Cicer-huhwhatnow?
Do you like beer? Yeah, but, do you like really like beer?
In my mind there are a few different levels of beer drinkers / beer geekers. Let's review my super formal list, shall we?
- The non-existant, who perhaps doesn’t even like or drink beer.
- The novice, who may not know there’s a difference between a porter and a pilsner.
- The crafty, who likes beer and actively seeks out new things to try.
- The home brewer, who really likes beer and gets into the science behind it.
- The expert, this person really likes beer and is essentially a walking hop bud.
I fall somewhere in between the third and fourth category; I love trying new beers, and enjoy the activity of home brewing, but wouldn’t necessarily do it on my own. (It’s more fun as an activity with others!)
But today, we’re not talking about me (What? HUH? Gasp!) We’re talking about category number 5.
The beer fanatic.
The beer-xpert.
The Cicerone.
What in the world is a cicerone and how do I say that word without feeling silly?
A cicerone (pronounced sis-uh-rohn) is a hospitality professional with proven experience in choosing, acquiring, and serving a wide range of beers.
“Proven” here means they have gone through a certification course and have passed the required exams at each level, which consist of both written and tasting/demonstration sections.
“But Molly,” you might say, “we learned about something so similar on this blog just three weeks ago!”
What a great memory - yes, you did! And yes, cicerones and sommeliers have a lot in common.
You could even think of cicerones as ‘the sommeliers of the beer world’.
Anyone who actually is a cicerone might be annoyed at the comparison - but hey, if the beer glass fits!
When did this become a thing?
With the craft beer boom (which most people attribute to the rise of microbreweries in the '90s) there is just so much to know and appreciate about beer now.
There are more different types of hops, malts, glasses, techniques, and even styles of beer than ever before. But still some everlasting practices that hold true as well. Aspects like service and handling of beer are extremely important and can make or break the beer experience.
Ray Daniels, a judge and writer in the beer world for 25 years, saw the old mixing with the new and understood there was a better way to disseminate all this knowledge and prove that one had worked to obtain this knowledge. Thus the Cicerone Certification Program was born.
Who is this for?
Similar to a sommelier or a certified specialist of wine, folks attempting the cicerone certification are usually part of the hospitality or brewing industries - think everyone from bartenders to head brewers.
But they absolutely don’t have to be, anyone can go through the program. Besides being of legal drinking age (which is the only official prerequisite) the only other suggested prereqs are preparation and desire for knowledge.
Like any professional certificate, it’s just a way to display your knowledge and commitment to learning the material and industry. There are amazing brewers who are NOT certified cicerones, and there are laymen who are!
A factor that makes it a bit more accessible to that latter group is that there are four tiers of certification (again, very similar to the sommelier courses). So if your interest is peaked, perhaps looking into the first tier!
The in-person tasting and demo portions start at level two, but all levels include information on styles, flavors, aromas, appropriate handling, and descriptors.
How do I get some of this sweet, malty beer knowledge?
Four levels. Six exams. (Levels two and three have both a written and a tasting exam.)
What’s nice about the Cicerone Certification Program as an organization, is that they’ve actually created interactive educational courses to assist in your learning for both levels one and two.
They provide a syllabus and recommended reading for all four levels, but moving past the provided educational courses of tiers one and two, my head almost exploded with the number of titles under the “recommended reading” section for level three. (I didn’t end up exploring what level four’s resources were… my head was already swirling!)
What’s not nice is that each course corresponds to a specific area of the syllabus, and each course costs money... there's at least six courses. And that doesn't include the cost of the exam.
While the program’s website touts that “you’re encouraged to obtain your beer knowledge anywhere and everywhere” I’m going to assume their self-created courses might just match up with their exams fairly well.
Up your beer level!
Now that you know this "let's learn all about beer" program exists, do you feel like upping your beer level?
Maybe you're not ready to shell out on time and money for a full educational course, but instead perhaps this week you go to your local beer emporium and grab a style you don't normally gravitate toward.
Try something new. Really sit with the flavors. Try to describe it to your friends or partner (without reading the label first)!
Because that's what this is really all about. Be adventurous and find new things that make your palate sing.
Cheers,
Molly