A Look Back on 2018 and BJCP Exam Results

Keg Tree at BeerLab University

With the announcement of BJCP classes being offered for free on O'ahu in early 2018, I didn't know it would set my focus for the year. In the fall of 2017, I volunteered to be a steward for the first Oahu homebrew competition, which offered a window on the world of beer judging. I knew right away I wanted to take the courses but was unsure if it would yield anything, including whether or not I even wanted to take the exam. For those following along, there were half a dozen monthly classes focusing on many topics related to the BJCP and beer in general. More on this later.

The latter part of this year ended up being all about my own personal beer journey, as is the theme of this post. If you're reading now and have been all year, I thank you for taking the time to do so! It's fun to share all the opportunities that are out there to learn about beer and not just get drunk every weekend on the same swill.  Part of my lack of motivation for not writing as often as I originally planned is that there are too many little happenings to keep up with on this medium, and simply not enough big ones worthy of the effort. For the most part though, the holidays are a busy time of the year for my hobbies outside of beer! For the little things including beer notable beer releases and smaller events, be sure to check out my Instagram at alohastatebeer. Two of my favorites were the New Belgium Sour Symposium at Village Bottle Shop and the re-inauguration of the HOPS Homebrew Club in Kailua!

We had two beer festivals on Oahu. There were many tap takeover events and pub crawls around, including with the Hawaiian Craft Brewers Guild. I was hired by them to design the new website, which quietly went live a few months ago. Please check it out here.

My personal highlight was the much-delayed publication of my article about the growing beer scene in Honolulu in BeerAdvocate magazine. I had a ton of fun writing it and sharing it, and this is the last I mention it, I promise!

There were no brewery openings on Oahu in 2018, but we did get to experience Paisley Meadery downtown and Paradise Ciders' taproom in Kalihi. I know there are many coming down the pipe, so 2019 should be an exciting year for new beer!  I was honored to be invited to Aloha Beer Company a few weeks before the release of three new beers; it was great to talk to Dave, taste unfinished products, and share my experience.

In October, a group of seven of us took the tasting exam, which was hosted by Aloha Beer Co. in the HiBrau Room on a Saturday morning. It was a fun yet exhausting experience; taste, think, and describe 6 beers in 90 minutes with no access to notes or guidelines.  The written exam scoresheets are graded by experienced judges, so in the time between I figured I'd start working on something else.

I started with the Road to Cicerone Coursebook: Brewing Ingredients and Process. These books offer a focused approached to a single group of subjects and include the coursebook and exam.. Once you pass, you get a badge on your profile and subject pin to compliment to the one for Certified Beer Server. I passed in mid-November and received my pin shortly thereafter. I purchased the Beer Keeping & Serving book, which I'll be starting in the new year. I saw the Certified Cicerone exam is scheduled on Oahu in the spring, but that is probably too soon for me to tackle.


That brings us to today. I received the exam results for BJCP and could not be happier! I passed the tasting exam at a percentage level high enough to be awarded Recognized Judge immediately and eventually Certified Judge rank when I accumulate enough experience judging points. I earned two in November's Brew Oahu Homebrew Competition, so I only need three more for the next rank. It'll be fun gaining experience at competitions around the state!

Again, thank you for reading! Mele Kalikimaka me ka Hau'oli Makahiki Hou!

BJCP Exam Classes - Free Beer Judging Seminars

For anyone that's been stopping by the blog the last few months, there hasn't been much activity here. Chock it up to being busy; sometimes I just feel like there aren't huge happenings to talk about. New brewery openings are few and far between (but there are some exciting ones coming soon). In this exciting time of lots of craft independent breweries already operating in the islands, there's too many new releases to write about each one, so Instagram and Untappd do a great job of sharing what I'm drinking.

With the summer beginning, there's a lot more time to drink new beers and study what makes them amazing. If you have a basic interest in beer and want to learn the complexities of styles and how to describe that new favorite, I invite you to come to the free beer judging classes being offered by Cindy Goldstein of HOPS Homebrew Club and the Hawaiian Craft Brewers Guild. With the assistance of local BJCP Judges, Certified Cicerones, brewers, and enthusiastic hobbyists, they're offering an invaluable service to teach about the exam, content, and judging beer. These sessions are held monthly leading up to the tasting exam on October 13, 2018. In order to take this tasting exam, you must first pass the online exam, details of which can be found on the website below.

