How does a BJCP event judge measure the color of your entry? Do they just hold it up or do they shine light behind it?
Also, does each judge have a color picker at their table?
That’s a good question. Technically, measuring SRM is done by measuring the attenuation of a 430nm light source with a spectrophotometer. However, I doubt your average home brew competition has such a setup.
Judges don’t measure the SRMs in a beer. Experienced judges will know when your beer is the right color just by looking at it. Arrogant bastards like me can give you the SRMs on any beer within a couple of points, just by glancing at it. Some people put it up to the light, but this is more to test the clarity of the beer than the color. In the end… does it really matter to sweat over the color anyway? It’s only worth like one single point on the score sheet. I wouldn’t sweat it.
