Learning to judge beers is one of the best steps to understanding beer and getting involved in the homebrewing community. The core organization responsible for the certification of beer judges is the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP). The Washington Homebrewers Association has coordinated the next BJCP exam which will be held on February 28th in the Puget Sound area. In order to help homebrewers prepare for the exam, several Washington clubs are beginning exam study sessions. While each of these study sessions will vary slightly, each group will be meeting to learn about, taste, and discuss the different styles of beer covered on the exam and prepare for the rigorous exam format.

The following clubs have (or are considering) begun organizing study events:

• Cascade Brewers Guild
• Greater Everett Brewers League
• North Seattle Homebrew Club
• Impaling Alers
• West Sound Homebrewers
• Mount Si Homebrewers

If you are interested in participating in one of these study groups, please contact the organizer for more details. If your club is looking to begin sessions as well, please let us know and we will get your information posted. Available information for the study groups can be found in the BJCP Classes category under the Learn section.

Whether or not you are in one of the clubs, any homebrewer is welcome to take the exam. If you are interested, you should contact the exam coordinator, Tom Schmidlin, to let him know your intentions.

Best of luck to everyone preparing for the exam! We are looking forward to a great turnout and good growth to our judging cadre.