"Beer Scholar" Study Guide for Cicerone Exam

What is the cost of the guide?

 

$50.00

 

$50 is a bit steep, how much is the test? Will you benefit in anyway financially if you become certified?

 

http://cicerone.org/content/certified-cicerone

Around $400 to become a certified cicerone,
only $70 to become a certified server.

 

My girlfriend is currently using it and says it has been really useful, especially the practice tests, which she says you can't really get anywhere else that she knows of.

 

Depends on how much you have studied already. My gf had already read Tasting Beer, The Complete Beer Course, Homebrew: Beyond the Basics, as well as a few more introductory books like Naked Pint, and has already read a number of articles in the Oxford, and said that she still learned a decent amount of new stuff. Also she says that he gives some tips about the format of the exam, which is useful if you don't know anyone who has taken it.

 

I bought it recently. I'm glad I have it, though it's only .pdf. It also has the flashcards you can print out. I've read Tasting Beer, The Naked Pint, The Brewmaster's Table, and still find the syllabus Cohen puts together very helpful. NOW, is there ANY way to buy an off-flavor spiking kit for CHEAP???

 

Thanks for the head's-up!

 

OJT always works for me. But Tasting beer is great, brewmaster table was ok. Personally I would not get cert unless it paid more period. Or it helped me on the management journey. most folks either use it OR LOSE it. the knowledge I mean.

I can cram for any 100 question test, and in 2 week forget half of it. You know? learning it by doing is what sticks.....

but OP was cost versus benefit. no benefit, then why??? personal growth, hehe. Will not feed yea sadly.

 

I've seen a number of job listings recently - breweries large & small (and mega-corporate huge) and distributers looking for reps, marketing folks, sales people, brand managers, etc. - that list Certified Beer Server as a requirement and Certified Ciccerone as preferred.

So it's definitely a known commodity in the beer industry, and could potentially play a part in preventing one's application from being thrown in the circular file when applying for beer-related jobs.

 

yea but no 1 knows what you know without
A: knowing you
B: a cert, IE a piece of paper.

but yea I get it. I have tons of books to just learn for me. in fact I only miss Oxford. I feel that book has issues.

 

I'm sure that his guide is a beneficial read, however I found that they syllabus and recommended reading/links were plenty adequate for passing the exam. It's a straight forward test without a ton of special "psychology"of the exam or the Cicerone program to be required for passing. But regardless, you gotta know your shit to pass it!

 

I just took the test two weeks ago. I thought that tasting beer, the Oxford companion to beer, the draft quality manual, and making flash cards were the most helpful resources. If you aren't comfortable with food pairing than read the brewmasters table.

 

Hey folks! I was just googling around and ran across your convo about my Beer Scholar study guides. I wanted to drop in to say hello and let you know that I'm happy to answer any questions you may have about them (I say "them" because I recently released one for the easier online Beer Server test, too). I'm stoked about the nice review LutherBrau gave above for my Beer Scholar Study Guide for the Cert Cicerone Exam, it feels really great to hear positive feedback like that. Thanks, man!

I saw some discussion about whether my study guide be all you need to read in order to pass the test. I put a year of effort into making my CC guide, practice tests, and flash cards super comprehensive and worth every penny. That said, anyone who wants to be a CC should read outside sources like Mosher's Tasting Beer in addition to using my material. I say as much in the guide, there's a section full of recommended readings in the chapter about "how to prep for the exam." My gut feeling is that anyone who really wants to be a CC will be out there reading about beer anyway. Thayden1980 nails it - Tasting Beer, The Draft Quality Manual, and the Brewmaster's Table are some of my top recommendations. The point of my guide is to distill all that material (and much more) down into an outline you can study from very easily, plus provide info on what the test is like and tips for beating it. I think that's clutch, especially for the tasting section which is what knocks many people out. The CC exam has a pass rate of 1 in 3. That's ridiculously low, I think that would be higher if more people got my study guide