Don't ever pass up the opportunity to judge beer. Ok, I know you do that anyway, but I'm not talking about your personal opinion of Pabst Blue Ribbon. It turns out that real-life beer competitions require amateur beer judges to work alongside the pros. Apparently, amateurs provide useful feedback to brewmasters with their 'average Joe' opinions.
And that's where I come in.
May 19th was the 25th annual Heart of the Valley Brewfest held in Corvallis, Oregon, featuring home-brewed beer from all over the Pacific Northwest. It was two days of beer drinking fun and *hard work* – no really, judging beer takes skill, concentration, and stamina (not to mention a fully functioning olfactory sense).
I had none of these, but still managed to hold my own. What's exciting about being an amateur judge is how much you learn about beer, and quickly. "It was good" is not going to cut it, and adopting a complicated beer vocabulary is highly encouraged. It's also exciting to have an excuse to start drinking beer at 9 a.m., which is when the judging started.
