After years of mystery about how beers were actually judged at the GABF, organizers came up with the great idea of You Be the Judge. Attendees can sit down with a competition judge and walk through the evaluation of a beer using the same scoresheets and guidelines.

They only allow a few minutes with each attendee, which is actually quite fitting, considering when we judge we move right along. Unlike homebrewing judging, the scoresheets are very simple. We don't award points, per se, just rank the top three in the flight after providing some written comments on appearance, aromas, flavors, mouthfeel/aftertaste, and je ne sais quoi.

There are three or four judges per flight of about 7-12 entries. We are served all of the beers all at once. Each judge randomizes the order in which he/she evaluates the beers to reduce statistical issues like nugget effect, palate fatigue, and creeping incrementalism.

In 2007 a gal named Maggie Dutton recorded my session with her and it ended up here: