Northeast
Max Finnance
“Up in the Northeast” we’ve enjoyed gathering for a handful of great competitions since the last newsletter updates, and I’ve been fortunate to judge with many of you at both the NHC – First Round in NYC and the Rhode Worthy Cup, a commercial competition that’s a great judging opportunity for BJCP judges. I was also lucky enough to head out to Kansas City for the NHC – Final Round judging, and would strongly encourage anyone who’s been on the fence about traveling for that type of event. It was a great time!
Asst. Rep Katie Sloan and the NYC Homebrewers Club will have a wort share with local clubs at Fifth Hammer Brewing (Long Island City, NY) on Oct 4th. Not sure how many folks but at least 15-20 so lots of fun beer to try based on the same wort! The NYC team is also trying to put together a Beer Tasting Exam for the fall, and is close to having enough people, so if you’re interested please reach out to them (or to me, I’m happy to connect you).
Up in Toronto, Asst. Rep Eric Cousineau is organizing a Beer Tasting Exam on Sept 21st and still has a couple spots available for examinees to register. Additionally the annual Brew Slam homebrew competition which he organizes is back again in 2025 with judging happening in Toronto on Oct 24-26 weekend. This competition is frequently lauded by experienced judges as very well organized and typically sees over 500 entries while keeping flight sizes quite reasonable with around 6 entries/pair per session. This year’s theme is based on the Canadian cult-classic Strange Brew film:
Additionally, Todd Snyder in Buffalo is running a Mead Judging Exam on Sept 13th and there are still spots available for examinees to register. These exams (Mead) don’t come around every year, so if you are interested in getting Mead designation please reach out to him ASAP!
Looking ahead, we’re excited about all of the upcoming competitions in our region: UNYHA’s 47th Annual Homebrew Competition (NY) on 9/21, the MontreAlers Ale and Lager Throwdown (MALT) (CAN) on 9/27, the Merrimack Valley Homebrew Competition (MA) on 10/4, Brew Slam 2025 (CAN) on 10/24, the Southern New England Regional Homebrew Competition (SNERHC) (CT) on 10/26, the AlChE Beer Brewing Competition (MA) on 11/2, and the CiderDays Amateur Cider Competition (MA) on 12/6. All of these can be counted on for a fantastic day of judging, and I plan to be making the rounds. I’m also optimistic that several more competitions will pop up in the next few months, so keep an eye on the BJCP’s competition calendar!
I will also be administering a written exam for the November 15th quarterly date, please reach out if you’re interested!
As a note, I continue to maintain a list of folks from across the region who are interested in taking each exam (beer, mead, cider, written) so that we can get more exams scheduled in the Northeast as demand dictates. If you are looking for an exam seat for any of the BJCP’s in-person exams, please send me a note ([email protected]) and I’ll work to get you seated ASAP.
That’s all for now. Happy brewing, happy judging, and I hope to cross paths with each of you over a flight sometime soon!
Thanks, Max
Mid-Atlantic
Fred Mullner
HOMEBREW IS GOOD!
Bloatarian Brewing League held their 37th Annual Beer & Sweat Keg-Only Homebrew Competition in Cincinnati, OH. 124 kegs of homebrew were evaluated in one judging session, and the BOS judges selected the Dark Mild brewed by Steven Purdy of Eaton, OH as the best beer on the final table. Congrats to Steven and the rest of the winners! We hope to see more of you next year – Save the Date for August 16th!
Little Mountain Brewers in Cleveland is hosting their King of the Mountain comp on September 20.
On September 6th Keystone Hops hosted a Big Brew event. Several clubs from around the Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley area gathered to brew 15 gal of beer. The beer is to be aged in barrels provided by Keystone Home Brew. Judging takes place next year after the first round of judging for the AHA.
Cincinnati Malt Infusers will host their annual OktobersBest competition on October 11.
Prost,
Fred Mullner
Asia-Pacific
Mark Hibberd
Congratulations to our newest National judges – Dean Smith from Australia, Lin Lin from China, and Paul Wang from Taiwan. Apologies to Lin and Paul who I missed in my previous update- they have been National for almost a year now.
It’s very encouraging to see that we’ve more than doubled (to 31) the number of National+ judges in our region during the last three years. Well done to all who have played their part in this. Having sufficient National+ judges in the newer regions is crucial for achieving a sustainable BJCP because they are a key part of the exam admin and proctoring processes to qualify new judges and advance current judges. National judges also provide inspiration for upcoming judges to aim for higher ranks, and sharing their own experience in studying to pass the written exam can really help those who are passionate. I encourage those who’d like to progress to National but are unsure of who can help to contact me at [email protected].
