Judges
Meet The Beer Connoisseur® magazine's panel of judges for its Official Review, and read the beer and cider reviews each judge has evaluated during his or her tenure.
Stumbling upon an abandoned homebrew starter kit in Woods Hole, MA in 2003, Alex Sheftel brewed his first (and only) Squid Ink Stout. Becoming instantly enamored with the blend of art and science that is beer brewing...
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The Beer Connoisseur® review was conducted as a round table single blind review by our panel of expert judges. Four to six judges reviewed 8-14 beers per session and submitted their individual scores and notes. The scores were averaged...
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Brad became interested in the science behind beer while taking a senior elective course, Biochemical Engineering, where the professor spoke of enzymes (among other things) and took the class on a brewery tour. He has since begun home brewing and...
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Brian started diving into the world of craft beer in 2004, tracking all of the beers he tasted online, with notes. He picked up homebrewing in 2008 and began judging in 2010. Taking pride in the opportunity to give feedback to brewers of all...
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Drawn to craft beer since the early 90s. He's been homebrewing for over 20 years, and a BJCP judge for nearly 10. Dan calls himself the "beer hound", because finding good beer on his travels is what makes his tail wag.
Becoming a BJCP...
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Dan discovered craft beer his junior year of college and never looked back. After a few years of brewery tours and tastings, he finally dove into homebrewing in 2009 when a work colleague was giving up the hobby. Shortly after, he joined one of...
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Dave has been brewing beer since 1983 and judging since 1985. He holds the BJCP rank of Grand Master II, and has served in the program as Exam Assistant Director, Exam Director, and Western Representative on the BJCP Board of Directors. Early in...
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Garrick is a National Judge as ranked by the BJCP and a Certified Cicerone®. He started training his beer palate and vocabulary in 2012. You can find him in his suburban Minneapolis garage brewing a long-forgotten historical beer style or another...
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Graham is a National-ranked BJCP judge living in the Atlanta, Georgia, area. He has been homebrewing beer for almost 20 years since it became legal in Georgia. His favorite styles to brew (and drink) are IPA’s, Double IPA’s, and malty lagers like...
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A homebrewer in Connecticut for 31 years and a member of the BJCP for 29, Jim worked with Pat Baker, the driving force behind the creation and inception of the BJCP, while advancing to Grand Master ranking in 2001. With several decades of judging...
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James is a BJCP National-level certified Beer and Mead Judge. Active as an exam grader and proctor, he has judged at the Canadian Beer Awards, British Columbia Beer Awards and numerous other competitions across the U.S.
A late arrival to...
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Jason Johnson has been homebrewing since 2000 and a ranked judge with the BJCP since 2005. He currently holds the rank of National Judge. Jason was the Co-founder and Co-Host of Brewnology: The Podcast where they explored all avenues of Beer...
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Jeffrey Pinhey is co-founder of the Brewnosers Homebrewing and Beer Appreciation Club in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He is one of the most experienced beer judges in Canada, having written the exam in 1991 and advancing to...
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Jess is a BJCP National ranked beer judge, award winning cider maker, and Assistant Professor of Developmental Psychology at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY. Jess studies how children (and adults!) use language (e.g., words) to describe...
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Jim is a Grand Master beer judge and former Associate Exam Director for the Beer Judge Certification Program. He began enjoying good beer in the mid aughts and...
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