulate the judge points; they will allow you to move up as you get higher scores. There is nothing to prevent you from judging now. Dave ________________________________ From: Mike Behrendt [mailto:MGBehrendt@mn.rr.com] Sent: Friday, March 31, 2006 2:58 PM To: Houseman, David L Cc: BJCP_Board(a)yahoogroups.com; mba(a)thebarn.com; mnbrewers(a)yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [BJCP Board] RE: Changes to BJCP exam Dave, I've been Head Steward for about 6 very large competitions over the last few years and we're proud that the Upper Mississippi Mashout is one of the largest in the country. We've also done a first round of the Nationals. Both of these are around 500-600 entries, so that's lots of experience. A common request is to have more copies of the guidelines on the tables, so while you may look up a detail 'now and then', Most judges do refer to them quite often to 'match the beer they are judging with the guidelines'. And I've passed the tasting part, so that's not the issue here. My concern is not 'aiding those who may not perform well on essay'. I can probably out-write most people on familiar subjects. My concern is the requirement to memorize so much information for the exam. OG's, FG's, etc. What you're doing is giving out degrees in brewing knowledge. You are NOT certifying people to judge competitions. If you are, then it's a pretty poor job. Just do a review of some completed forms. I've got one that says 'no significant flaws found' and has a score in the low 30s. If there is no significant flaw, the score should be much higher. The judge just wasn't very capable. Test people on matching the guidelines to real beer in a competition environment. Test people on their ability to pick out the flaws, even if they have to look up what the fix is. That's where time needs to be spent. I have no issue with the judging forms or what they ask for. My only issue is to get real about what needs to be memorized for the written part of the exam. Yes, the flash cards are terrific! One of our club members created them. The Study Guide is also good but Al's informal guide is absolutely fabulous! Finally, please don't take the elitist attitude that some judges have about the Stewards and other competition staff. Your comment that 'judging isn't for everyone' sounds like a put down. Yes, all sorts of help is needed to run a competition. What's disappointing, to me, is the quality of the judging, so let's get it better by focusing on what's important. I'm looking forward to seeing the revised exam. It's nice that some of my comments are making an impact. Cheers! //Mike Behrendt MGBehrendt(a)mn.rr.com Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others. Groucho Marx Houseman, David L wrote: While the form of the exam is changing, aiding those who may not perform as well on essay as other forms of questions, the basic content isn't changing, at least not significantly. From time to time we do get questions about why one would need to know these things when judging is essentially open book. But that's not really true. Sure, we all look up a detail now and then during judging -- very few memorize the styles completely, and I'm not one of them --- but when judging effectively, one can't be reading the style guidelines and trying to match the beer they are judging with the guidelines; we have to know and understand the styles. With only 10-12 minutes to judge and provide feedback for each beer, judges need to really know the material going into the session and then refer to the guidelines only to refresh memory or to look up some fine points. Similarly, in order to provide good feedback, knowledge of recipe formulation, all-grain as well as extract brewing, hops, water, malts and what can (and will) go wrong with beers needs to be understood by the judge so that the judge can correctly help the brewer understand what when wrong and how to fix it. Yes, we could change judging so that there is no written feedback, only judging like a best of show round. This is more or less what we do at the GABF. But there we're still judging up to 12+ beers in a session; time is an issue. And the judges need to understand the subtleties of the styles and what's right and wrong with the beers. Sometimes it does come down to the fine points. There are effective study aids for those that want to take/re-take the exam. Flash cards are a great help, and thanks to one of our members, they are available on the web site. The study guide has essentially all the questions, in one form or another. As Al says, it's more difficult to achieve a high score on the exam, but we try to give examinees the benefit of the doubt wherever possible, so passing isn't that difficult. And if one takes the exam but doesn't pass, they are then in our database as a member of the BJCP and do earn judging points when judging. Hopefully the exam changes will encourage more people to study and take the BJCP exam. But judging isn't for everyone. Clubs and competitions need all sorts of help as stewards and staff. Dave Houseman BJCP Competition Director -----Original Message----- From: BJCP_Board(a)yahoogroups.com [mailto:BJCP_Board@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of aboyce(a)mn.rr.com Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2006 6:07 PM To: mba(a)thebarn.com; mnbrewers(a)yahoogroups.com Subject: [BJCP Board] RE: Changes to BJCP exam Mike- Thanks for your thoughts on the BJCP exam. Actually, there IS a large-scale revamping of the exam going on, so the BJCP must be listening to people like you! :-D I just don't see why memorizing stuff about the history of each category should be part of this when judges have the guidelines... I think if you had said "memorizing stuff about OG, FG and IBUs" instead of "history" you would