even if informally, is something many professional brewers, homebrewers, and beer enthusiasts do virtually every day. Once competition is involved, however, beer judging moves beyond the act of tasting and acquires a different shape, look, and sound.

In the United States, most beer competitions are judged according to the standards set by the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP). Founded in 1985, the BJCP is a nonprofit organization that grew out of the American Homebrewers Association, but has since become independent. See beer judge certification program (bjcp). The BJCP beer judges, once they pass exams issued by the organization, are considered qualified to judge homebrewing competitions sanctioned by the BJCP throughout North America. The BJCP pioneered a style of judging that is based not only on the quality of the beer but also on its adherence to fairly strict style guidelines. Therefore, to win a medal at a BJCP competition, a pilsner must be not only a very good beer but also a great example of the pilsner beer style. See beer style.

This overall judging style now informs the competitions run by Brewers Association; these are the competitions at the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) and the World Beer Cup (WBC). They are the largest and arguably most rigorous beer competitions in the world, with the GABF judging American commercial beers and the WBC judging commercial beers from more than 40 countries. The 2010 WBC involved 179 judges, mostly professional brewers, from 26 countries, judging 3,300 beers in 90 distinct style categories. All judging is done blind, and judges must be capable of judging dozens of beers per session, while providing comments for the competing brewers and avoiding palate fatigue. The judging is style based and highly technical. Both competitions award gold, silver, and bronze awards in each style category as well as some cumulative awards based on competition scores.

Britain’s Campaign for Real Ale runs the Champion Beer of Britain competition at the annual Great British Beer Festival in London. This competition judges a slate of cask-conditioned beers that has been winnowed down by previous competitions and selections. There are six style-based categories judged, and the winner of each category goes on to compete for the title Champion Beer of Britain. The judges, who range from professional brewers to beer writers and well-respected enthusiasts, are asked to judge more hedonically than technically. In a complete departure from the American style of judging, the British competition focuses on how much the judges actually enjoy the beer, even going so far as to ask, “Would you go out of your way to find this beer?” To win Champion Beer of Britain is a huge commercial boost in the UK, and some small brewers have been thrilled to win, only to be swamped by the resulting market demand.

The Brewing Industry International Awards (BIIA), which can trace its roots back to the 1879 Brewers Exhibition in London, takes a middle tack. It is judged by a panel of professional brewers across 9 broad categories that are then broken down into 32 smaller categories. The judging is rigorous but less style based and puts a distinct value on commercial viability. Unlike other commercial competitions, the BIIA tests alcohol by volume levels for all winning beers, ensuring that stronger beers do not win unfairly by entering categories below their “weight class.”

Judges evaluate beers at the 2004 Brewing Industry International Awards in Burton-on-Trent, UK. photograph by denton tillman

New competitions continue to emerge worldwide from Italy to Australia, each with a unique focus and style. Brewers and enthusiasts argue the merits of each judging style. Despite the number of categories, some find the American style too confining, whereas others appreciate the fact that this judging has well-defined targets. An American judge might find the British judging style too relaxed, whereas the British judge might find the Americans oddly uptight. And both might look at a European-run competition, where lagers and ales sit together in the same categories and wonder what the world has come to.

See also brewers association, great american beer festival, and great british beer festival.