Becoming a Certified BJCP Beer Judge

The hardest exam you’re every going to take…or at least the most subjective.

When I first sat down for the test to become a BJCP Certified Beer Judge it was a combination of both the written exam and the tasting exam combined. You sat down and started the written exam and after a while you received a beer to judge. You wrote a full scoresheet to the best of your ability and then got back to where you left off on the written exam…then another beer showed up. Imagine taking the hardest exam you ever had in college while drinking beer. I’m not talking a hangover from the night before. Full on drinking. Now, one could argue that you should only be consuming enough to fully evaluate the beer but I’ll argue that it isn’t going to benefit your written test any and those ounces add up.

Luckily, the exam has changed for the better. There is an online exam to separate the wheat from the chaff and a requirement to hit a minimum score before sitting for the written exam. This has reduced the burden on a small population of graders and improved the turn around time for exam results.

You’ve likely entered a few competitions if you are reading this. Getting good scores in comps and on the exam is kind of similar. Unfortunately, so far we haven’t come up with a machine to replace a judge. Therefore, competition scores are going to vary depending on the judge. However, if you keep entering solid beers, you will get rewarded with a solid score eventually. Taking the beer exam (at least the tasting and the written) sometimes takes the same process. Learn the beers, know your stuff, get rewarded with a good grade. In the meantime, there are some hints and tricks to being efficient with your time and maximizing you score. Don’t get me wrong; there aren’t a ton of work arounds for learning the material but there are some ways to get what you need to get down on paper.

We’ll be posting some exam courses shortly starting with the hardest, the written exam. These courses will help you maximize your beer knowledge and Master the BJCP. Find the links on our website.