No, no, no, not this kind of beer competition: 

I mean this kind of beer competition:

Two weekends ago, I spent an enjoyable Saturday at the For What It’s Wort competition at Destihl’s brewery in Normal, Illinois.  It is sponsored by the Association of Bloomington-Normal Brewers (ABNormal Brewers) and they did an excellent job organizing it.  Bloomington-Normal is a two-hour drive or Amtrak ride from downtown Chicago, and while I don’t know everyone, I think I was the only judge from the city, with a couple of other judges from the suburbs. 

The small turnout of judges from Chicago for a nearby competition led me to ruminate on some of the benefits for BJCP credentialed judges of regularly participating in competitions throughout the year. 

This isn’t a rant against judges that are less active, it’s not a moral issue, we all understand that life balance and cycles (family, work, health) come into play.  Rather, it’s an attempt to articulate some of the benefits some judges might get out of judging at more than one or two competitions a year - not an admonition, an encouragement.    

Become a Better Judge

For most endeavors, the more you practice, the better you become – and that is certainly true for evaluating beer.  Formally evaluating beer is different than the more casual tasting we all do, day-to-day.   Exercising your palate and your ability to helpfully articulate what you are perceiving will enhance both. Even if you only judge three or four times a year, you will improve - compared to judging once a year at your club’s annual competition. This is good for both you and the competitions. 

Support Competitions and Homebrew Clubs

Homebrew clubs and competitions help make this hobby of ours something bigger than just an individual exercise.  Healthy clubs and competitions add vitality to this hobby.  Volunteering at a competition is one of the most direct ways you can help support and build the homebrewing community.  

Help Brewers Make Better Beers

While at some level competitions are about the awards, they also offer valuable feedback to brewers – anonymous and unbiased.  The feedback judges give to brewers helps them understand what is going on with their beer and points them in the direction of improvement. 

Expand Your Horizons

Participating at competitions is a great way to get outside your own personal homebrewing bubble.  Different judges, from different clubs, with different experiences and perspectives keep you from being trapped by your own narrow experiences and predilections. 

Become a Better Homebrewer

The more you taste other homebrewed beers – excellent, very good and not-so-great – the more insights you’ll have into your own brewing.  For example, my approach to brewing IPAs has been significantly impacted by my experiences of evaluating flights of IPAs at competitions. 

Make Personal Connections

Some of the most interesting people I know are folks I’ve met at competitions.  In addition to the judge you’re paired with, there’s always downtime at competitions, chances to get to know other volunteers.  Overtime, as you see folks at multiple competitions, connections are made and developed, helping to counter the isolation we all sometimes experience in our lives.   

Have Fun

I know I’m a brewing geek, but for me, volunteering at competitions is fun.  There’s a lot of laughing at competitions, stories get told, and for a few hours, we all get to step away from the day-to-day rigors of our lives and evaluate some beers. I look forward to competitions because I have fun at them.