have made a more valid point. But you DON'T need to have the history of the style memorized to get a passing score of 60 on the BJCP exam. To advance further in the program you probably would. At the higher levels, the BJCP expects that a judge could CONVERSE about world beer styles WITHOUT having a book in front of them. The new exam will be implemented in phases... the FIRST phase, does just what you suggest - Are you certifying judges or giving out degrees in brewing? ... it replaces the "Boiling wort" question with a selection of T/F questions about Judging ethics and Best Practices in competitions. Also, the first phase attempts to cut down on the writing element by supplying three short lines for the "Purposes of the BJCP", and an empty grid to be filled out with the judging ranks. The reason for keeping this section was a belief that a person in the BJCP should know at least the purpose of the organization s/he is about to join, and a minimal understanding of how judges advance. ...but I'll not try to memorize how to describe and differentiate between the beers of Edinburgh, London and Burton. Proposed changes in PHASE TWO of the exam are to replace the "world beers" question with four judging sheets, asking the candidate to write a "perfect" scoresheet for four different beer styles. This attempts to implement what you suggest, testing further whether a candidate can write good score sheets. I especially don't care about creating an all-grain recipe as I've done well enough with extract and grains and will stay with that. I feel that, even though you've chosen not to be an all-grain brewer, I feel understanding the PRINCIPLES of all-grain brewing, and understanding that some flavor characteristics DO HAPPEN when choosing your grist, accomplishing crushing, and selecting your mashing technique can and DO make you a better judge. I think that's the purpose of this question - not necessarily to convert you to all-grain. We can continue this at the meeting on Saturday if you like. I'll forward your comments on to the committee that is researching the new exam. - Al Original Message: ----------------- From: Mike Behrendt MGBehrendt(a)mn.rr.com Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2006 16:22:33 -0600 To: mba(a)thebarn.com Subject: [Fwd: Re: BJCP Points Recorded] Hi Folks! Just had some of Surly's beer at the opening of the Hometown MiniTour at Old Chicago. Get out there and support a new local brewery! The staff are also great people - Omar and Todd in particular! So, drinking Surly goes along with the kind of week I'm having with one particular project at work, and that's all I'll say about work in a beer related email. But, then I got a note about the points I earned as Head Steward for MCAB and I got my little lecture going about the value of the written exam for BJCP. I've only heard people agree with me in one-on-one conversations and thought, gee, what does the whole club think? Or, just the members who respond to email because work is slow or they love computers. Now then, take a minute and put your thoughts together and let the BJCP know........that's the only way it will get changed. Or, if you think I'm wrong, let me know and I'll just keep brewing, drinking and sit quietly in the corner (with a good beer, of course). Cheers! -------- Original Message -------- Subject: Re: BJCP Points Recorded Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2006 15:28:06 -0600 From: Mike Behrendt <MGBehrendt(a)mn.rr.com> <mailto:MGBehrendt@mn.rr.com> To: BJCP Program Administrator <program_admin(a)bjcp.org> <mailto:program_admin@bjcp.org> References: <20060329200036.29816.qmail(a)morebeer.com> <mailto:20060329200036.29816.qmail@morebeer.com> thanks! Now someone needs to convince me that I should retake the written part of the exam.........I still believe it goes way beyond qualifying people to be competition judges...........I've passed that part. I just don't see why memorizing stuff about the history of each category, etc., etc., should be part of this when judges have the guidelines and any other material open at a competition if they need to know it. I've brewed for enough year and have enough medals. And some of the score sheets I get show that you should emphasize better tasting ability than essay writing. You're not focusing on the correct issues. Scores of high 30's with comments of 'no serious flaws' just doesn't cut it. So, I'll continue to brew and help out as a Head Steward, but I'll not try to memorize how to describe and differentiate between the beers of Edinburgh, London and Burton. I especially don't care about creating an all-grain recipe as I've done well enough with extract and grains and will stay with that. So, I'd suggest a revamping of the exam and perhaps your whole purpose in the judging of homebrewing. Are you certifying judges or giving out degrees in brewing? I'm open for any conversations on this. Just provide some good beer at the same time. Cheers! //Mike Behrendt MGBehrendt(a)mn.rr.com Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others. Groucho Marx BJCP Program Administrator wrote: Dear Michael Behrendt, The competition organizer has submitted 0 judging point(s) and 1.5 non-judging point(s) in your name for "MCAB VIII". These points will appear in your judge record when the next update cycle is published to the web. -- //Mike Behrendt MGBehrendt(a)mn.rr.com Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others. Groucho Marx -------------------------------------------------------------------- mail2web - Check your email from the web at http://mail2web.com/ . Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BJCP_Board/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: BJCP_Board-unsubscribe(a)yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

