Be a home brew judge! Your beer will thank you!

I have been brewing for about 15 months now and I have made some pretty good beers if I do say so myself. A few of them have tasted rather similar to what I have bought off the shelf. Whether that is a good or bad thing is in the mouth of the beer holder.

A few months ago I enter my saison and bourbon barrel quagmire in a small local competition and including me; there were only 13 participants. So instead of being a 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place, as well as a best of show; there was only 1^st place and best of show. I was kind of discouraged by this because I didn't really get to find out where my beer stood. I did get some decent feedback which is a primary reason why someone new at brewing should consider competitions.

This past weekend, a friend of mine talked me into going to the KC Bier Meister's 32nd Annual Homebrew Competition. Though he entered a few beers, I did not. I did register as a judge though (as did he), which was my first experience as such and I must say this weekend I changed as a homebrewer. I found that I do not want to just brew good beer; I want to brew REALLY good beer and put it in these competitions!

The experience was amazing! I will say that what I was expecting was some kind of comic con spectacular in a big arena with spectators crowded in bleachers watching the judges decide the fate of their masterpiece. It was nothing of the sort, which was just fine.

After waking up at 4am to drive from Joplin, MO to Kansas City; I found myself in the Communication Workers of America Union Hall of KC. It looked more like my wife's scrap booking crops with a dozen banquet tables laid out for all beer geeks to sit around and analyze all 480+ beers entered into the competition. I should also add that the competition had been going on each evening since Tuesday so we didn't actually judge that many that day.

Nonetheless, it was fantastic! There was local and home brew (including my beloved Tank 7) on tap for everyone to enjoy at their leisure. We got there at 7:30am, just in time to pour our first glass of beer, register, and enjoy a fantastic breakfast. We picked out the items on the raffle wall that we could not live without and placed all of our money on a bad ass wood barrel lid with the Boulevard smokestack painted on it (neither of us one it...damn it!)

By 9:00am I was paired up with a master BJCP judge. For a relatively new brewer, this is where the magic starts. The first category in which I was placed was 'Spice/Herb/Vegetable'. With the help of Scott, the judge I was paired with, I really learned for the first time how to see, smell, taste, and feel a beer. It seems weird but I think it has opened up something in my head that allows me to taste things like I have never before, even beyond beer.

After the first round, we had lunch and then settled in for the second round for the day. My category was 'Specialty Beers', but unfortunately there was not much that was special about this...sorry to say. However, this was another good learning experience as I was able to pick up where these beers went wrong!

I sat down at a table with five other gents, all of them BJCP judges. At the table next to us was a guy looking mildly agitated. The other judges he was paired with were a no show. He sternly points to the chair in front of him and tells me I am with him. My first impression was that this was not going to be an overly fun experience. That changed quickly, however one thing was clear; Mike knew his shit! Like Scott, he showed me how to pull smells and flavors out of the beer that I didn't know how to find before.

After tasting some mediocre beers, evaluating them, rating them, and ultimately deciding their fate; my view as a homebrewer changed. Though I long to make beers someday good enough to offer to the public, my entire perspective of making beer has changed from this single experience. I now look at every aspect of the beer, from the ingredients, to the water chemistry, the mash, the boil, the yeast used, fermentation temperatures, the whole damned thing! Of course you are thinking, “You should have been doing that the whole time!” And I guess I have but now it kind of feels like Neo coming to the realization that he is the one and becomes one with the Matrix. Sorry went too geeky there but that's what it feels like: Some great awakening!

So with this fantastic experience, I believe my craft can go nowhere but up. I also know that I can make a beer that has the potential of winning competitions! That is my goal. That is what I have taken from this weekend. I think that every brewer should have this experience and should continue having this experience. Compete, judge, get as much involved as you can if you are really serious about your brewing. This has really changed my outlook for this year on what I need to accomplish as a homebrewer!

So going back to the event. After my judging sessions were done comes the Spiegelau presentation. Without going into a lot of detail, (because it deserves a post all to itself), I feel like with the judging experience and this presentation; I tasted beer for the first time that day. If you have not drank from one of these spectacular pieces of glassware; DO IT! It makes a beer taste the way the brewer intended it to! I am a believer in Spiegelau glassware!

After the presentation, it was time to drink! My buddy and I were standing around the beer taps sipping on our suds with a couple of other people when someone brought in a box filled with a variety of Belgium wild beers from Crane Brewing Company. The few of us soon became about twenty people all trying to get a taste of this fantastic beer. Which by the way, forced me to purchase AmericanSour Beers by Michael Tonsmeire. I can't wait to dive into this book!

Finally, after twelve hours of homebrew competition bliss, came an even more blissful dinner paired with MORE BEER! The food was amazing! Again, the pairing is enough for another post by itself.

The point of this blog......oh yes! Challenge yourself! Make a beer worthy of competition and be mindful of the BJCP category you are entering. One thing I noticed when judging was people were entering beer in WRONG CATEGORIES! Know your beer style and its characteristics according to BJCP standards! Also, be a judge! It is so eye-opening to be on the other side of the competition to see exactly what is to be expected. Does it mean that you are guaranteed to win because of it? If you pay attention and learn from it; you stand a lot better chance in my book! If anything you get to carry away from it an incredible experience.

Finally, hats off to the crew that is KC Bier Miesters! You put on a great show!