This is the season for National Homebrew competitions with major competitions being held this month or next in Taiwan, Korea, New Zealand and Australia. If you have photos or details of competitions you’d like included in these updates, please let me know at [email protected].
North
Gail Milburn
Hello North Region Judges! Just a very short update this time. First and foremost, thank you so much to the IT/Bravo team for your hard work on our new website and database! The team includes North Region BJCP Judge Tony Greening. Well done!
Upcoming competitions include the Hillsdale, MI County Fair 9/20/25, Michigan Mead Cup 10/11/25, 12th Annual O’Connors West Michigan Brew Off 10/18/25, Badger Brewoff in WI 11/8/25, Deja Bru in MN 2/14/26, and Valkyries Mead Competition in MN 3/20/26. I also understand that the Mazer Cup will be held in WI 11/7-11/9/25.
I’d also like to congratulate the North Region new judges and those who have received promotions over these last months. Also a reminder that all it takes for an inactive judge to return to active status is to judge! Just one competition returns you to an active judge.
As always, happy judging!!!
West
Brian Cooper
No updates at this time
Europe, Middle East, Africa
Marek Kaminski
Here is a short summary of the past few months and a preview of BJCP activities in our region:
Competitions
There are a couple of competitions coming up in the UK – Norwich Amateur Brewers will be running a competition called Steinmasters in October which is German beers only. November brings a dark beer only competition to be run by Anglian Craft Brewers. We expect Scottish National and UK National competitions to run early next year.
The Panomaju brewing club from Finland have organised a European competition pitting countries against each other, loosely based on Eurovision, called Brewovision. In the first leg the entrants are sending beers to be judged at a local competition and the winners of each category will then be required to ship 10 bottles of their beer to a hub. From there the beers will be distributed to the other countries in some kind of giant beer swap where they will be judged against the winners from those countries. This will all happen simultaneously on 4th October with the results announced at 1700GMT. Countries participating include England & Wales, Scotland, Finland, Croatia, Ireland and Poland.
The Pink Boots Spain chapter has organized a beer competition – Certamen – open to all styles, inviting women and non-binary people to join the tables to learn how beer is evaluated.
The BJCP sanctioned African Beer Cup was held in May, with a number of international judges, followed by BeerEx Africa (beerex.africa). A BJCP tasting exam was also included. The BJCP sanctioned Intervarsity Brewing Competition will be held in October.
Also in May, another edition of the Polish Homebrewing Championship took place. The largest homebrew competition in the country gathered nearly 500 entries across 16 styles. The Grand Prix winner was commercially brewed at one of the leading craft breweries in Poland.
Upcoming competitions in Germany include the first homebrew championship in Essen, organised by Hobbybrauer Essen and with a focus on smoked beer styles in September, close by in Dortmund the second Ruhrpottmeisterschaft in November, calling for Dortmund Export and Irish Red Ales, and – in March 2026 – the second creative brewing competition set up by Hefezüchter in Aachen, inviting brewers to experiment with fruits in beer.
Exams
There are a good number of exams scheduled. Exams in Spain, Germany and Italy have all been scheduled, while a few more are in the preparation phase.
A large exam with 21 participants took place in Varazdin, Croatia, in June, further expanding the BJCP judge community in this very active hombrewing country. Further exams in Germany are planned to take place in Berlin, Münster and Stuttgart. We hope to hold a BJCP exam in the Johannesburg area in March 2026 as well. The second BJCP Mead exam will be held in Spain in October. Written Exams are scheduled in November in the UK, Czechia and South Africa.
Other news
In March, Heimbrau Convention, the largest German speaking homebrewing event with over 500 participants, took place again at Castle Romrod in central Germany. It featured both a BJCP judging exam and a sanctioned competition. HBCon 2026 will happen on March 13-15, 2026.
Later in October this year there will be a reprise of last years successful Love & Beer event in England in which homebrew clubs are invited to run a bar alongside pro brewers who are releasing collabs specially for the event. The event promotes inclusivity in the craft beer world. Last year 7 clubs ran a bar and we expect a similar number this time.
Midwest
Sandy Cockerham
My summer ended up busy with family matters, so I’m less ‘in the loop’ than usual. I am making a Rep update, but I know I might miss a few things. My apologies in advance.
