Exam Focus
- Conduct bottle inspection, pour, immediate aroma, appearance, flavor, mouthfeel, re-evaluation, and overall assessment in order.
- Write observations in the correct scoresheet sections while the evidence is fresh.
- Integrate style fit, technical merit, and prioritized feedback into an internally consistent final score.
Core knowledge
- Evaluation should move through appearance, aroma, taste, mouthfeel, finish, and aftertaste using consistent glassware, temperature, and note structure.
- Aroma techniques include distant, drive-by, short, long, and covered sniffs, with retronasal aroma considered after tasting.
- Strong conclusions distinguish style fit, quality, freshness, process cause, and service or storage cause.
Study application
Use a repeatable tasting method before naming style, fault, intensity, or likely cause.
BJCP Beer Judge Entrance Exam Notes
BJCP judging application
The BJCP evaluation sequence is a repeatable evidence-gathering method. Capture volatile aroma first, then work through the scoresheet's sensory sections, revisiting the sample as it warms. Finish by checking whether section points, total, grids, and Overall Impression tell the same story.
Why It Matters
- A fixed method reduces omissions and protects volatile observations that fade soon after pouring.
- The final audit catches score-comment contradictions before they reach the entrant.
Practical Sensory Exercises
Complete a ten-minute judging pass
Use a blank BJCP beer scoresheet and time each stage of one evaluation. At the end, underline the comment supporting every section score and revise any total or conclusion that lacks written evidence.
Key Terms
- Evaluation
- Evaluation should move through appearance, aroma, taste, mouthfeel, finish, and aftertaste using consistent glassware, temperature, and note structure.