tom_hampton said:
For future judges /events what do you think the lesson is in that? Jz has commented over and over about "just judge the beer in front of you. Don't try to guess hhow it was made. If it's good, then it's good." knowing what you know now... Do you think the panel got that wrong?
I think the whole quote is, "Any judge can evaluate any style, if they just describe the beer in the glass. Nevermind expectations of style. Just describe what's in the glass." Because that's me talking, starting in about 2006. I pulled the above from a 2010 post in the BJCP forum.
What I was referencing was a BOS evaluation for a Pro-Am. In the end, did we think the beer was commercially viable (yes) and did we think it was duplicable (doubtful). It lost to a beer that got two "yes" nods.
In the primary level of judging, it did get a fair and complete evaluation (I judged it), coming in first for it's category. That's why it was on the BOS table.
Did the panel "get it wrong?" well, no... and yes.... Since I'm not likely to be outranked on any panel, I suppose I bear the burden of that decision. Given the goals of that panel, we gave a recommendation to the brewery (their Brewmaster was on the BOS panel, too) and got that right.
We failed to pick the most interesting beer on the table, though. However, that is almost never the goal of a BOS panel. The goal is to find the beer that is the MOST accurate example of style from among a large group of well made beers. It becomes a beauty contest.