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Philosophy
One of the most challenging areas the BJCP staff is involved in is the Beer Judge exam itself. The BJCP Exam provokes more discussion than almost any other single topic. Since it's also the main thing we all have in common, our Exam Committee puts in a lot of very hard work in a continual effort to improve the exam while keeping it as useful as it has always been.
The changes discussed below are intended to make the exam clearer to both the examinees and the graders. The Exam Committee is still working on additional changes to the BJCP exam, and additional changes will be rolled out as they are refined and the results are field tested.
The BJCP Examination Committee has been working to institute changes in the examination format with the goals of:
- reducing the writing load placed on examinees
- eliciting responses to examination questions by examinees that require less subjective judgment on the part of graders
- maintaining or improving upon the current levels of score reliability, validity, and scoring standards as is currently observed in the BJCP examination
This work is ongoing, and the outcomes are being implemented in several stages.
The first phase of that work is now complete. The questions have been carefully written and field tested, and the Judging Procedures Manual has been edited to address the content relating to these new questions. The effective date was June 1, 2006.
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The Classic BJCP and Boiling Question
This question was worth 10 points in the past, with the BJCP portion counting for 5 points and the boiling portion the other 5 points. This question was replaced with two new parts, and each part is still worth 5 of the 100 points allocated to the written portion of the exam:
- A fill-in-the-blanks question about the primary purpose of the BJCP and the BJCP judge levels and their requirements.
- A set of 15 true/false questions based on the BJCP Judging Procedures Manual. Each individual question is worth one-third of a point, giving five points for a completely correct answer.
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The Remainder of the Written Portion
The remainder of the written portion of the exam still consists of nine free-form essay questions, each worth 10 points.
The Style Related Questions
For the style-related questions on the exam, the allocation of the 10 points available for each answer was standardized and made explicit in the exam question. The questions are now of the form:
For each of the three sub-styles style-1, style-2, and style-3, provide a statement describing the sub-styles as well as the differences and similarities between them by addressing each of the following topics:
6 points Describe the aroma, appearance, flavor, and mouthfeel of each sub-style as in the BJCP Style Guidelines.
2 points Identify at least one aspect of the ingredients (malts, hops, water chemistry) or background information (history, fermentation techniques and conditions, or serving methods) that distinguishes each sub-style.
1 point For each of the sub-styles, name at least one classic commercial example as listed in the BJCP Style Guidelines.
1 point Describe the similarities and differences between the three sub-styles.
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Clarification of Questions
Several ambiguous questions were made more precise in the exam question pool. While the following questions are not present in every exam, they will use the wording as shown below when they do appear.
The question about beer styles that contain wheat is changed to read as follows:
Identify three distinctly different beer styles that contain wheat as 25% or more of the grist. Beer styles that are variations of each other based on color, strength or other subtle differences do not count as distinctly different for the purposes of this question. For each style provide a statement describing the style, as well as the differences and similarities between the styles by addressing the following topics:
6 points Describe the aroma, appearance, flavor, and mouthfeel of each sub-style as in the BJCP Style Guidelines.
2 points Identify at least one aspect of the ingredients (malts, hops, water chemistry) or background information (history, fermentation techniques and conditions, or serving methods) that distinguishes each sub-style.
1 point For each of the sub-styles name at least one classic commercial example as listed in the BJCP Style Guidelines.
1 point Describe the similarities and differences between the three sub-styles.
The question about Belgian styles is changed to read as follows:
Identify three distinctly different Belgian beer styles. For each style provide a statement describing the style as well as the differences and similarities between the styles by addressing the following topics:
6 points Describe the aroma, appearance, flavor, and mouthfeel of each sub-style as in the BJCP Style Guidelines.
2 points Identify at least one aspect of the ingredients (malts, hops, water chemistry) or background information (history, fermentation techniques and conditions, or serving methods) that distinguishes each sub-style.
1 point For each of the sub-styles name at least one classic commercial example as listed in the BJCP Style Guidelines.
