Every year around this time, beer judges and professional brewers meet at various venues around the country to sit and judge the National Homebrewing Competition — or simply NHC. For a homebrewer, this is the “Big Leagues”. The NHC is sanctioned and organized by the American Homebrewers Association and with over 5,000 entries, is the largest homebrewing competition in the world. The competition is open to any homebrewer, anywhere on planet earth or beyond as long as they can get their beers in on time and in the appropriate bottle.

Last week, four other area judges and I took part in the NHC “first round” judging for our region. Judging was done at Gordon-Biersch Brewing Company in Columbus, OH. Our region consisted of nearly 700 entries, which were sorted out into BJCP beer-style classifications and judged according to the beer style that they are supposed to embody.

Four rounds of judging took place over a three-day period. With all the hard work, the end of the day came with some real fun in the way of great beer, food and hospitality brought to us this year by Columbus Brewing Company and also Gordon-Biersch. There is something good to be said about standing around inside a brewery drinking the freshest possible beer and eating some awesome barbeque (in Ohio?). Hey, no one can accuse us brewers of not knowing how to party!

The organizational effort to hold such a competition is enormous; from receiving shipped in entries to categorizing them by style and keeping them cold. The beers will basically lose their identity after being given an entry number. The brewer’s name is never-again revealed until after the judging process is completed. This kind of organization and rule structure assures that the beer is judged solely on its merits and nothing else.

Judging beer is serious business; it’s not just an excuse to drink beer at 8 a.m., although that is a fringe benefit! Judging takes place in a fairly quiet room that is free of smoke and food aromas. Beer is then judged on aroma, flavor, mouthfeel, appearance and overall impression. The criteria for each beer style are set forth in a printed set of guidelines developed by the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP). The style guidelines are available for download by clicking here.

BJCP Certified judges gain certification by passing a grueling three-hour essay-based exam, followed by tasting and evaluation of a number of unmarked and possibly “doctored” beers; meaning that flaws have been introduced chemically into the beer. After successfully passing the exam, the judge then embarks on a mission to earn judging points to achieve rank and to stay on the “active list.” I remember when I took the BJCP exam; I wound up writing seventeen pages of essay, all with a #2 pencil!

The winners of the regional rounds are sent onto the final round judging, done in conjunction with National Homebrewers Conference held this June in Cincinnati. The coveted awards are announced at the grand banquet on the final day of the three-day conference. Area brewing couple Dave and Jane Zalewski won four ribbons and we wish them luck in the finals!

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