There were many changes in the 2021 BJCP Style Guidelines that impact our answers to questions on the BJCP Written Exam starting this month. The majority of changes were to the Commercial Examples and modifications to OG, IBU and SRM of many beers within the 83 beers that may be included in the exam on Question S0. Describe, compare and contrast three styles.
There was a name change from Trappist to Monastic in the new guidelines. There is one set of beers within question S0 that includes Trappist Single which is now called Belgian Single. My guess is that set will be avoided to minimize confusion until it is updated on the BJCP Exam Study Guide .
There were many commercial examples that were removed from the list. Even though Fantome is discussed in the Saison section, it is no longer listed as a classic style. Stone IPA, Rogue American Amber, and Chuckanut Dunkel Lager were all removed just to name a few.
To add further confusion about what the difference is between Marzen and Festbier, the 2021 BJCP Style Guidelines makes an error and includes Paulaner Oktoberfest in both as Commercial Examples. Festbier is a lighter beer in color than Marzen and is what is now traditionally served during Oktoberfest in Munich. Since Paulaner first created the lighter version in the 1970s to be “more poundable” (per the brewer), I would recommend this as an example of Festbier and not Marzen.
The BJCP Written Exam Prep Course has been updated to accommodate changes from 2015 to 2021. Changes were made to the quizzes to make sure that the OG, IBU and SRM are all still within the parameters and the Commercial Examples were updated. Changes were also made to the T14. Recipe and Process as the SRM for German Pils is now 2-4 and the FG for Marzen is now 1.010-1.014. All exams from August 1, 2021 including the BJCP Written Exam will use the 2021 BJCP Style Guidelines. Check out the Prep Courses for help on the exams.
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