What is the BJCP? The Beer Judge Certification Program is the recognized standard of how to rate, describe, and educate about beer and beer styles. Ranked judges are present at homebrew and brewery competitions to ensure a judged beer is true to style and determine which are the best examples. Even if you don't plan on taking the exam or judging competitions, the course and style guidelines are the perfect resource to help you learn more about what you already like and maybe help you discover something new. Tonight's first session was held at Honolulu Beerworks in Kaka'ako. Future ones will rotate around to other breweries on O'ahu.

It's not all work and reading from manuals. The class has a tasting component, which is important to develop your palate, nose, and eye. Tonight's first session was broken up with three beer style tastings. The first was the classic Saison; a Saison Dupont was paired with the local Pia Mahi'ai from Honolulu Beerworks to show a clear example, a local take, and the differences and similarities of the two. Later in the session we talked about a Weissbier and finally a Foreign Extra Stout.  These classes are being taught for free; the only cost is paying for the beer and tips as necessary.

For more information, to request the syllabus, sign up for emails, or receive information about the next session on June 7th, please email hops@hawaii.rr.com.

1st Annual Oahu Homebrewing Festival & Competition

HIP Fermenters homebrewing club with assistance from Homebrew in Paradise hosted the first Oahu Homebrewing Festival and competition the first weekend of November 2017. The main draw was the beer judging competition, which was open to all homebrewers in the state. Drop off days were organized in the weeks leading up to the festival, with the majority of entrants arriving fresh. With almost 90 distinct beers, ciders, and meads, the judges had their work cut out for them!

All day Friday November 3rd, around a dozen Certified Cicerones, BJCP Certified, and brewery industry judges came together to crack open the beers, offer thoughtful feedback, and rate them.  It was a long and fun day for everyone involved, starting at 9am and going through to after 6pm. Despite the time and heat of Kalihi, the beers were ready for the awards!  I personally enjoyed hearing the insights from Joe Lorenzen of Waikiki Brewing Company and Cindy Goldstein from HOPS Homebrewing Club.

On Saturday, the day of the festival, the top nine beers and six ciders/meads were each taste-tasted for the Best of Show category to be announced that afternoon.

The festival itself had a great turnout of club members, entrants, beer enthusiasts, and curious drop-ins. Food was generously provided by club members as well as fresh hamburgers with a twist from Square Barrels' owner Thomas Ray. 

Head-brewer Euler of BeerLab Hawaii also donated a number of fresh crowlers for tasting, see the links below.  Tastings were flowing all afternoon, with the leftover submissions offering the perfect variety of beer.

Club members had a number of different homebrewing systems set up and brewing; the smell was the best part!

Awards were conferred around 2pm, with the festival winding down afterward.  For those curious of the winners, the complete list can be found here.

I hope the popularity of this event grows; here's looking to next year!

Green Matter

 Haunted Plantation

Hamachi

First Step on the Road to Cicerone®

It's hard for me to get into a hobby without diving head first. At some point in the last few years my casual interest in beer exploded into a passion - something I wanted to learn about, experience, and share.  You start with "beer is beer," but quickly learn how many styles and variations are out there. That's not even to mention different brands, breweries, and home brews are out there. Humans have a natural urge to classify everything, so it comes as no surprise there are strict guidelines to style. Brewers have the freedom to do whatever they will and make a delicious beer, but it may not "be true to style." 

For me, this seemed insurmountable; where do I begin? Untappd was a great place to start; they have badges for most main styles and groups that tell you what they are and keep you organized. But these things didn't pop up overnight. Beer has been brewed in some form for thousands of years by more cultures than we could ever know.  It has a rich history. How to learn? 

A few months ago I heard about the Cicerone® Certification Program, which is the industry standard of excellence in knowing all things about beer.  There are many classes and certifications one can take, but Cicerone® differs in that it actually tests your knowledge, not just participation. You have to know styles, brand examples, proper ways to serve and store beer, common off-flavor examples, and even pairings with food.  The program is divided into four levels: Certified Beer Server, Certified Cicerone®, Advanced Cicerone®, and Master Cicerone® (the last title, only about a dozen individuals in the word can claim). Each level has its challenges; but really it's an adventure to learn more and more about beer. 

When I first read about the program, I knew it was something I wanted to try. In September, I finally started my journey after studying the free syllabus and took the exam for Certified Beer Server, which I passed. It was a great overview of the more difficult things to come.  For beer enthusiasts, it's a genuinely fun exam to take as well, after all, it's about beer!  My goal is to study for the next level and eventually take the Certified Cicerone® exam. I figure it's a tangible goal to really aid in developing a burgeoning passion. As opposed to the first level being all online, the second is in-person and includes a blind taste test and off-flavor exam as well as written component. It'll be a fun adventure! Maybe you'll come along?

Black Pearl