NHC Finals judge stats
Representation from 22 states with the following judge levels
-Grand Master X: 3
– GM4: 1
– GM3: 1
– GM2: 2
– Master: 4
– National: 29
– Certified: 33
Every table will have a Master or higher BJCP judge, and each entry will be judged by at least one National or higher BJCP judge, always paired with a Certified or higher BJCP judge.
South
Sal Mortillaro II
No updates at this time
Latin America
Johann Renner Rouliez
Hello everyone!
As the new Latin America Representative, I’d like to introduce myself. My name is Johann Renner, National judge from Chile with Mead & Cider endorsements. I began my BJCP journey in December 2021 with the beer exam, and since then it’s been an amazing experience — meeting great people, tasting plenty of beers (for academic purposes, of course!), and contributing to the BJCP in different roles. I look forward to serving you and helping grow the program in Latin America.
Meet the LatAm Team
Every BJCP region has a team of representatives to support judges and assist the Rep. I’m glad to introduce the judges who will be working with me:
- Nathan Keffer (Ecuador)
- Thomaz Pupo (Brazil)
- Luis Héctor Valdez Gurrola (Mexico)
Feel free to reach out to them directly if you live nearby or meet them at a competition.
Thank you to our Predecessors
I want to take a moment to sincerely thank those who came before me and laid the foundation for everything we are building today.
James Foster, our past Latin America Representative, devoted countless hours and energy to the region. His leadership was key to advancing projects that continue to benefit us today—such as translations, the development of native grading, and encouraging judges to take the Written Exam. James not only worked hard but also inspired many of us to stay active, pursue higher ranks, and give back to the community. His impact will be felt for years to come.
I also want to recognize Ricardo Solís, who served as Assistant Representative for many years. Ricardo’s dedication to training new judges and helping competitions across Latin America has been extraordinary. In Chile, he played a central role in shaping the judging community, but his influence extended far beyond national borders. Many of the judges active today have grown thanks to his mentorship, guidance, and generosity in sharing his knowledge.
Both James and Ricardo set the bar high, and I’m deeply grateful for their contributions. Our current work would not be possible without the solid groundwork they built, and I hope to honor their legacy by continuing to strengthen and grow the BJCP in Latin America.
Recent Initiatives
We’ve been setting up the team, listening to judges across the region, and working with the Exam Directorate to expand the Spanish-language grading team — reducing the need for translations and helping speed up the process. Congratulations to Nathan Keffer, now Associate Exam Director, working alongside Carolina Perez to support this effort.
Celebrating Achievements
Since January, we’ve seen a rise in National+ rank judges. Please join me in congratulating:
- New National judges: Silvia de Tomás Ayllón (PE), Gimena Pereyra Russo (AR), Natalia Urzúa (CL), José Carlos Blanco (PA), Nicolás Boan (AR), Nicolás González Segura (CL), Jorge Thiermann (CL), and Lien Tori (AR).
- New Grand Master II judge: James Foster.
It’s been an exciting year for exams so far:
- Mexico: 6 exams
- Brazil: 5 exams
- Chile & Argentina: 4 exams each (including Chile’s first-ever Cider exam)
- Ecuador, Panama, and Paraguay: 1 exam each
Special mention to Ecuador, where more than 20 examinees took the Beer Tasting exam during the 9th Copa Cervecera Mitad del Mundo — an impressive achievement for a small but growing community.
Competitions in the Region
Latin America continues to host a diverse range of competitions: national and international, homebrewer- and commercial-focused, and even style-specific events such as Chile’s first Cider-only competition. Looking ahead, mead-only competitions are scheduled for Mexico and Argentina in late 2025. All of them rely on BJCP judges or guidelines—proof of the program’s growing influence.
What’s Next?
- Strengthening native grading: recruiting and training more graders in the region to reduce turnaround times.
- Encouraging more exams: especially the Written Exam, so judges can advance to higher ranks. If you’re eligible, start preparing — and if you’re interested in organizing an exam, please reach out for guidance and support.
- Translations: the 2025 Cider Guidelines are currently being translated into Spanish, soon to be available for competitions and training.
Thank you for being part of the BJCP community!
Our growth in Latin America depends on the dedication of judges, administrators, and volunteers like you. Let’s keep working together to strengthen and expand the program across the region.
Mountain/Northwest
Brad Darnell
No updates at this time