19 years, 8 months

RE: [BJCP Board] RE: Changes to BJCP exam

by Houseman, David L

While the form of the exam is changing, aiding those who may not perform as well on essay as other forms of questions, the basic content isn't changing, at least not significantly. From time to time we do get questions about why one would need to know these things when judging is essentially open book. But that's not really true. Sure, we all look up a detail now and then during judging -- very few memorize the styles completely, and I'm not one of them --- but when judging effectively, one can't be reading the style guidelines and trying to match the beer they are judging with the guidelines; we have to know and understand the styles. With only 10-12 minutes to judge and provide feedback for each beer, judges need to really know the material going into the session and then refer to the guidelines only to refresh memory or to look up some fine points. Similarly, in order to provide good feedback, knowledge of recipe formulation, all-grain as well as extract brewing, hops, water, malts and what can (and will) go wrong with beers needs to be understood by the judge so that the judge can correctly help the brewer understand what when wrong and how to fix it. Yes, we could change judging so that there is no written feedback, only judging like a best of show round. This is more or less what we do at the GABF. But there we're still judging up to 12+ beers in a session; time is an issue. And the judges need to understand the subtleties of the styles and what's right and wrong with the beers. Sometimes it does come down to the fine points. There are effective study aids for those that want to take/re-take the exam. Flash cards are a great help, and thanks to one of our members, they are available on the web site. The study guide has essentially all the questions, in one form or another. As Al says, it's more difficult to achieve a high score on the exam, but we try to give examinees the benefit of the doubt wherever possible, so passing isn't that difficult. And if one takes the exam but doesn't pass, they are then in our database as a member of the BJCP and do earn judging points when judging. Hopefully the exam changes will encourage more people to study and take the BJCP exam. But judging isn't for everyone. Clubs and competitions need all sorts of help as stewards and staff. Dave Houseman BJCP Competition Director -----Original Message----- From: BJCP_Board(a)yahoogroups.com [mailto:BJCP_Board@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of aboyce(a)mn.rr.com Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2006 6:07 PM To: mba(a)thebarn.com; mnbrewers(a)yahoogroups.com Subject: [BJCP Board] RE: Changes to BJCP exam Mike- Thanks for your thoughts on the BJCP exam. Actually, there IS a large-scale revamping of the exam going on, so the BJCP must be listening to people like you! :-D >>I just don't see why memorizing stuff about the history of each >>category should be part of this when judges have the guidelines... I think if you had said "memorizing stuff about OG, FG and IBUs" instead of "history" you would have made a more valid point. But you DON'T need to have the history of the style memorized to get a passing score of 60 on the BJCP exam. To advance further in the program you probably would. At the higher levels, the BJCP expects that a judge could CONVERSE about world beer styles WITHOUT having a book in front of them. The new exam will be implemented in phases... the FIRST phase, does just what you suggest - >>Are you certifying judges or giving out degrees in brewing? ... it replaces the "Boiling wort" question with a selection of T/F questions about Judging ethics and Best Practices in competitions. Also, the first phase attempts to cut down on the writing element by supplying three short lines for the "Purposes of the BJCP", and an empty grid to be filled out with the judging ranks. The reason for keeping this section was a belief that a person in the BJCP should know at least the purpose of the organization s/he is about to join, and a minimal understanding of how judges advance. >>...but I'll not try to memorize how to describe and differentiate >>between the beers of Edinburgh, London and Burton. Proposed changes in PHASE TWO of the exam are to replace the "world beers" question with four judging sheets, asking the candidate to write a "perfect" scoresheet for four different beer styles. This attempts to implement what you suggest, testing further whether a candidate can write good score sheets. >>I especially don't care about creating an all-grain recipe as I've >>done well enough with extract and grains and will stay with that. I feel that, even though you've chosen not to be an all-grain brewer, I feel understanding the PRINCIPLES of all-grain brewing, and understanding that some flavor characteristics DO HAPPEN when choosing your grist, accomplishing crushing, and selecting your mashing technique can and DO make you a better judge. I think that's the purpose of this question - not necessarily to convert you to all-grain. We can continue this at the meeting on Saturday if you like. I'll forward your comments on to the committee that is researching the new exam. - Al Original Message: ----------------- From: Mike Behrendt MGBehrendt(a)mn.rr.com Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2006 16:22:33 -0600 To: mba(a)thebarn.com Subject: [Fwd: Re: BJCP Points Recorded] Hi Folks! Just had some of Surly's beer at the opening of the Hometown MiniTour at Old Chicago. Get out there and support a new local brewery! The staff are also great people - Omar and Todd in particular! So, drinking Surly goes along with the kind of week I'm having with one particular project at work, and that's all I'll say about work in a beer related email. But, then I got a note about the points I earned as Head Steward for MCAB and I got my little lecture going about the value of the written exam for BJCP. I've only heard people agree with me in one-on-one conversations and thought, gee, what does the whole club think? Or, just the members who respond to email because work is slow or they love computers. Now then, take a minute and put your thoughts together and let the BJCP know........that's the only way it will get changed. Or, if you think I'm wrong, let me know and I'll just keep brewing, drinking and sit quietly in the corner (with a good beer, of course). Cheers! -------- Original Message -------- Subject: Re: BJCP Points Recorded Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2006 15:28:06 -0600 From: Mike Behrendt <MGBehrendt(a)mn.rr.com> To: BJCP Program Administrator <program_admin(a)bjcp.org> References: <20060329200036.29816.qmail(a)morebeer.com> thanks! Now someone needs to convince me that I should retake the written part of the exam.........I still believe it goes way beyond qualifying people to be competition judges...........I've passed that part. I just don't see why memorizing stuff about the history of each category, etc., etc., should be part of this when judges have the guidelines and any other material open at a competition if they need to know it. I've brewed for enough year and have enough medals. And some of the score sheets I get show that you should emphasize better tasting ability than essay writing. You're not focusing on the correct issues. Scores of high 30's with comments of 'no serious flaws' just doesn't cut it. So, I'll continue to brew and help out as a Head Steward, but I'll not try to memorize how to describe and differentiate between the beers of Edinburgh, London and Burton. I especially don't care about creating an all-grain recipe as I've done well enough with extract and grains and will stay with that. So, I'd suggest a revamping of the exam and perhaps your whole purpose in the judging of homebrewing. Are you certifying judges or giving out degrees in brewing? I'm open for any conversations on this. Just provide some good beer at the same time. Cheers! //Mike Behrendt MGBehrendt(a)mn.rr.com Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others. Groucho Marx BJCP Program Administrator wrote: >Dear Michael Behrendt, >The competition organizer has submitted 0 judging point(s) and 1.5 non-judging point(s) in your name for "MCAB VIII". These points will appear in your judge record when the next update cycle is published to the web. > > > > -- //Mike Behrendt MGBehrendt(a)mn.rr.com Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others. Groucho Marx -------------------------------------------------------------------- mail2web - Check your email from the web at http://mail2web.com/ . Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BJCP_Board/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: BJCP_Board-unsubscribe(a)yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

