So a few years ago I got kinda wrapped up in the "Craft Beer Scene" (and boy does my waist-line show it!)
It didn't take long before I wanted to see how my own homebrews stacked up against the competition. So I started going to and participating in homebrew judging competitions in the Pittsburgh area. Then I found out there was an opening to take the "Beer Judge Certification Program" (BJCP) tasting exam last December, so I signed up for it. I spent the next 6 months busting my butt, learning the various beer styles, sampling styles, filling out score sheets, memorizing stats and spec ranges on things like color, alcohol content, specific gravity, etc. I took the exam December 6th, and it was the most stressful 90 minutes of my life that involved beer!!!
Well TODAY I finally got the results from the exam (it takes two graders several hours per each entrant to grade as it's entirely subjective.) I got a 78 out of 100, which makes me eligible for CERTIFIED rank. This is the highest rank I can obtain from this particular exam. Had I earned 2 more points, I'd have been able to take a written exam which - upon scoring an 80-or-higher there, would make me eligible for the NATIONAL rank. So if I decide I want to increase my rank, I'll have to take this particular exam again down the road some time.
But the gist of it is, if I say a beer is bad, you can probably take that to the bank...
