James is a BJCP National-level certified Beer and Mead Judge. Active as an exam grader and proctor, he has judged at the Canadian Beer Awards, British Columbia Beer Awards and numerous other competitions across the U.S.

A late arrival to beer drinking, he caught up fast! He had his first beer at 31 – a Bitburger Premium Pils – in Germany. In the last 27 years, he’s been going full throttle: drinking, brewing, studying and visiting his way to the top of the beer expert's pyramid! 

An active homebrewer, he’s brewed on three continents, had his beers brewed at a couple of different breweries, and won several medals along the way. A finalist in Wynkoop Brewing’s 2011 Beer Drinker of the Year Competition, he has truly honed his skills for evaluating and judging beers.

The only continent remaining on which he would like to drink a beer is Antarctica… it’ll have to be a cold one!