For this article, we interviewed brewer, author, and lecturer Mary Izett about judging beer, mead, and cider with ingredients beyond base styles and substrates. Mary is co-owner of Fifth Hammer Brewing Company in Long Island City, NY, the author of “Speed Brewing: Techniques and Recipes for Fast-Fermenting Beers, Ciders, Meads, and More“, a national BJCP Judge and, a frequent guest lecturer at seminars and festivals around the world.
Based on your book, articles, and beers you’ve brewed at Fifth Hammer you seem fairly well versed in a host of different ingredients. When tasting a specialty beer or a mead/cider with added ingredients how do you know if it works? What are you looking for?
(Mary Izett) Similar to what you are looking for when you judge a category like 21A (S/H/V) – a ‘harmonious marriage’ of ingredients and the beverage and balance between them. Generally, you want to be able to smell & taste the different ingredients as well as the underlying beverage, whether it be a beer, mead or cider.
Is it different across different beverages? e.g. Mead/Beer/Cider even soda?
(MI) Not that different between mead, beer & cider. Sodas & hard seltzers are designed to be aroma/flavor/ingredient driven with the base beverage neutral so they would be judged slightly differently – you’re looking more for harmonious aromas & flavors of the additives. A neutral base can be challenging to achieve and any off-flavors in the base should be noted.
How much leeway or deference do you think judges should give to whether the entrant executed what they seemed like they were trying to do when coming up with a score? In other words, if it’s “as described” but maybe not working right in your evaluation.
(MI)This is a tricky one as although you’re generally looking for harmony & balance when judging, that is not always what the contemporary consumer wants to imbibe nor what the modern-day brewer is looking to achieve. Did the brewer intend to brew a fruited lactose milkshape sour IPA (or hard seltzer) that hits you over the head with big aroma & flavor? Did they do it effectively? If so, give them the credit they deserve. Honestly, there are styles like these that I don’t ever want to drink – but lots of people do and kudos to the brewers (home or commercial) that do these styles well. Don’t knock them because you don’t like the style (also true for ingredients). You must take your personal preferences out of the judging equation and judge the liquid for what was intended & executed. And keep in mind that the BJCP guidelines are just that – guidelines. Every judge should probably read the Guidelines Intro before each judging session. It’s tricky sometimes – we’re in a weird space in craft beer/beverages where almost anything goes and that can make it very difficult to judge effectively.
What are some common misconceptions you’ve seen when interpreting the contribution of uncommon ingredients?
(MI)Not a misconception but unfamiliarity with ingredients is the biggest issue with uncommon ingredients. It’s really hard to judge ingredients that you’ve never smelled or tasted or experienced in any way. And different ingredients come across differently depending on other ingredients they’re interacting with, how they’ve been treated in brewing and/or fermentation and concentration in the beverage.
In what ways are you looking for the contribution of an alternative grain or alternative sugar in a beer in those categories?
(MI) If it’s a grain or a sugar that should be detectable, meaning it has aroma/flavor to add to the beverage, then it’s nice to be able to notice it in the beverage. But again, that varies with style and what the brewer was aiming for.
What advice would you give for people just starting to judge these categories or people looking to better their craft?
(MI) Taste as much as you can. Not just beverages, but hit your local international grocery/groceries and seek out ingredients that you haven’t experienced yet. Fruit, teas and international candies are fun ways to experience new flavors and also fun to share – you can set up a tasting with any of those items with friends or our homebrewing group. Eat at a variety of restaurants, food trucks, sidewalk stands – seek out flavors that you have limited experience with or haven’t experienced at all. Get out there and drink & eat the world.