19 years, 8 months

FW: Arborfest Tickets now on Sale

by aboyce＠mn.rr.com

Original Message: ----------------- From: Barley John's Brew Pub info(a)barleyjohns.com Date: Fri, 31 Mar 2006 09:31:04 -0600 To: aboyce(a)mn.rr.com Subject: Arborfest Tickets now on Sale ***************************************************************** Barley John's Brew Pub Newsletter: ***************************************************************** Tickets are now on sale for a new Springtime beer festival: Arborfest! Arborfest is a Regional Craft beer tasting featuring all the beers you know and love together under one roof for your enjoyment. Spend time with fellow beer lovers and chat with the brewers about the beers they craft. Arborfest is Thursday, May 4th from 5:30-9pm. Purchase tickets online at: www.ticketworks.com Or purchase in person at Barley John's Brew Pub, Great Waters Brewing Co., and Town Hall Brewery. Where: Arborfest will be held on the campus of Macalaster College in the Kagin Commons building. Kagin commons is located between Snelling and Grand right on the Macalaster campus. Ticket Info: Tickets are $40 and include a commemorative tasting glass, a substantial food spread, music throughout the event, and of course 35+ different beers from 10+ different breweries and brew pubs. Participating Breweries: Barley Johns Brew Pub, Bell's, Fitgers Brewhouse, Finnegans, Great Waters Brewing Co., Rock Bottom Brewery, Rush River Brewing, Summit Brewing Co., Surly Brewering Co., Town Hall Brewery Arborfest is a fundraiser to help the Family Tree Clinic of St. Paul with its yearly operating costs. $30 of the ticket price is tax deductable as a charitable donation. For more information visit the official website: www.familytreeclinic.org/arborfest/ --------------------------------------------------------------------- Questions? Comments? Email the Brewers : brewers(a)barleyjohns.com! As always feel free to pass word of this list on. We are in the process of developing the Pub List and if you know anyone that may be interested feel free to send this email along. Just go to the link below to get on the Pub List! Sign Me Up for the Pub List: http://www.barleyjohns.com If you would like to be removed from this list, send an email to: info(a)barleyjohns.com with "unsubscribe" in the subject field ---------------------------------------------------------------------- - © 2005-2006 Barley John's Brew Pub -------------------------------------------------------------------- mail2web - Check your email from the web at http://mail2web.com/ .

