Let's talk score sheets, hilarious/ludicrous comments

[JasontheBeaver]

I'm curious to read the comments you've seen on your BJCP score sheets that 'judges' have made that are questionable at best and/or downright laughable at worst.
No judge names please, we don't need to point fingers.
I'll start:
* I got docked 2 points on appearance because my Belgian Wit "is cloudy but should be more cloudy".

* My sweet stout entry's flavor was "sweet with light malty notes". Gee thanks for that eye opening in-depth analysis!

* Mouthfeel, "Sweet soft feel, but creamy".

* One judge said "nice thick white head with great retention" while the next judge says "no head retention, almost flat".

* Not a comment but something I personally witnessed. I was judging a flight when another 'judge' who the competition organizer begged to help judge because they were so shorthanded started eating pickled hot peppers in between sips of beer he was judging! Worse yet, the BJCP judge at the table just rolled his eyes and let it continue.

* This is to say nothing of the majority of sheets having incomplete and/or illegible writing on them.

I've got several more but thought this would get the thread going.

This is really meant to shine a light on the extreme need for more qualified BJCP judges in competitions and for those judges to start enforcing the judging rules when they're mentoring newbies.

 

[tochsner]

I had and American Pale Ale that scored a 30. The comment was "This would have been an excellent beer if you had used fresh hops. Do not use old hops"

I also made a Black IPA for a local contest. Counting the dry hop I used a pound of hops in five gallons. The judges comment was "Not nearly hoppy enough for the style, reminds me of a brown ale"

I respect people that take time out of a weekend to judge beer contests but I have kind of given up sending my beers in because the judging is so inconsistent, it's not really helpful. I think a good homebrew club can probably give you better feedback.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

I had a judge claim they could taste HSA in my beer.

Some believe HSA doesn't really exist on the homebrew scale. My brew processes are not conducive to creating a lot of HSA. In addition, HSA is supposed to be a long-term staling issue, and this beer was about 5-6 weeks grain to glass.

I think that judge had just learned a fancy new term and wanted to try it out on someone. Punk.

 

[BrewinHooligan]

I had a judge claim they could taste HSA in my beer.

Some believe HSA doesn't really exist on the homebrew scale. My brew processes are not conducive to creating a lot of HSA. In addition, HSA is supposed to be a long-term staling issue, and this beer was about 5-6 weeks grain to glass.

I think that judge had just learned a fancy new term and wanted to try it out on someone. Punk.

I had the same comment in a very similar situation. Go figure.

 

[JasontheBeaver]

Tasted HSA huh? Wow, must be a Grand Master XXXIV.

One of my favorite judges, Bill Schneller, preaches against making specific assumptions when judging like what hops were used, mash procedures, etc when you really can't tell 100% of the time. The risk he says is, "looking like a sanctimonious ass." Priceless!! lmao

 

[DubBrew]

I agree, judges shouldn't assume anything about someones process or recipes. I often will say things like, if all grain try x, if extract try y. I think it is acceptable to qualify statements on scoresheets. After all most of us are just trying to help others make better beer.

I'm a certified judge and I put a lot of time in educating myself and "studying" It took a lot of effort and I always include my e-mail if someone has questions or takes issue with my sheets.

At the same time I've had some terrible sheets on beers I've entered including one word answers like "nice" or "hoppy". This certainly highlights the need for not only qualified but engaged judges. I will say most people who are homebrewers can easily learn and understand how to judge with just a little effort. If you are not happy with what you get back, try to change it by becoming a judge.:rockin:

 

[bumstigedy]

I've had a few different judges write that they tasted oxidation due to hit side aeration from too
Much splashing. Recently got dinged because a judge said I must have added herbs to my beer, which I did not.

 

[mattd2]

I've had a few different judges write that they tasted oxidation due to hit side aeration from too
Much splashing. Recently got dinged because a judge said I must have added herbs to my beer, which I did not.

I have not enter any comps...yet. But i have seen commetns like these on other posts (worst beer scores thread I think) and that would annoy me. I would not mind "herbal tast - review the hops/herbs/spices used" AFAIK you can get herbal notes from hops so as you said it could be there even though no herbs were used

 

[pjj2ba]

I make a session IPA. It clocks in at 4.6% ABV. To get the high hop aroma in a low ABV beer, I "soaked" the hop pellets in vodka and then add that as my dry hops. I use the equivalent of 3 shots of vodka to do this. It really just makes a paste. Everything then goes into 5 gallons of beer as my dry hops. Works great.

