A fellow MhBA member just asked
me a GREAT question which has probably passed through everyone's mind who
is reading this email. I'm going to reprint it here, along with my
answer to it. (Warning: This is also a plug to join the next BJCP
class, starting Tuesday, Aug 30. If you're interested in attending,
contact class facilitator Gera Exire LaTour at gera_latour@hotmail.com
)
...
Q. I guess my main question is how does
one brew a beer, enter contests and
be able to compete with the likes of
Curt or Steve? Without showing up for
the tastings, it is hard to know the
feedback others are giving your beer
and how to become a better brewer.
A. This was exactly my question, when
I was entering one beer, once a year,
in one contest. The answer:
* SHOW UP for the tastings,
* Try to taste each beer you drink critically
- ESPECIALLY yours,
* Brew more beers,
* Taste more "classic" beers,
* Taste other people's homebrewed beers,
* Enter more contests,
* Volunteer in more contests,
* Read more brewing books,
* Hang out with more brewers,
* Ask more brewing questions - then
* LISTEN to the answers and try them
in your process.
One specific thing that I can point
to as having helped make me a better
brewer was the BJCP (Beer Judge Certification
Program). The BJCP maintains
the guidelines by which our beers are
judged, and the BJCP has created a
class for training and evaluating beer
judges. The funny thing about that
class - it fulfills ALL of the advice
I gave you in the previous paragraph
in one fell swoop!
* You will taste beers with all of the
classic aroma and flavor flaws and
characteristics, and learn how to avoid
or control them
* In the course of the 14 week class,
you will taste nearly ALL classic
beer styles.
* You will be asked to bring your homebrewed
styles on the appropriate
weeks, and taste them against the same
commercial styles and other
homebrewed versions
* There are at least 3 semi-local contests
during the class. If you would
pack up some beers and enter them, then
bring your scoresheets to class,
you can evaluate those scoresheets with
new eyes.
* The class will recommend several books
to read before taking the exam.
* You will be hanging out with 10-15
other brewers weekly (your
classmates), as well as visiting the
breweries of other "senior" brewers in
the local beer community each week,
touring their breweries, and having the
opportunity to pick their brains.
* The class will touch on ALL brewing
technical topics, and you'll be able
to ask questions about all of them,
as well as offer answers to your fellow
classmates to THEIR questions.
Do you think after learning about all
thing beer in order to become a
certified Beer Judge that you will become
a better brewer? YOU BETCHA!
That's why guys like me, Steve Piatz,
and Kris England try to take the
class every time it comes around You
STILL learn something new every time!
I know that everyone has a good excuse
why they can't take the class THIS
time. Find a way. The first time I took
the class my fellow classmate was Eric
Nelson - he drove down from St. Cloud
for every class!
The next BJCP class starts Aug 30, and
continues for 14 Tuesdays. It's not
the ONLY way to become a better brewer
and compete with the likes of Curt
or Steve, but it's a BIG one. Look around
at all the brewers who are
winning - they are all also BJCP judges.
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