The goals of the program are as follows:

1. To encourage program participants to produce a variety of styles with high quality.

2. To introduce PHC members to the large variety of world beer, mead, and cider styles through the sharing of samples.

3. To increase the knowledge of PHC members regarding styles, the technical knowledge to produce them, and the judging of them.

Download the updated 2015 AoB Guidelines

Guidelines

Two liters of beer are required for the evaluation tasting. The sample should be presented and registered prior to the start of the club’s monthly meeting. Only 1 liter is needed for high gravity (>1.080) beer, mead or cider. The program participant must fill out an AOB Registration Form and indicate the target style before having the beer judged. The judges will not assist the brewer in determining the style.  That linked pdf file includes 2 forms, only 1 is needed per entry.

The judges will return a copy of the Registration Form and communicate their impressions of each beer tasted so the brewers can make improvements and / or adjustments in recipes or techniques. Plus the judges will provide a "reference score" with their results so they might determine just where the panel feels the beer might fit in the range of overall quality.  After the beer has been sampled by the judging team it should be made available to everyone in attendance for the People's Choice competition. 

Brewers may work together but no more than two individuals will receive credit for a beer that has successfully passed the judges’ examination. Credited brewers should be involved in all aspects of the brewing process from recipe development through packaging.  A team that always will be involved with brewing together, like a husband and wife, can be given status as an 'individual' so all of there brewing is counted as one person thus they can brew with another individual who can also get credit.

Beers submitted to an AHA sanctioned contest can also be counted towards your Award of Brewing progress.  The beer must have scored 30 or better, at least one judge must have been in the BJCP program, the score sheet must be shown as proof, and the brewer must still bring the  prescribed quantity to share.

Award of Brewing Levels - 2015 BJCP Update

Brewers advance through the program by demonstrating their ability to produce beers that accurately reflect the characteristics of world beer styles as defined by the Beer Judge Certification Program guidelines and brew them without major defects.

Recognized Brewer: To reach the “Recognized” level a brewer must make a beer from 6 of the major categories currently sanctioned by the BJCP. At least 1 of these must be a lager and at least 1 of these must be an ale.

Accomplished Brewer: To reach the “Accomplished” level a brewer must make a beer from 12 of the major categories currently sanctioned by the BJCP. At least 2 of these must be lagers and at least 2 of these must be ales. Beers credited to a Recognized brewer count toward this obligation.

Accomplished Brewer (Additional Levels): Additional levels of Accomplished Brewer (Second Degree, Third Degree, etc.) may also be achieved.  The brewer must make a beer from an additional 12 major categories currently sanctioned by the BJCP. At least 1 of these additional beverages must be a lager and at least 1 must be an ale.

Master of Brewing: To reach the “Master” level a brewer must make a beer from every major category currently sanctioned by the BJCP.  Beers credited to an Accomplished brewer count toward this obligation.  A club service component is also required to advance to this level. This will include, but not be restricted to, a demonstration of the brewer’s knowledge of world beer styles and technical aspects of homebrewing with a Nuts & Bolts presentation, serving as a club officer, or organizing a club event or competition.

Master of Brewing (Additional Levels): Additional levels of Master of Brewing (Second Degree, Third Degree, etc.) may also be achieved.  The brewer must produce beverages from an additional 25 BJCP subcategories and perform an additional club service component.

Grand Master: To reach this level a brewer must produce every style of beer currently sanctioned by the BJCP (currently 128). Beers credited to prior AoB levels count toward this obligation. An additional club service component is also required to advance to this level. 

Awards and Recognition

A certificate will be presented to the brewer upon fulfillment of the requirements necessary to reach a level in the program. These awards serve as the club’s acknowledgement of the brewer’s achievement and as a means of thanking the brewer for participating in the program.

Upon reaching the level of Master Brewer, the participant will also receive an engraved and personalized glass stein with a pewter lid, an engraved plaque to hang on their wall indicating they are a Master Brewer and their name added to the Award of Brewing plaque of Master Brewers currently hanging at the Country Cannery.

Upon reaching the level of Grand Master Brewer, the participant will also receive an engraved and personalized mash paddle.

The Dennis Reimer Award of Brewing, Brewer of the Year award is given to the brewer who advanced the most beers in the program during the prior year.  We give out this award at our annual Holiday Party and all beers advanced since the prior year's Holiday Party count towards this award.  This award is a memorial to Dennis Reimer who was a huge supporter of the AOB program having attained the rank of Grand Master before he passed away in 2005.

The Award of Brewing program could not exist without judges so the Judge of the Year award was added in 2017. Judges volunteer their time to evaluate each entry and are awarded 2 points for the first beer they judge at each event and 1 point for each entry thereafter. These points accumulate over the course of a year from one Holiday Party up to the next. The judge with the most points in a year is awarded Judge of the Year honors and receives a plaque to commemorate the achievement.