By Jay Hersh
Homebrewers typically enter three bottles in a competition. The idea behind this approach is that you pick two judges per category and take two of the bottles of each entry in that category and make up “to go” boxes, each of which has 1 of the 3 bottles from each entry in that category. The organizer could then either drop the boxes off at the front door of the judges or have the judges come to pick them up the same way take out food is being done. This can be done without the need for any contact. The two judges would then set up a time for a Zoom or phone conference at which they sit down and from the safety and comfort of their own homes they pour and judge the beers completing a digital version of the BJCP scoresheet which would they would email to the organizer upon completion of the round.
The 3rd bottle from each entry would be held back by the organizer for a best of show. That would still have to be held at a venue but it would be easy enough to pick 3-5 judges willing to do the BOS and seat them at well spaced, separate tables and then have stewards with gloves and face masks pour out and distribute the entries.
The sorting and data entry part of the work could be performed by a small group of 2-4 people (a labeler, a data entry person, and a couple of sorters) wearing face masks and gloves who could also sanitize the outsides of the bottles with something like Alcohol wipes, Iodophor, StarSan, or a bleach solution.
It’s a radical concept, but I think it is potentially workable at least for a smaller sized competition with judges in a somewhat close geographic region (driving time/distance being the biggest factor). Limiting who can enter (for example only allowing members of a local club) would make sure the organizer can allow for a sufficient number of judges and manage the administrative tasks . I don’t know that a digital form of the BJCP Scoresheet exists anywhere but I don’t think it would be very difficult to create one from the master MS Word template the BJCP has. The down side of this approach is that it foregoes the social aspect of judging which is a draw for so many people and it’s a far cry from judging as we now know it but it does keep the activity alive in people’s hearts and minds, and as the saying goes desperate times deserve desperate measures.
In my region we have postponed our normal May competition held in honor of Greg Noonan. I am championing giving this a try either in place of that or as a means to hold the competition we have been running for several years for a state fair/expo which normally occurs in August. I am curious as to whether others think this is something worth trying and if so what feedback they might have.
Jay Hersh is a Grandmaster and an Assistant Representative to the Northeast for the BJCP.