A great few days had At BeerX in Liverpool. Very well organised by SIBA, and a steady stream of really interesting ladies and gents with one thing in common. Beer.

I had my first go at judging the stuff – weird in concept and execution, but let’s be honest we all do it subconsciously anyway! Things I quickly realised –

  1. I wasn’t the only virgin on the bench.
  2. I can eat 6 dry crackers in an hour and a half.
  3. There are several different types of judges – the quiet thinker – the talker – the talker so every one can hear’er – the swigger – the influencer – the sponge – the rubber outer’er. (I reckon if you had a good look at the papers, you’d have a decent guide to the judges personality, about their overall life outlook and if they’re decisive or not!).
  4. Writing a score down is difficult, as after 5-6 you realise the one in your hand you like more than the second one, but you wrote a 6 for that, and are thinking a 5 for this…
  5. The brewers heart and soul, or at the very least hard work, time and effort, has gone into every one of them.
  6. You simply don’t like some.
  7. You grab one or two back from the glass collector.
  8. Your scores hopefully reflect this.
  9. Round 3 is a lot more enjoyable, louder and you’re best mates with the people on your table..
  10. I heartily recommend it.

It’s weird but if you get the chance, have a go!