19 years, 8 months

Re: MN State bill to allow brewpubs to sell to distributors

by allan.boyce＠usbank.com

----- Forwarded by Allan V Boyce/MN/USB on 03/30/2006 09:18 AM ----- "David Berg" <bergbrew(a)juno.com> Sent by: owner-mcbg(a)mncraftbrew.org 03/30/2006 07:32 AM To mcbg(a)mncraftbrew.org cc Subject Greetings All- Ryan at mnbeer.com asked me to comment on some things that have been floating around the internet, and I guess it's easier to tell everyone at the same time. The MCBG has been working on a bill that would allow brewpubs to sell beer to distributors. What this would mean to the consumers is the opportunity to have beer from, let's say Fitger's, at bars in Minneapolis. What a novel idea, huh, market access? I credit the folks at Fitger's for all their hard work on the issue (I, in fact, had very little to do with it). The bill was sponsored by Sen Solon in Duluth. The bill had support from brewpubs, the wholesalers, and Summit was very helpful in arranging meetings between Fitgers/Wholesalers Association. The Dept of Public safety also had no issues with it. The bill passed through a subcommittee with no opposition. It was slated to be added to the liquor omnibus bill, which in my experience, is almost sure to get a green light. Unfortunately, on Monday, opposition occurred from the place we least expected it. Two production breweries in Minnesota (neither of which are members of the Guild) got involved and got Sen Solon to change her mind on the bill she had written. I am not sure the rationale behind the opposition, just as I was confused at the time when the same people opposed the original growler law. I have been told, but this may be only conjecture, that it was desired to add to the bill language that would allow breweries to sell pints of beer at their premises. I immediately had flashbacks of 2001, when we tried to get such a bill passed--we got slaughtered. And I'm not being melodramatic--it was the kind of mind-numbing drubbing that makes you go underground for a couple of years wondering how you could have been so stupid in the first place. Our opposition at the time included: the Beer Wholesalers, Minnesota Licensed Beverage Assoc, MADD, numerous bars, liquor stores, the Dept of Public Safety, and the Teamsters! I didn't want to relive that battle. It's not that I don't think it's a grand idea, I just don't think it currently has a chance of winning. On top of that, our production brewery members don't want it for very valid reasons. So where does this leave us? Well, there's always next year. That's where all of you come in. We'll be needing you to contact your Sen/Reps to say you support giving market access to the brewpubs. I'm quite confident we can get this bill passed, if we can focus on this issue and not include issues that will spell doom for the bill. In closing, I'd just like to ask you that you not act irrationally about the events that have taken place. I've heard people say the word "boycott" a little too quickly, and I don't think that will benefit anyone. Breweries in Minnesota, whether they are members of the Guild or not, have worked incredibly hard against some rather archaic laws to produce good beer and get it into your hands, and they all deserve your full support. I've seen too many breweries close since I've been back in Minnesota--I don't need to see any more. Sorry for the long post, and as always, thanks for supporting Minnesota Breweries. David Berg Head Brewer, Bandana Brewery President, Minnesota Craft Brewer's Guild http://www.mncraftbrew.org ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Electronic Privacy Notice. This e-mail, and any attachments, contains information that is, or may be, covered by electronic communications privacy laws, and is also confidential and proprietary in nature. If you are not the intended recipient, please be advised that you are legally prohibited from retaining, using, copying, distributing, or otherwise disclosing this information in any manner. Instead, please reply to the sender that you have received this communication in error, and then immediately delete it. Thank you in advance for your cooperation. ==============================================================================

19 years, 8 months

RE: [BJCP Board] RE: Changes to BJCP exam

by Rick Oftel

I propose we consider supplementing the style guidelines with a GUI. Sort of a control chart or bar graph type of flashcard for beer style guidelines. All the components of a beer (malt level, complexity, hop to malt balance, hop flavor, og, mouthfeel, etc) are typically described in a somewhat wordy fashion that is easy to understand at the beginning of the first flight and easy to forget at beer #12, flight #3. The graphical user interface would convert these words to numbers and showcase the "picture of flavor" in an instant. It could be used as an analytical tool to turn some of our subjective observations into more objective criteria. One of my greatest challenges with beer competitions and the main reason I stopped entering is the outlier brewers that consistently win medals and advance to BOS. These are the guys and gals that enter a Northern Brown with OG of 1.060 or IPA @ 1.080 with fifteen types of specialty malt The flashcard profile could actually be used like control chart and force judges to "reign in" some of our over the top beers by providing max and min control limits. True, the essay test portion is important and helps ensure we are able to provide clear descriptions on very small lines but some of us simply do not have the ability to write longhand for 3+ hours and move our hands after the ordeal. I would gladly study for and re-take the exam if I could use a typewriter! Sorry for venting. You guys caught me during morning coffee. Rick Oftel -----Original Message----- From: mba-bounce(a)thebarn.com [mailto:mba-bounce@thebarn.com] On Behalf Of Houseman, David L Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2006 5:27 PM To: BJCP_Board(a)yahoogroups.com; mba(a)thebarn.com; mnbrewers(a)yahoogroups.com; MGBehrendt(a)mn.rr.com Subject: RE: [BJCP Board] RE: Changes to BJCP exam While the form of the exam is changing, aiding those who may not perform as well on essay as other forms of questions, the basic content isn't changing, at least not significantly. From time to time we do get questions about why one would need to know these things when judging is essentially open book. But that's not really true. Sure, we all look up a detail now and then during judging -- very few memorize the styles completely, and I'm not one of them --- but when judging effectively, one can't be reading the style guidelines and trying to match the beer they are judging with the guidelines; we have to know and understand the styles. With only 10-12 minutes to judge and provide feedback for each beer, judges need to really know the material going into the session and then refer to the guidelines only to refresh memory or to look up some fine points. Similarly, in order to provide good feedback, knowledge of recipe formulation, all-grain as well as extract brewing, hops, water, malts and what can (and will) go wrong with beers needs to be understood by the judge so that the judge can correctly help the brewer understand what when wrong and how to fix it. Yes, we could change judging so that there is no written feedback, only judging like a best of show round. This is more or less what we do at the GABF. But there we're still judging up to 12+ beers in a session; time is an issue. And the judges need to understand the subtleties of the styles and what's right and wrong with the beers. Sometimes it does come down to the fine points. There are effective study aids for those that want to take/re-take the exam. Flash cards are a great help, and thanks to one of our members, they are available on the web site. The study guide has essentially all the questions, in one form or another. As Al says, it's more difficult to achieve a high score on the exam, but we try to give examinees the benefit of the doubt wherever possible, so passing isn't that difficult. And if one takes the exam but doesn't pass, they are then in our database as a member of the BJCP and do earn judging points when judging. Hopefully the exam changes will encourage more people to study and take the BJCP exam. But judging isn't for everyone. Clubs and competitions need all sorts of help as stewards and staff. Dave Houseman BJCP Competition Director -----Original Message----- From: BJCP_Board(a)yahoogroups.com [mailto:BJCP_Board@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of aboyce(a)mn.rr.com Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2006 6:07 PM To: mba(a)thebarn.com; mnbrewers(a)yahoogroups.com Subject: [BJCP Board] RE: Changes to BJCP exam Mike- Thanks for your thoughts on the BJCP exam. Actually, there IS a large-scale revamping of the exam going on, so the BJCP must be listening to people like you! :-D >>I just don't see why memorizing stuff about the history of each >>category should be part of this when judges have the guidelines... I think if you had said "memorizing stuff about OG, FG and IBUs" instead of "history" you would have made a more valid point. But you DON'T need to have the history of the style memorized to get a passing score of 60 on the BJCP exam. To advance further in the program you probably would. At the higher levels, the BJCP expects that a judge could CONVERSE about world beer styles WITHOUT having a book in front of them. The new exam will be implemented in phases... the FIRST phase, does just what you suggest - >>Are you certifying judges or giving out degrees in brewing? ... it replaces the "Boiling wort" question with a selection of T/F questions about Judging ethics and Best Practices in competitions. Also, the first phase attempts to cut down on the writing element by supplying three short lines for the "Purposes of the BJCP", and an empty grid to be filled out with the judging ranks. The reason for keeping this section was a belief that a person in the BJCP should know at least the purpose of the organization s/he is about to join, and a minimal understanding of how judges advance. >>...but I'll not try to memorize how to describe and differentiate >>between the beers of Edinburgh, London and Burton. Proposed changes in PHASE TWO of the exam are to replace the "world beers" question with four judging sheets, asking the candidate to write a "perfect" scoresheet for four different beer styles. This attempts to implement what you suggest, testing further whether a candidate can write good score sheets. >>I especially don't care about creating an all-grain recipe as I've >>done well enough with extract and grains and will stay with that. I feel that, even though you've chosen not to be an all-grain brewer, I feel understanding the PRINCIPLES of all-grain brewing, and understanding that some flavor characteristics DO HAPPEN when choosing your grist, accomplishing crushing, and selecting your mashing technique can and DO make you a better judge. I think that's the purpose of this question - not necessarily to convert you to all-grain. We can continue this at the meeting on Saturday if you like. I'll forward your comments on to the committee that is researching the new exam. - Al Original Message: ----------------- From: Mike Behrendt MGBehrendt(a)mn.rr.com Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2006 16:22:33 -0600 To: mba(a)thebarn.com Subject: [Fwd: Re: BJCP Points Recorded] Hi Folks! Just had some of Surly's beer at the opening of the Hometown MiniTour at Old Chicago. Get out there and support a new local brewery! The staff are also great people - Omar and Todd in particular! So, drinking Surly goes along with the kind of week I'm having with one particular project at work, and that's all I'll say about work in a beer related email. But, then I got a note about the points I earned as Head Steward for MCAB and I got my little lecture going about the value of the written exam for BJCP. I've only heard people agree with me in one-on-one conversations and thought, gee, what does the whole club think? Or, just the members who respond to email because work is slow or they love computers. Now then, take a minute and put your thoughts together and let the BJCP know........that's the only way it will get changed. Or, if you think I'm wrong, let me know and I'll just keep brewing, drinking and sit quietly in the corner (with a good beer, of course). Cheers! -------- Original Message -------- Subject: Re: BJCP Points Recorded Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2006 15:28:06 -0600 From: Mike Behrendt <MGBehrendt(a)mn.rr.com> To: BJCP Program Administrator <program_admin(a)bjcp.org> References: <20060329200036.29816.qmail(a)morebeer.com> thanks! Now someone needs to convince me that I should retake the written part of the exam.........I still believe it goes way beyond qualifying people to be competition judges...........I've passed that part. I just don't see why memorizing stuff about the history of each category, etc., etc., should be part of this when judges have the guidelines and any other material open at a competition if they need to know it. I've brewed for enough year and have enough medals. And some of the score sheets I get show that you should emphasize better tasting ability than essay writing. You're not focusing on the correct issues. Scores of high 30's with comments of 'no serious flaws' just doesn't cut it. So, I'll continue to brew and help out as a Head Steward, but I'll not try to memorize how to describe and differentiate between the beers of Edinburgh, London and Burton. I especially don't care about creating an all-grain recipe as I've done well enough with extract and grains and will stay with that. So, I'd suggest a revamping of the exam and perhaps your whole purpose in the judging of homebrewing. Are you certifying judges or giving out degrees in brewing? I'm open for any conversations on this. Just provide some good beer at the same time. Cheers! //Mike Behrendt MGBehrendt(a)mn.rr.com Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others. Groucho Marx BJCP Program Administrator wrote: >Dear Michael Behrendt, >The competition organizer has submitted 0 judging point(s) and 1.5 non-judging point(s) in your name for "MCAB VIII". These points will appear in your judge record when the next update cycle is published to the web. > > > > -- //Mike Behrendt MGBehrendt(a)mn.rr.com Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others. Groucho Marx -------------------------------------------------------------------- mail2web - Check your email from the web at http://mail2web.com/ . Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BJCP_Board/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: BJCP_Board-unsubscribe(a)yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

19 years, 8 months

Fw: MN hot luck dinner - BJCP Exam update

by Al Boyce

The April issue of The Boiler incorrectly states the date of the Hot Luck Dinner in the calendar section - the correct information is listed below. Thanks to Gary Sinnen for the correction. Also, the date of the BJCP exam is incorrectly listed in the calendar . It should be April 29. See you all at the club meeting at the CPSP Hall (383 Michigan St, St. Paul) on Saturday, April 1 - noon-3pm! - Al 6th Annual Minnesota Hot Luck Dinner "Food With an Attitude" 12:00 noon April 23rd 2006 West of the twin cities at Floyd's Bar in Victoria MN At the only stop light in Victoria 14 miles west of hwy 494 on hwy 5 (exit 11c) Feel free to bring your favorite spicy dish to share or try something new with a $5 donation for Sharing and Caring Hands. There will be door prizes and products to sample. Bring your appetite and a friend. COME AND EAT THE HEAT!! EVERYONE WELCOME!!!!

19 years, 8 months

RE: Changes to BJCP exam

by aboyce＠mn.rr.com

Mike- Thanks for your thoughts on the BJCP exam. Actually, there IS a large-scale revamping of the exam going on, so the BJCP must be listening to people like you! :-D >>I just don't see why memorizing stuff about the history of each category should be part of this when judges have the guidelines... I think if you had said "memorizing stuff about OG, FG and IBUs" instead of "history" you would have made a more valid point. But you DON'T need to have the history of the style memorized to get a passing score of 60 on the BJCP exam. To advance further in the program you probably would. At the higher levels, the BJCP expects that a judge could CONVERSE about world beer styles WITHOUT having a book in front of them. The new exam will be implemented in phases... the FIRST phase, does just what you suggest - >>Are you certifying judges or giving out degrees in brewing? ... it replaces the "Boiling wort" question with a selection of T/F questions about Judging ethics and Best Practices in competitions. Also, the first phase attempts to cut down on the writing element by supplying three short lines for the "Purposes of the BJCP", and an empty grid to be filled out with the judging ranks. The reason for keeping this section was a belief that a person in the BJCP should know at least the purpose of the organization s/he is about to join, and a minimal understanding of how judges advance. >>...but I'll not try to memorize how to describe and differentiate between the beers of Edinburgh, London and Burton. Proposed changes in PHASE TWO of the exam are to replace the "world beers" question with four judging sheets, asking the candidate to write a "perfect" scoresheet for four different beer styles. This attempts to implement what you suggest, testing further whether a candidate can write good score sheets. >>I especially don't care about creating an all-grain recipe as I've done well enough with extract and grains and will stay with that. I feel that, even though you've chosen not to be an all-grain brewer, I feel understanding the PRINCIPLES of all-grain brewing, and understanding that some flavor characteristics DO HAPPEN when choosing your grist, accomplishing crushing, and selecting your mashing technique can and DO make you a better judge. I think that's the purpose of this question - not necessarily to convert you to all-grain. We can continue this at the meeting on Saturday if you like. I'll forward your comments on to the committee that is researching the new exam. - Al Original Message: ----------------- From: Mike Behrendt MGBehrendt(a)mn.rr.com Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2006 16:22:33 -0600 To: mba(a)thebarn.com Subject: [Fwd: Re: BJCP Points Recorded] Hi Folks! Just had some of Surly's beer at the opening of the Hometown MiniTour at Old Chicago. Get out there and support a new local brewery! The staff are also great people - Omar and Todd in particular! So, drinking Surly goes along with the kind of week I'm having with one particular project at work, and that's all I'll say about work in a beer related email. But, then I got a note about the points I earned as Head Steward for MCAB and I got my little lecture going about the value of the written exam for BJCP. I've only heard people agree with me in one-on-one conversations and thought, gee, what does the whole club think? Or, just the members who respond to email because work is slow or they love computers. Now then, take a minute and put your thoughts together and let the BJCP know........that's the only way it will get changed. Or, if you think I'm wrong, let me know and I'll just keep brewing, drinking and sit quietly in the corner (with a good beer, of course). Cheers! -------- Original Message -------- Subject: Re: BJCP Points Recorded Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2006 15:28:06 -0600 From: Mike Behrendt <MGBehrendt(a)mn.rr.com> To: BJCP Program Administrator <program_admin(a)bjcp.org> References: <20060329200036.29816.qmail(a)morebeer.com> thanks! Now someone needs to convince me that I should retake the written part of the exam.........I still believe it goes way beyond qualifying people to be competition judges...........I've passed that part. I just don't see why memorizing stuff about the history of each category, etc., etc., should be part of this when judges have the guidelines and any other material open at a competition if they need to know it. I've brewed for enough year and have enough medals. And some of the score sheets I get show that you should emphasize better tasting ability than essay writing. You're not focusing on the correct issues. Scores of high 30's with comments of 'no serious flaws' just doesn't cut it. So, I'll continue to brew and help out as a Head Steward, but I'll not try to memorize how to describe and differentiate between the beers of Edinburgh, London and Burton. I especially don't care about creating an all-grain recipe as I've done well enough with extract and grains and will stay with that. So, I'd suggest a revamping of the exam and perhaps your whole purpose in the judging of homebrewing. Are you certifying judges or giving out degrees in brewing? I'm open for any conversations on this. Just provide some good beer at the same time. Cheers! //Mike Behrendt MGBehrendt(a)mn.rr.com Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others. Groucho Marx BJCP Program Administrator wrote: >Dear Michael Behrendt, >The competition organizer has submitted 0 judging point(s) and 1.5 non-judging point(s) in your name for "MCAB VIII". These points will appear in your judge record when the next update cycle is published to the web. > > > > -- //Mike Behrendt MGBehrendt(a)mn.rr.com Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others. Groucho Marx -------------------------------------------------------------------- mail2web - Check your email from the web at http://mail2web.com/ .