1 point Describe the similarities and differences between the three sub-styles.
The question about 1.070 OG top-fermenting beers is changed to read as follows:
Identify three top-fermenting beer styles where the minimum original gravity is 1.070 or higher. For each style provide a statement describing the style as well as the differences and similarities between the styles by addressing the following topics:
6 points Describe the aroma, appearance, flavor, and mouthfeel of each sub-style as in the BJCP Style Guidelines.
2 points Identify at least one aspect of the ingredients (malts, hops, water chemistry) or background information (history, fermentation techniques and conditions, or serving methods) that distinguishes each sub-style.
1 point For each of the sub-styles name at least one classic commercial example as listed in the BJCP Style Guidelines.
1 point Describe the similarities and differences between the three sub-styles.
A new question about small top-fermenting beers is added as follows:
Identify three top-fermenting beer styles where the maximum original gravity does not exceed 1.040. Beer styles that are variations of each other based on color, strength or other subtle differences do not count as distinctly different for the purposes of this question. For each style provide a statement describing the style as well as the differences and similarities between the styles by addressing the following topics:
6 points Describe the aroma, appearance, flavor, and mouthfeel of each sub-style as in the BJCP Style Guidelines.
2 points Identify at least one aspect of the ingredients (malts, hops, water chemistry) or background information (history, fermentation techniques and conditions, or serving methods) that distinguishes each sub-style.
1 point For each of the sub-styles name at least one classic commercial example as listed in the BJCP Style Guidelines.
1 point Describe the similarities and differences between the three sub-styles.
The question about German bottom-fermenting styles is changed to read as follows:
Identify three distinctly different German bottom-fermented beer styles. Beer styles that are variations of each other based on color, strength or other similarly subtle differences do not count as distinctly different for the purposes of this question. For each style provide a statement describing the style as well as the differences and similarities between the styles by addressing the following topics:
6 points Describe the aroma, appearance, flavor, and mouthfeel of each sub-style as in the BJCP Style Guidelines.
2 points Identify at least one aspect of the ingredients (malts, hops, water chemistry) or background information (history, fermentation techniques and conditions, or serving methods) that distinguishes each sub-style.
1 point For each of the sub-styles name at least one classic commercial example as listed in the BJCP Style Guidelines.
1 point Describe the similarities and differences between the three sub-styles.
The question about the styles associated with classic brewing centers is changed to read as follows:
Identify, describe, and give at least one classic commercial example as listed in the BJCP Style Guidelines of a major beer style commonly associated with the following three locations:
Location One Location Two Location Three -
Exam Administration Update
A revision to the directions for the BJCP exam was made as a result of a BJCP policy to help protect the integrity of the BJCP exam. Modern electronic devices make it too difficult for an exam administrator to be certain people aren't cheating.
The exam instructions now include the following:Electronic Devices
Use of the following electronic devices are not allowed during the exam:
- Calculators, except for basic four-function models
- Pagers
- PDAs
- Laptop or desktop computers
- Cell phones (In case of an emergency, phones may be left with the Administrator with instructions for answering.)
- Walkman/iPod or other listening devices
- Headphones of any type
Examinees with any special needs are required to contact the Exam Director to work out specific procedures a minimum of 6 weeks in advance of the exam date.
Another Exam Change
The most recent change replaces one of the essay questions, specifically the one that asked about three styles, with a new type of question. The new question asks the examinees to fill out a score sheet as if they were served a classic example of a particular style. The style will vary for each exam, and could be just about any style other than the fruit, spice, herb and specialty categories that don't really have classic examples.
The score sheet used will look like the standard exam score sheet (no left side description of flaws). The examinees don't need to complete the Overall Impression section. The single score sheet will be worth 10% of the essay score just like the old essay question.
Here's the way the question may look on the exam:
Complete the attached score sheet marked with "Classic Example Score Sheet" as if you were judging a classic commercial example of the __________ style. You do not need to complete the Overall Impression section but otherwise the score sheet should be completed as it would during a normal competition.
