For one weekend a year, beer lovers from across America gather together in Denver, Colorado, to celebrate their common love: the glorious merger of grain, hops, water, and yeast. From humble beginnings fraught with consumer disinterest and logistical challenges, the Great American Beer Festival grew to become America's dominant beverage industry event.

This year's festival saw growth in several areas over previous festivals. A select group of 91 professional judges from six countries judged 1820 beers in 58 style categories in the Great American Beer Festival's (GABF) competition. The judges critiqued an average of 31 beers in each category. The least competitive category fielded only four competitors, while the most competitive category, American Style India Pale Ale, fielded 94 entries. At the annual awards ceremony, the judges awarded 172 medals. At the festival itself, 301 breweries poured more than 1300 beers for more than 21,000 attendees.

A HISTORY LESSON

The GABF held its first professional judging panel in 1987, replacing the prior consumer preference poll standard. Judges sit together in small groups and consider a range of beers in a single category. The judges evaluate the beers in a blind fashion, without knowing the brand name of the beers presented. GABF rules prevent brewers from judging categories in which they are personally competing. The judging process occurs in the days preceding the festival. The AOB assigns judges to evaluate beers in their respective areas of expertise and they typically sample fewer than 30 beers in any particular session. For categories with 14 or more entries, judges evaluate beers in groups of three per beer in the preliminary rounds. Final and medal rounds are judged by a minimum of six judges.

The Association of Brewers (AOB) defines a GABF gold medal winning beer as: "A world-class beer that accurately exemplifies the specified style, displaying the proper balance of taste, aroma and appearance." Silver and bronze medal winners are excellent beers that vary slightly from the style parameters. In truth, the medal rounds are often highly competitive with great beers fighting against other great beers.

For participating brewers, the battle for a medal is fierce and emotional, though few would admit it. While many shrug off the importance of the competition, plenty of brewers were seen shaking their heads in disappointment, or nursing beers and wounded egos at local brewpubs following the awards presentation. For the winners, however, they have reached a summit in their climb for respect in the brewing industry, says Charlie Papazian. "It means a hell of a lot for the brewers because they get a real kick out of being chosen by their peers for the recognition of the great beers they are making," says Papazian. "With those awards, they have been delegated to represent the craft beer industry for a year with their style."

JUDGING the PROCESS

In a new event this year, members of the media became the first non-judges to view the judging process. Introducing the event, GABF Judge Manager Chris Swersey admitted that the judging process was "not very transparent" to outsiders. The Association of Brewers' event brought together six well-respected beer professionals to simulate a judging of the highly contested American-style India Pale Ale category. The panel included author and journalist Michael Jackson, Garrett Oliver of Brooklyn Brewery, Teri Fahrendorf, Manager of the Steelhead Brewpub Group, Lyn Kruger, President and COO of Siebel Institute of Technology, Sue Thompson, Sensory Manager for Miller Brewing Company, and Paul Buttrick, Head UK Brewer for Stella Artois.

After a round of introductions, Ms. Kruger, the head of the panel, announced the style guidelines. She noted that India pale ales are characterized by intense hop bitterness with a high alcohol content. Brewers producing American IPA's use American hop varieties at a high hopping rate. The beers range in color from pale gold to deep copper, with a full, flowery hop aroma and a medium level of malt.

After the announcement of the style guidelines, beer stewards then set out the first round of beers. The samples were poured in a separate control room and presented in individually numbered, four ounce glasses. The judges individually began to swirl, contemplate, and taste the six samples. Some raised eyebrows after an inhale or a first sip, others concentrated deeply on the aromas or flavors. Each judge remained silent in their initial consideration.

Michael Jackson spoke first, posing a question about whether the guidelines limited the use of hops to the American varieties. Ms. Kruger noted that the guidelines so limited the category. Jackson noted that an American IPA "should be a smack in the mouth" of hop bitterness.

Eventually, the group began to argue over the characteristics of the various beers - the balance, hop aromas and clean flavors of the beers. While judges quickly agreed on which beers did not fit the guidelines, they were markedly less successful during the medal round. The panel split immediately over the freshness of the hops used in two particular beers. Some judges accused other judges of being overly sensitive to a "cheesy" or old hop flavor. Some judges wanted a brighter aromatic from the beers, while others sought out greater hop bitterness. In a striking comment, one judge admitted a particular disaffection for the use of West Coast hops, such as the Chinook variety, which are staples of the American IPA category. Other judges argued over whether a beer in this style should be balanced or whether extreme hop bitterness was the style's defining characteristic.

While watching this interesting event, one designed to highlight the integrity and effectiveness of the festival's much touted professional judging process, a wholly unforeseen notion struck me. Instead of demonstrating that trained judges can effectively evaluate one beer against another, the event confirmed for me the true impossibility of measuring beers on an objective basis. Amid the disputes and comments of the various judges, the inherent subjectivity of judging beers became obvious to attendees. The judges themselves admitted as much during and after the event. Jackson and Oliver argued after the contest over whether a beer should be judged by its present flavor or by divining a brewer's intent. The crux of the debate focused on beers which fit within a style guideline, taste very pleasant, but that show signs of oxidation, otherwise considered a flaw.