Introduction to the BJCP

The Beer Judge Certification Program, Inc. (BJCP) is a world-wide certifying organization for judges of beer and related fermented products. Founded in 1985, we now have a presence in over 60 countries and have more than 7500 active judges in the program. Judges are certified through an examination covering technical aspects of brewing, world beer styles, the purpose of the BJCP, and judging procedures, and by demonstrating practical judging skills. Judges are ranked based on their examination scores and accumulation of practical judging experience.

BJCP Mission Statement

The BJCP is a non-profit organization that:

  • Encourages knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of the world’s diverse beer, mead, and cider styles,
  • Promotes, recognizes, and advances beer, mead, and cider tasting, evaluation and communication skills, and
  • Develops standardized tools, methods, and processes for the structured evaluation, ranking and feedback of beer, mead, and cider.

BJCP Operations

The BJCP is operated for the primary purposes of:

  • Certifying individuals as competent evaluators of home-brewed and commercial beer.
  • Certifying competitions in which home-brewed and commercial beer is judged.

In order to carry out these purposes, the BJCP engages in the following activities:

  • Administering an examination program through which an individual may achieve certification as a beer judge. View the Exam & Certification section.
  • Administering an educational program for individuals already certified as beer judges, and for those seeking to become certified, to increase their knowledge of different beer styles, brewing processes, and evaluation techniques. View the Education & Training section.
  • Certifying that persons sponsoring a competition during which beer will be judged are complying with competition rules issued by the BJCP and are utilizing the services of judges certified by the BJCP. View the Competitions section.
  • Defining and publishing style guidelines to assist beer judges in the evaluation of competition entries. View the Beer Styles section.
  • Exploring additional avenues for expansion involving substantially the same types of activities regarding similar fermented beverages such as cider, mead, sake, etc., and incorporating style guidelines, examination, certification, and sanctioning activities as appropriate.