On January 26th, 2019 in St. Paul Minnesota, BJCP President Gordon Strong presented outgoing Exam Director Steve Piatz with the Pat Baker Award for Significant, Sustained Service to the BJCP. This is only the second time in the organization’s history the BJCP Board has voted to present this award. According to Strong “The vote was quick and unanimous; everyone understood what he did for the program”.
An active grader since 1997, Steve became an Associate Director in 2000 and in early 2004 an Exam Director, eventually becoming Managing Exam Director in 2013. Steve, who holds the rank of GM IX, was at the forefront of many of the positive changes to the exam program during his tenure as Exam Director from the development and revision of the three exam tiers which comprise the breadth of the beer certification to streamlining the administering and grading of exams to administering the first mead exam in 2008.
The exam program and the BJCP membership owes a debt of gratitude for all Piatz has contributed over the years, and we wish him well in all his future judging endeavors. Cheers!