Cicerone Certified?

I got mine. I took it the same day he did. I studied pretty good for a few months using the Cohen study guide he used. I also work in the beer industry and I was challenged in parts. I'm interested to know as well. I'd say focus on Cohen study guide, bjcp and as much BA books as you can.

 

Draught stuff look up the YouTube channel "leaders beverage" great stuff on there.

 

I got the email around 3:30 today that I passed with an overall score of 96%.

I believe the Cohen guide helped for the final 1.5 day review session right before the exam. If you would use that guide on a digital device and follow links to read more, that would be a good thing to do.

Make sure you cover every book recommended on the list in full (besides OCB). OCB can be a reference for you, I read the entire thing in alphabetical order and would recommend against that being necessary.

Know the BJCP guidelines forwards and backwards by style name and descriptions. We had a few questions that asked specific value ranges as the question. But most questions were based on the style description and/or history and geography.

If it is a recent beer book, I would say it is probably worth reading; if for no other reason than to learn more about beer.

But if it is crunch time: stick to the list and make Tasting Beer and Brewmaster's Table your new friend with the BJCP and Cohen guides.

Also listen to a beer podcast, I'm partial to The Beerists, but you better like off color jokes and shenanigans. They are serious about beer (most of the time) and it will help expand your vocabulary.

Make sure you do the off flavor kit at least once. Closer to the test, the better.

Drink ever beer you can get your hands on. It sucks when seasonals that you love get released but you have to drink stuff you don't likeep to prepare.

Take notes about everything you drink, even if it is just an email draft. You don't need to have a notebook, the exercise is to slow you down and switch to evaluation mode.

Brewers Assocaton Draft Quality guide should also be a close friend and it is a quick read, no reason not to read it several times.

I would find a good beer bar near you and make friends with the bartender or manager. Ask if you can come hang out while they clean or have the lines cleaned. If you tell them why, I would imagine they would be ok with that. Otherwise repeat elsewhere. You can always check if a distributor would let you shadow a cleaning. Tell them you are good with a faucet brush.

Last words for tonight: you are going to freak yourself out no matter what. I was nervous as hell when I sat down. As soon as I opened the test, I felt much better. Take 2 days before the exam and lock yourself down to review mode and you should have a good chance at passing.

Let me know if there is anything else I can do to help you get ready.

 

@701beer Congrats on passing, Cicerone! That's awesome. Thank you so much for all of the advice. It definitely makes me feel more confident knowing what it takes to pass

Previously I was doing horizontal tastings to train my palate, like drinking Salvator, Celebrator and Korbinian in a side-by-side to train for 5C and that seemed to help. I need to get my rear in gear and start doing those again

 

Thanks! Feels good to have it finally. Now to study for newly announced Advance and Master.

That is a good way to study for styles and make sure your are tasting styles that are similar in tasting profile against each other. It will certainly help. (e.g.: Doppelbock vs Dubbel, Kolsch vs Blonde, Bohemian Pilsner vs German Pils, etc).

 

oooo excellent point. I'll have to make it a point to work in a similar style when I do my tastings, and maybe after I'm familiar with all styles, do blind tastings of similarly-tasting beers. I usually try to pull examples from the BJCP Style Guidelines or my little Total Guide to Beer booklet.

 

If you can find someone that you trust to handle beer correctly to purchase and pour samples; you should definitely do that as much as possible. It certainly helps to study with other people if you can. I drove 2 hours each way twice a month for 3 months before the exam to study with another group that has not taken the test.

 

Yeah I have a group of buddies locally that are pretty serious beer drinkers that would probably do that for me

 

Good! Tell them they should try to get beer that is listed as a commercial example in the BJCP Guidelines. If you plan on taking it this year, you need to use 2008. If you will take it after Jan 1, it will be 2015.

 

Just passed Cicerone level one, and starting work on two. Curious how many BAs are Cicerones, what level, and how useful you've found it?

 

Congratulations so far. Just a question what kind of an establishment would even need one? Are there actual jobs out there? Here in Portland OR, I can't see where one would fit.

 

I want to be one just to say I am one.

 

I used to want to so I could go on to next levels, but cost is high, benefits are low to non existent, and my friends would make fun of me.

 

I am also a level one. It helps me in my career a lot but level 2 and master cicerone will definitely get you a job about anywhere you want in the beer business(along with a bachelors degree). But it's a big jump from level one to level two. Takes some prett well trained taste buds.

 

Hey, they're my friends, nobody cares what they think.

 

There are a lot of people who refer to themselves as beer experts, beer sommelier's, etc. The Cicerone program allows for standardized testing and validation of one's knowledge base.

That said, I am a Certified Cicerone (Level II) looking to take the Advanced Exam later this year. I've been in the beer biz for just shy of 24 years and now spend most of my time training Sales Reps and their respective Managers over a wide range of topics, from brewing and beer styles to proper serving and food pairing (and even ethics!). I also train bar and restaurant staffs on beer styles and proper pouring techniques. I perform approximately 35 beer dinners annually.

Obviously I'm biased regarding the program, but it has definitely shaped my view of the beer world and provides a syllabus which directs and guides my activities on a daily basis. As a matter of fact, we are hosting a Level II exam here in Orange County this August.

For folks in the business, it's certainly not a mandatory endeavor, but in a hiring situation, if I were presented with two equally matched candidates and one was a Certified Cicerone and the other wasn't...it would make the choice much easier.

 

While I agree, as my one experience with a cicerone ended with almost every statement of mine being corrected at least slightly (we were doing a tasting, and I'm bad at picking up some minute flavors, still - he didn't let me have anything). It bummed me to realize I shouldn't pursue anything down that path.

It also made me think that not all cicerones are like that. How do you know they're a cicerone? If they tell you or you see their badge, otherwise, they're just another person you're drinking beer with. It's like the infamous crossfit and vegetarian crowds. Some of them will dang well tell you, and brag about it, others might not tell you unless you're talking about workout routines or diets. The few who continuously brag about it give a bad rep to the rest though.

Still, I am interested to see how I'd do in a cicerone test. I'm positive it wouldn't go over well. I really only research styles I enjoy. I also don't get into food pairing as it just seems a bit mind boggling as to what can or cannot go with other foods. I just like drinking and trying to evaluate beer.

 

Maybe I am the exception and there is other factors but passing the first level, I already had a job offer!

 

Sometimes passing a test only means you were able to pass a test. What do they call the guy who made the lowest passing score on the Cicerone test? A Cicerone.

 

Very useful thread. Congratulations to all those certified!