BJCP Exam Policy

There was some recent discussion on the BJCP Forum about Exam Admins saving seats for homebrew club members which led to discussion on the BJCP Facebook Group about requiring examinees to pretest to have a seat in the exam. Well the BJCP has a clear policy on the matter. It states:

6. Sponsors may not require examinees to take a training course, or to belong to a specific homebrew club or organization. Any qualified person is permitted to take a registered exam.

That apparently was not clear enough for some so the Exam Directorate clarified the policy on Facebook.

Exam Administrators are not to reserve seats for clubs or study sessions as BJCP exams are to be open to anyone qualified. Basically there is not to be any restrictions beyond the BJCP requirements to reserve a seat. This includes being a member of a club, attending a study session or any pre-testing for qualification (other than BJCP entrance exam). If anyone becomes aware of one of these situations, please contact your Regional Rep, the Assistant Rep or Exam Director.

Reserving of seats should be on first come first serve. We understand opening reservations at time of exam registration can lead to a long wait list with people who are flooding lists looking for exams. This leads to a very high drop out rate as these people find other exams. It is acceptable to set a date which reservations will start being accepted, 1-3 months is generally enough lead time. As an exam admin you just need to provide that same info to everyone in order to maintain an open, and fair, opportunity to everyone. If someone contacts you prior to the reservation period, just inform them of the date you will start taking reservations so they can follow back up with you at that time.

So there you have it. There should be no confusion regarding the exam policy.

Celebrating Five Years

Today is the fifth anniversary for the blog. When it started 1,827 posts ago the direction was unclear and with this post once again the direction is a bit of a mystery. Trying to post daily has proven difficult when a fresh topic idea isn’t forthcoming, for that reason the plan is to only post when there is something relevant or fun to say. That might be a reminder of a particular day to celebrate a drink or beverage of a discourse on how ignorant a politician is on the topic of alcohol or firearms. The goal will be for topics to concentrate on firearms and fermentation only occasionally coloring outside the lines. Thank you to everyone who receive the blog via email and to those who visit regularly to read what we have to say.

Cheers to you all!

BJCP Regional Representative Nominations Close February 15, 2017

If you have an inkling you would like to run for a Regional Representative position be sure to get your nomination and endorsements in by the February 15 deadline.

CARBOY Shamrock Open – March 4, 2016

The local homebrew club, CARBOY, is holding their annual homebrew competition on March 4, 2016 in Raleigh. The event is always a blast and judges receive lunch and a special judge raffle. If you can help judge on March 4, please sign up.

Upcoming Fifth Anniversary

On February 12 the blog will turn five. We generate about 1,000 new views per month and 135 people following our mindless banter. Every comment is considered and we appreciate you taking the time to read about whatever happens to come to mind that day. We may decide to post less frequent and with more focus after the 12th because some days it is difficult to find an interesting topic while other days it is difficult to stop typing. So if you start to see less posts do not become alarmed, we’ll post when we have something to say as opposed to saying something daily.

BJCP Elections 2017 – Nominations

Nominations are being accepted through February 15 for those who might want to run as a BJCP Regional Representative in one of the four contested regions. If you are an active National or higher judge and feel compelled you can throw your name in the hat by following the directions provided in the Election Center.

This year four of the seven BJCP Board of Directors positions are up for election. For 2017 those regions are:

Mid-Atlantic
Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia

Midwest
Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Tennessee

South
Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas

West
California and Hawaii

Potential candidates will need to be nominated (by themselves or others) and have 5 endorsements.

Nominations are now being accepted through February 15. The details can be found here:
http://www.bjcp.org/electioncenter.php

Sensory Training Notes

Recently BDAS posted about a new sensory training class they were putting together and based on the first graphic, I like what I see. I’m not sure how the whole series will shake out, but the format is easy to read and understand and covers the topic well. Most of the information can be found in other places, but here it is presented in a comprehensive format without being overwhelming. Once they fully develop the course I might have to see where it is being held so I can attend.

Cry Baby, Cry Baby, Cry Baby, Cry!

I want someone to explain to me why so many homebrewers find the need to complain about competitions and always try to figure out how the entry which bested them skirted the rules to do so. It’s ridiculous to waste time crying about a loss when the answer is so simple, brew better beer! Recently someone was complained a biochemist had added particular flavors to their beer to create a BJCP flavor profile. Sounds like BS to me, but even if they did I don’t see a problem. They brewed the beer, they had a palate which could pick up flavors and aromas in minute detail to match the guidelines, and they bested the competition with the practice. To be able to put all that in one package and wrap a ribbon around it would be a miraculous achievement. So if you are beaten in a competition suck it up buttercup and brew better beer which emulates the guidelines so you can win next time!

Fantôme Reply = Coolest Thing Ever!

Yesterday my topic was an upcoming Fantôme event scheduled at a local watering hole and how the beers were all something I already had in the fridge. I received a comment from Dany Prignon and to me that is just about the coolest thing ever. I started my foray into Fantôme beers back in the late 90’s/early 2000’s. We were going over the saison style and a buddy suggested we get together and try several. He had many different Fantôme bottles and I was instantly hooked. Sure they were outside the BJCP style guidelines at the times and knowledge of how to make a great homebrewed saison was limited because Farmhouse Ales was not published until 2004. One of my dreams is to actually visit Fantôme and meet Dany so to see him make a comment on my blog is awesome. Perhaps one day I will snap a photo of all my Fantôme bottles, but one of my absolute favorite beers from them is Brise-BonBons! Now if I could just find one of their tulip glasses I’d be a happy man!

GABF Judging

For quite some time I have thought of filling out an application to judge at the GABF, but I never felt there was enough vacation time to make that a reality. Recently that changed so I contacted the Brewers Association about the process. It really could not be simpler, you fill out a resume of competitions and training sessions and then get three references with at least one from the industry. I actually had six, three BJCP Grand Master judges and three industry professionals. Now the waiting game begins. My understanding is they allow 10 to 20 new judges to the judge pool every year and so it will be at least 2019 before I get the call to judge if selected. I feel I have a good chance of being selected, but waiting through two more GABFs without a call will take patience. Anyway, if you have ever fancied yourself judging the event get that application in early!