Reason to evaluate beer? Judging beer competitions. It’s a tough job. Someone has to do it.

September 15, 11:26 PMBeer ExaminerCharlie Papazian

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 Judging beer compoetitions.  There are hundreds of
amateur and professional judgings each year.

Beer evaluation doesn’t just reside in the realm of a brewer.  There are plenty of beer enthusiasts that train as beer judges and achieve accreditation, such as in the Beer Judge Certification Program.     Here’s a thumbnail of a beer judges approach to judging commercial beer competitions:

You’re a judge in a commercial beer competition.   You’re not assessing beer in terms of what should or shouldn’t be done about the process or formulation.  You are evaluating on the basis of how perfect a match it is to a specified standard; usually referred to as “Style Guidelines.”     What suggested process is presented to judges to outline the procedure of their assessment?  This is what the Great American Beer Festival judges consider:

• Color and Appearance
• Aroma
• Bitterness
• Alcohol
• Style (matching guidelines)
• Flavor and Aftertaste
• Balance and Drinkability
• Technical Quality
• Carbonation
• Optional other considerations
   

Next: Tasting beer for selfish reasons.