I learned about this from the Left Hand Brewing Company newsletter. Quite interesting to see a new program being put in place to train the "beer guy" at restaurants.
Anyone can call themselves an expert on beer. But when you, our
friends, want great beer, sometimes you'll need help from a server who
really knows beer flavors, styles and brands. You'll also want to buy
from a place that understands proper storage and serving so the beer
they drink will be of the highest quality. Too often great beer is
harmed by improper service practices.
That being the case, Ray Daniels, a veteran of the US Beer Industry and
current President of the Craft Beer Institute, as well as a friend of
ours, has developed a program to ensure that consumers receive the best
possible beer and enjoy its flavors to the greatest extent possible.
It's called the Cicerone Certification Program. To facilitate this,
those who sell and serve beer need to acquire knowledge in five areas:
* Beer Storage, Sales and Service
* Beer Styles and Culture
* Beer Tasting and Flavors
* Brewing Ingredients and Processes
* Pairing Beer with Food
To encourage participation by those with various interests and
ambitions, the program offers three levels of certification beginning
with the simplest and building to the most complex and demanding:
1. Certified Beer Server
2. Certified Cicerone
3. Master Cicerone
What is a Cicerone?
The word Cicerone (pronounced sis-uh-rohn) has been chosen to designate
those with proven expertise in selecting, acquiring and serving today's
wide range of beers. The titles "Certified Cicerone" and "Master
Cicerone" are protected certification trademarks. Only those who have
passed the requisite test of knowledge and tasting skill can call
themselves a Cicerone.
What is the origin of the word "Cicerone"?
Cicerone is an English word referring to "one who conducts visitors and
sightseers to museums and explains matters of archaeological,
antiquarian, historic or artistic interest." For beer, a Cicerone will
possess the knowledge and skills to guide those interested in beer
culture, including its historic and artistic aspects. "Cicerone" now
designates a person with demonstrated expertise in beer who can guide
consumers to enjoyable and high-quality experiences with great beer.
What is a sommelier?
The word "sommelier" designates an expert wine steward. Twenty or
thirty years ago when beer was much simpler, those whose primary
expertise was wine could fairly claim to know a great deal about beer.
But today the world of beer is just as diverse and complicated as wine.
As a result, developing true expertise in beer takes years of focused
study and requires constant attention to stay on top of new brands and
special beers. While it is certainly possible for someone to be expert
in both wine and beer, the only way to prove that is by examination and
certification in both fields. Only those with the title "Certified
Cicerone" or "Master Cicerone" have demonstrated their expertise in
selecting and serving fine beer.
How is a Cicerone different from a Beer Sommelier?
A Cicerone is a tested and proven expert in beer while beer sommelier is
a self-designation that can be adopted by anyone. Because there are no
criteria for the title of beer sommelier and because those who use the
title have not subjected their knowledge and skills to an independent
examination, consumers and employers can't be sure just what a
non-certified beer server knows or how they treat and serve the beer.
For more info, check out www.cicerone.org.
We raise our glasses to Ray and the Cicerone Certification Program!
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