Beer Olympics - Rules, Format and Results

The Format

Contrary to popular belief, the Beer Olympics is not a drinking competition. It is a scientific competition between beers.

The competition is conducted as a knock-out competition, similar to the FA Cup. Judges blind taste the two beers in each match, and select the winner by voting.

How does it work?

You assemble a group of friends who will be the Judges. Suggest 7 or 8.

You choose 16 beers. These are the Contestants. They will compete against each other in a blind tasting event. It's like the FA Cup for beer. As you have 16 Contestants in a knock out, you need to have 4 bottles of each in case a beer gets to the final.

Have a pre printed score sheet. Have the names of each beer printed out. Have 3 bowls: 1 for the beer names, 1 for the winners and 1 for the losers.

1 Judge leaves the room, selects from the bowl 2 beer names. That Judge pours 1 pint of the 2 chosen beers into distinct glasses (A and B). The Judge returns with 2 glasses and those pints are passed around the other Judges (there is a Covid safe version using jugs and each judge having their own smaller tasting glasses).

The Judges decide whether they prefer A or B (remembering that they don't yet know which 2 beers are competing in that match as the tasting is blind). The Judges vote. A winner is declared. If there's an even number of Judges then the pouring Judge has the casting vote if needed. The pouring Judge announces the names of the beers in that match and thus the name of the winner. The result is written on the scoresheet. The winner name goes in the winner bowl and the loser in the loser bowl.

Another Judge leaves the room to select and pour for the next match.

After the 1st round of 8 matches is complete, the winners go back into the selecting bowl and the second round starts. Repeat until you've had the final.

Then have a curry.

Then if the Judges have enough stamina, carry out a wooden spoon / plate competition for the losing beers from the first round.

Start the whole thing on a Saturday at 3pm. Finish at 11pm ish. The Judges are permitted to talk nonsense amongst themselves whilst judging and becoming inebriated.

If you've done this for many years then you have stats etc.

The Results (since 1997)

Blank results sheet to print out