I entered this in the specialty category for the NHC this year. This beer took first place last year in a comp (out of 50 + entries in that category). I mentioned in the description that I used vodka to help extract the hop oils. One of the judges said there was an overwhelming aroma of vodka in the beer. 3 shots worth in 5 gallons and you can smell it. Really? It is only enough to raise the base beer from 4.3 to 4.6 ABV. And all you really smell in vodka is the alcohol, so the judge is saying they got an overpowering alcohol smell from a 4.6 % ABV beer? I suspect it was the power of suggestion. I mentioned vodka was used, so the judge was convinced they would smell it.

Geesh.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

I found out, a long while ago, that the best way to identify a beer idiot is to look for a certification.

I am not saying all certified BJCP judges are dolts, I know several who take it very seriously and are extremely respectable.

But I also know several who don't deserve to be associated with beer based on some of the crap they put on paper.

 

[Misplaced_Canuck]

I'm not going to judge any brewer or any judge, but folks, DO remember that once the beer leaves your house, a LOT can happen to it. Sun-struck, heated, chilled too much, shaken about, etc. Lots and lots can go wrong. In particular, hop flavors & aromas can disappear in a heartbeat.

That being said, some judges do not really understand what they are doing. One guy I judged with kept eating a piece of cracker between beer. That's all good, except that when you're judging Alt beers and that they are supposed to taste "bready and/or toasty", and that you either can't pick it or are always tasting it because of the crackers, that's not too bright.

I also judged rye IPA's and had to correct a BJCP judge that could not smell & taste a chemical-like aroma in a beer. I had to get the steward to intervene objectively and tell us if she smelled&tasted chemicals. She did.

But there's also the dynamics/logistics of tasting beers. In the example above, I judged Rye IPA's THEN I judged Alt's. Tastebuds were out of whack for the Alts, that's for sure.

I'm not opposed to writing "Sweet malty flavors - OK" on a score sheet for a Sweet stout. It means that I detected the sweetness/maltiness, and that they are in check for the style. If it's too low or too high, I will note on it.

MC

 

[AmandaK]

One of my favorite judges, Bill Schneller, preaches against making specific assumptions when judging like what hops were used, mash procedures, etc when you really can't tell 100% of the time. The risk he says is, "looking like a sanctimonious ass." Priceless!! lmao

This is exactly what I will be preaching in my BJCP Prep Course. I can't stand poor judges, judges that can't be bothered to fill out more than two lines, assume things, etc, etc. You should fill out a score sheet as you would want to receive it.

I've emailed a 'provisional judge' before because he told me that my process was wrong. I tried to nicely explain how he came off as an ass... never got an email back!

Better yet, let's talk judge experiences. I can't count the number of 'judges' that have just come back from country 'x' or country 'y'. I had one guy swear to me that a Dusseldorf Alt was SUPPOSED TO BE MUSTY because that's how they are in Germany. I nearly fell out of my chair. Another tried to give an APA a 20 because it didn't have an absurdly high hop aroma. "The aroma brings you into the rest of the beer..." was his defense. That may be, but you can't dock flavor & mouthfeel because of that.

At least I'm trying to educate the people around KC, it's just a long process.

 

[AmandaK]

Oh, I almost forgot about my FAVORITE score sheet comment EVER.

I had entered a Rauchbier, a friend of mine (from the local club) also entered a Rauchbier. Mine was smokier than his. When we got our score sheets back, a "judge" wrote on my score sheet "SMOKE" in both the aroma & flavor section. On his score sheet? "NO SMOKE" in both the aroma and flavor. BWHAHAHAHAHA!!! I still refer to it as the "smoke, no smoke" competition. I should frame it.

 

[JasontheBeaver]

Most of the sheets from BJCP judges are fine, maybe some need to fill them out a little more but I don't find the rash of silly comments like I do from people who the competition organizers grab off the street.
I'm sure it's an enormous challenge to have enough qualified judges for a competition; and people flake out on you at the last minute too. But to just start grabbing anyone and asking, "hey, you wanna judge beer?" with them have no prior knowledge or even being in a homebrew club is just asking to piss off your entrants.

 

[AmandaK]

I'm sure it's an enormous challenge to have enough qualified judges for a competition; and people flake out on you at the last minute too. But to just start grabbing anyone and asking, "hey, you wanna judge beer?" with them have no prior knowledge or even being in a homebrew club is just asking to piss off your entrants.

This is the understatement of the day!

Until you've organized a competition, you won't know how hard it is to pull it off. Luckily for my last comp I only had to pull in one 'non-judge' at the last minute... but it was my fiance, and he knows his stuff. Hell, I taught him!