Judging

Certified Guild Judges

To Be a Brewing Judge * Judging Forms * Contact Us
Current Judges: Senior * Intermediate * Junior * Novice * Judge in Training
Judge Training Requirements: Judge in Training * Novice * Junior * Intermediate * Senior * Senior Judge Emeritus

We take judging seriously.

In order to advance as brewers, we need a fair and consistent yardstick to measure our efforts against, and we need feedback and constructive comments on how our efforts compare to the ideal.

To that end, the Guild’s Charter charges us to provide training to create a corps of certified judges for Guild and other tasting events. Our contests and rank advancement tastings are judged by trained tasters who spend a considerable amount of time taking classes and honing their skills along side our Senior Judges.

Some of our judges also judge for the Los Angeles, Riverside, and Orange County Fairs, as well as other non-SCA tasting activities. In the SCA you can see them at work at Great Western War (where the Guild sponsors a multi-kingdom contest), Potrero War, Highland War, King’s Hunt, and other local brewing contests.

Judging may sound like a lot of fun (and it is), but it’s also a lot of work. Getting it right is not a trivial endeavor, but our judges take the time to do it right and do their best to provide useful and helpful comments and critiques.


To Be a Brewing Judge

You don’t have to be a Brewer to be a Brewing Judge. It just takes classes and understanding the various concepts behind the judging.

And you don’t have to become a judge for the classes to be useful! The classes will help you understand what you’re tasting, and if you a brewer, help you understand what the judges are looking for.

To that end the Right Noble Brewers Guild of Caid offers classes for those people who might be interested in becoming judges or just interesting in learning more about how to taste. For those who are already Judges there are classes to upgrade your judging level.

You say “Why would I be interested in being a Judge?”  The benefits are that you will get to taste and drink brew from all over the Kingdom. We have in the past also had our judges get asked by the LA, Riverside, and Orange County Fairs to help Judge.

There are many wars and other events that need  brewing judges. Judges are also in high demand at Guild meeting to advise members on their brews and score them for rank advancement.


Brewers Guild Judging Form – Food
Brewers Guild Judging Forms – Beverages

Current Guild Judges

Senior Judges

Intermediate Judges

Junior Judges

Novice Judges

Judges in Training


Requirements to Become a Brewing Judge


Judge In Training

  1. Be a paid member of the Guild (if the Guild is collecting dues)
  2. Take judging concepts class


Novice Judge

  1. Complete the Judge in Training requirements
  2. Be a paid member of Guild (if the Guild is collecting dues)
  3. Take first core class
  4. Must taste test at least 20 drinks/items within the core studied, scoring within 20 points of the senior judge, or be bracketed by the judges, 50% of the time
  5. If passed the person will be considered certified for two years and may judge any local Brewing contest. May not judge any contest that is Inter-baronial, Inter-kingdom, Pentathlon, or for Guild advancement unless there is a Senior Judge on the panel
  6. Renewal of certification occurs once #3 is fulfilled again OR you judge a contest at least twice during the two years and are signed off by a Senior Judge at least once.


Junior Judge

  1. Complete the Novice Judge requirements
  2. Be a paid member of Guild (if the Guild is collecting dues)
  3. Take second core class, different from the first core
  4. Must taste test at least 20 drinks/items within the second core studied, scoring within 20 points of the senior judge, or be bracketed by the judges, 50% of the time
  5. If passed the person will be considered certified for two years and may judge any local Brewing contest. May not judge any contest that is Inter-baronial, Inter-kingdom, Pentathlon, or for Guild advancement unless there is a Senior Judge on the panel.
  6. Renewal of certification occurs once #4 is fulfilled again OR you judge a contest at least twice during the two years and are signed off by a Senior Judge at least once.


Intermediate Judge

  1. Complete the Junior Judge requirements
  2. Be a aid member of the Guild (if the Guild is collecting dues)
  3. Take a core class different than the first two taken.
  4. Must taste test at least 40 drinks / items of which 30 are of the new core, scoring within 15 points of the senior judge, or be bracketed by the judges, 60% of the time.
  5. If passed the person will be considered certified for five years and may judge any local Brewing, Inter-baronial, or Inter-kingdom contest. May not judge any contest that is Pentathlon, or for Guild advancement unless there is a Senior Judge on the panel.
  6. Renewal of certification occurs once #4 is fulfilled again OR you judge a contest at least 5 times during the five years and are signed off by a Senior Judge at least twice.


Senior Judge

  1. Complete the Intermediate Judge requirements
  2. Be a paid member of the Guild (if the Guild is collecting dues)
  3. Take last core class left to you.
  4. Must taste test at least 80 drinks / items of which 40 are of the new core, scoring within 10 points of the Senior Judge, or be bracketed by the judges, 70% of the time.
  5. A Senior Judge is the only level of judge whose scores count for Guild rank advancement. A Senior Judge may invite any other guests to participate.
  6. If passed, considered to be permanently certified so long as you judge one contest a year and pass the Conclave as described below.
  7. Conclave: Once every seven (7) years the Senior Judges shall sit in conclave. Senior Judges 18 months of less are exempt if they so desire.
  • (a) The first time shall occur during the first half of 2006.
  • (b) Once convened the judges shall judge in secret 25 different items (one from each division.)
  • (c) All must score within 15 points of each other, 60% of the time.
  • (d) The judges who do not pass section (c) are temporarily suspended.
  • (e) Any judge who is not able to be at this conclave automatically is suspended.
  • (f) The conclave shall offer any suspended judge any one of the following options:
  • i. May opt for Intermediate Judge status.
  • ii. May appeal to retake conclave test within two months. If granted the conclave shall appoint a Senior Judge who will administer the test. If the test is failed, become an Intermediate Judge.
  • iii. Retake the Senior Judge testing. Must taste test at least 80 drinks/items of which 20 are of each core, scoring within 10 points of the Senior Judge, or be bracketed by the judges, 70% of the time.


Senior Judge Emeritus

  1. Must be a Senior Judge must be in full standing before becoming a Senior Judge Emeritus.
  2. A Senior Judge must elect to become a Senior Judge Emeritus.
  3. Once a Senior Judge Emeritus it is permanent.
  4. The following rules apply:
  • (a) Must keep up to date.
  • (b) May teach small classes.
  • (c) May judge up to 6 entries in any contest or meeting.
  • (d) May discuss and put ideas forth to the Senior Judge Committee but, may not vote on any judging policies.n

Contact Us
If you have questions about Guild trained and certified judges, or would like to become a Guild judge (or just take the training classes to help improve your own brewing), contact the Judge Coordinator.