Topic: Competitions
Prepping For A Homebrew Competition
FREEGet some pointers when the itch hits to start entering your homebrew in competitions, whether street-level, local, national, or international.
Brewing for Competition
Digital and Plus Members OnlyTo some, homebrew competitions are overwhelming. To others they are a waste of good beer. But to us, they are serious business. The ability to brew up the perfect beer that nails the target style and is in its prime right as it’s being judged truly shows mastery of our great homebrewing hobby. As challenging
Preparing for the BJCP Exam
Digital and Plus Members OnlyPreparing for the Beer Judge Certification Program exam is a daunting task, but you don’t have to go at it alone. One of the best ways to prepare is with a group of peers also preparing for BJCP certification. Get tips on how to utilize a study group from a judge who’s done it.
Organize a Homebrew Competition
Digital and Plus Members OnlyA tremendous amount of planning and work goes into organizing a homebrew competition. Here is what to consider if your club is looking to start hosting a competition or make an existing one run more smoothly.
Your First Homebrew Competition
Digital and Plus Members OnlyCompetitions can be a fun way to learn more about brewing better homebrews — and maybe earn some bragging rights as well. If you are interested in seeing how your homebrews stack up in competition, be sure that you and your beer are as ready as possible to compete before you send in your first
How to Become a Certified Beer Judge
Digital and Plus Members OnlyBeing a homebrewer, it’s only a matter of time before you come into contact with the world of beer judging. You’ll meet judges at homebrew club meetings. You’ll overhear conversations or read about homebrewing competitions, either in your area or nationally. You’ll want to get purely objective feedback on your beer, and someone will recommend
Best of Show: 5 Award-Winning Brewers Share Tips & Recipes
Digital and Plus Members OnlyThere’s no thrill for a competitive homebrewer that compares to hearing your name announced as the Best of Show (BOS) winner of a competition, and it’s even more impressive when that competition is large. For this survey, I screened the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) database for competitions with over 300 entries in the last
Getting Judging Feedback on your Homebrew: Tips from the Pros
Digital and Plus Members OnlyJudge: Annie Johnson, nationally ranked BJCP judge in Seattle, WA The two most common reasons brewers send off some of their precious homebrew to competitions is for the judging notes and for the bragging rights. Whatever side of that reasoning you fall on, or if it’s somewhere in the middle, having trained judges critically analyze
Make Competition Medal-Worthy Homebrews
Digital and Plus Members Only“Award-winning Homebrewer” — not a bad title. But how does one get there? What does it even mean? This article is about homebrew competitions: How they run, why to enter, and how to win. We’re also going to look at some myths and misconceptions about competitions so you’re a better competition consumer. Homebrew competitions are
Preparing Your Beer for Competition
Digital and Plus Members OnlySome people want to enter competitions to win medals, others simply want to find out the judges’ opinions on what they think is a great beer. I remember a time when the latter was the only reason for entering a competition, largely because almost all homebrewers were just beginning to learn about brewing and were
Annie Johnson: Homebrewer of the Year
Digital and Plus Members OnlyThe 2013 Homebrewer of the Year is unique in a lot of ways. For starters, Sacramento, California’s Annie Johnson is the first woman to win the American Homebrewing Association’s coveted award since 1983. She’s also African American — the first to ever win in the history of the competition. And she won with a light
Behind the Scenes at Homebrew Competitions
Digital and Plus Members OnlyIt’s no understatement to say that these are boom times for homebrewing with the number of US homebrewers now currently estimated to be over one million. The growth in homebrewing is also fueling an increase in the number and size of competitions. The Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) reports the number of registered competitions has