The most important thing that a judge has to do is give, aside from encouragement and feed back is where a beer could be improved. Unless a beer is absolute crap then the above should be adhered to.
Download score sheets and fill them out as in a comp, where there were points lost and points gained.
This gives the brewer an insight for improvement. I would encourage all home brewers to enter comps, the advice received is not demeaning but an insight of where improvements can be made.
Post 139 by Ghillie that does happen, I have sat as an assistant to a judge and the beers coming through have been crap, I must say I have never seen a score of 27 coming into the winners arena but thanks should be given for the time invested by the judges with sympathy to their taste buds.
Thanks
@foxy, appreciate it.
Spent a good few hours typing up all the scores and feedback. Not to mention taking a day off work to judge the competition (was the only day/chance that worked in with the both of us).
All beers which were flawed, we gave our opinions on what it may be and what should be reviewed/refined in order to eradicate it. Beers which simply lacked flavour and/or aroma. Were noted as just that.
If the beers were fantastic, they would have been scored as so. Turns out that the beers were average to good, so were scored accordingly. You don’t raise the scores if the average performance is lacking. Podium places were awarded for the best beers and that’s it.
As for anyone who is bitter about their score and lack of placing (seems those who weren’t placed are the only ones moaning). Submit a better beer to get a podium place is all I can say...
To enter a competition for feedback and honest peer review, discredit the feedback and or opinion of those judging is just daft. I love beer and can tell the difference between good beer and bad beer, it’s rather simple. I would also say that my performances in the few forum comps I’ve entered proves my ability and understanding of both brewing and beer enough to warrant an opinion on the matter.
So for those who have a gripe about their low scoring beers, I’m sorry. But if I knew your skin was so thin I would have had your Mum give the feedback rather than a peer brewer. If it makes anyone feel better, everyone can add on an arbitrary 10 points to their overall scores but - oh yeah - it doesn’t actually change anything. The better beers were placed, simple. All beers were scored with the same fairness, simple. No one was biased or in favour of any entrant, simple.
Thanks again to all those who entered.