The 2013 AIBA Judging took place last week at the headquarters of the Royal Agricultural Society in Melbourne with 42 judges from Australia and abroad assessing the merits of more than 1400 beers from all corners of the globe.

Many words have been written and pictures snapped (how good has the mainstream media interest been?!) about the task that befalls the chosen judges to rate, evaluate and award so many beers in so little time. They have finally found space in the papers and online which might one day bring them the widespread recognition they enjoy in only small circles today.

Pic thanks to James Smith at The Craft Pint

But how does a judge do his or her job? Simple, you might think – get beer, sniff, taste, swallow, write down numbers, repeat until the bus arrives to return you to your hotel. But you’d be wrong. Don’t feel bad, until a few years ago AIBA Judging was like polyester to me. I was happy to wear it, but had no idea how it worked.

A successful beer judging event relies on a small dedicated and primarily volunteer army to ensure a smooth and pleasant experience for the judges and for the beer. Tucked away Back of House is a cavernous fairy tale world of tables set full of glistening glassware and surrounded by parapets of beer cases stacked high waiting to be appraised. Here the busy worker bees scurry swiftly but silently, seeking out their target, confirming its unique catalogue number before skilfully decanting it and presenting it anonymously to their allocated table.

They are the Stewards and, without them, there are no beer awards. For the first time this year under the watchful eye of seasoned Head Steward Craig Bowen (Beer NZ) the team is known for two key attributes; The ability to pour and present beer and to keep a secret under extreme duress and/or torture. This is often easier than it sounds when charged with presenting a beer that is an iconic label for any self-respecting beer nerd.

From 8am, an hour before the judges take up the pencils that the stewards thoughtfully sharpened the previous afternoon, the stewards prepare their stations and the tables for their allotted team of judges. Judging sheets and style guidelines, judges handbooks, notebooks and water are all set out so that judging can begin on time. With 1450 beers, 42 judges in teams of seven and only four days it doesn’t take Rain Man to work out that each table will need to assess around 50 beers each day. {Yeah, definitely fifty beers, fifty beers, yeah}

“You like beer, Raymond?”
” Yeah.”

A primarily new panel overseeing the organisation of the awards ensured that a smooth transition from a four-days-a-week-over-three-weeks process could be skilfully executed in just four days. Aside from some tinkering and re-tasting on the fifth morning as well as the determining of Best in Class, all judging was complete before Chris Badenoch, Brendan Sullivan and Julia Jenkins from Josie Bones fired up the BBQ for a fitting feast to end the week.

Credit here must go to new Head Judge Brad Rogers and Head Steward Craig Bowen along with Michael Connolly and Ann Houlihan from the Royal Agricultural Society and their respective teams for the style and ease with which they made the process flow. From receiving, cataloguing and refrigerating the beers, wrangling media requests, to feeding the masses, arranging transport and accommodation and seeing to it that all judges were treated to some pretty special Melbourne hospitality, the stewards and judges could not have asked for better.

Special mention must go to the stewards who took more than just a few days off from work and travelled from Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney, Townsville and more to ensure that the beers were delivered on time. Extra special mention to those stewards who braved the open invitations to join the judges at various venues around town, partook of their generous hospitality and still staggered in to perform their duties admirably through the haze of late nights and early starts.

For those wishing to join in the fun and see what all the fuss is about, keep an eye out for expressions of interest to be a steward at the 2104 AIBA Judging. Whether you can spare a day or a week or anything in between, the experience is worth more than mere words can convey here. It truly is like being part of something very special. RSA Certificates are preferable and the ability to NOT get all tongue-tied when meeting your brewing idols is a definite advantage.

If that’s not enough to entice you then here’s a list of ‘highlights’ – some heavy lifting, limited tasting of some impossible-to-get-here-beers, camaraderie, cleaning up spills, dropping a few glasses, Stewards Awards, late nights with friends, Judges Awards, early starts and a cracking BBQ to finish. Dislocated limbs are optional and not recommended.

Here’s a link to the form for you if you are suitably inspired right now.

Oh, and I must acknowledge Cooper’s and their marvellous quirky adverts for the inspiration for the story headline at the same time as I apologise for taking a cheesy pun and turning it into, well, a cheesy pun.

The medallists and award winners will be announced at a Gala Dinner and Presentation night on May 23rd. The awards dinner is part of Good Beer Week and anyone can purchase tickets here.