19 years, 8 months

[Fwd: Re: BJCP Points Recorded]

by Mike Behrendt

Hi Folks! Just had some of Surly's beer at the opening of the Hometown MiniTour at Old Chicago. Get out there and support a new local brewery! The staff are also great people - Omar and Todd in particular! So, drinking Surly goes along with the kind of week I'm having with one particular project at work, and that's all I'll say about work in a beer related email. But, then I got a note about the points I earned as Head Steward for MCAB and I got my little lecture going about the value of the written exam for BJCP. I've only heard people agree with me in one-on-one conversations and thought, gee, what does the whole club think? Or, just the members who respond to email because work is slow or they love computers. Now then, take a minute and put your thoughts together and let the BJCP know........that's the only way it will get changed. Or, if you think I'm wrong, let me know and I'll just keep brewing, drinking and sit quietly in the corner (with a good beer, of course). Cheers! -------- Original Message -------- Subject: Re: BJCP Points Recorded Date: Wed, 29 Mar 2006 15:28:06 -0600 From: Mike Behrendt <MGBehrendt(a)mn.rr.com> To: BJCP Program Administrator <program_admin(a)bjcp.org> References: <20060329200036.29816.qmail(a)morebeer.com> thanks! Now someone needs to convince me that I should retake the written part of the exam.........I still believe it goes way beyond qualifying people to be competition judges...........I've passed that part. I just don't see why memorizing stuff about the history of each category, etc., etc., should be part of this when judges have the guidelines and any other material open at a competition if they need to know it. I've brewed for enough year and have enough medals. And some of the score sheets I get show that you should emphasize better tasting ability than essay writing. You're not focusing on the correct issues. Scores of high 30's with comments of 'no serious flaws' just doesn't cut it. So, I'll continue to brew and help out as a Head Steward, but I'll not try to memorize how to describe and differentiate between the beers of Edinburgh, London and Burton. I especially don't care about creating an all-grain recipe as I've done well enough with extract and grains and will stay with that. So, I'd suggest a revamping of the exam and perhaps your whole purpose in the judging of homebrewing. Are you certifying judges or giving out degrees in brewing? I'm open for any conversations on this. Just provide some good beer at the same time. Cheers! //Mike Behrendt MGBehrendt(a)mn.rr.com Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others. Groucho Marx BJCP Program Administrator wrote: >Dear Michael Behrendt, >The competition organizer has submitted 0 judging point(s) and 1.5 non-judging point(s) in your name for "MCAB VIII". These points will appear in your judge record when the next update cycle is published to the web. > > > > -- //Mike Behrendt MGBehrendt(a)mn.rr.com Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others. Groucho Marx

19 years, 8 months

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