Commentary: My Experience With the Certified Cicerone Exam

(I can't believe it has been almost four months since my last post!  Man, time flies!  But I am finally back  and happy to be blogging again.  I apologize to my followers who have been waiting for new postings during the last 4 months.)

I would like to mark my return by talking about a beer exam I took a couple months ago called the Certified Cicerone exam.  Let me start with a little background information on the Certified Cicerone Program.  It was started by Ray Daniels, a beer enthusiast and author of several books about beer.  Due to his strong involvement in the craft beer movement, he is widely respected throughout the craft beer industry.  He felt those in the beer world are not taken as seriously as they should and did not get the recognition they deserve.  Seeing as wine experts are known as sommeliers, why not have the equivalent of that for the beer world?  So that is what he did.  He pitched the idea to various people that make up the craft beer world and agreed with the idea.  So that was the birth of the Cicerone Program.  The term cicerone is an old term for one who guides visitors and sightseers to museums, galleries, etc. and explains matters of historic and artistic importance.  Ray Daniels believes a beer cicerone guides people into the world of beer and shows them all the intricacies of it all.  And thats why he decided to use the title Cicerone.  There are three levels in the program:  Certified Beer Server, Certified Cicerone and Master Cicerone.  You must pass the Certified Beer Server exam in order to take the Certified Cicerone exam and must pass the Cicerone exam to take the Master Cicerone exam.  Each of the three certifications are on extremely different levels.  FYI, the Master Cicerone exam is insanely hard and my hat goes off to the 3 or so Master Cicerones in the country.

After taking and passing the Certified Beer Server exam with ease, I decided to take a shot at the Certified Cicerone exam.  A Cicerone must have expert knowledge in the various areas of beer, including brewing, beer styles, the history of different beer styles, draft systems, food and beer pairing, beer off-flavors and much more.  It is a grueling exam to say the least.  The exam consists of 4 sections: Short answer/fill-in-the blank questions, a few essay questions, a tasting section and a demonstration.  I do not want to give too much away or go any more specific than that because I respect the test and what it represents.  Anyways, I took the four hour exam in San Diego, CA after studying for about two months.  It took place during the World Beer Cup that was being held at the same hotel and the exam. (I tried to sneak into the World Beer Cup after the test to no avail).  There were about fifteen of us taking the test.  The occupations of the test takers ranged from brewers to beer representatives and beer distributors.  I did well on the written and demonstration parts of the examination, but struggled with the tasting portion, as did everyone else after discussing the exam with them after we finished.  A score of 80% overall (and at least 70% in the tasting portion) is required to become a Cicerone.  Overall, it is an extremely tough and humbling test. While I came up just short of becoming certified, I am scheduled to retake the tasting section hoping to improve a few percentage points to nudge my overall score into the passing range in a few weeks.  So that is my experience with the exam.  It was a fun thing to do and I enjoyed every minute of it, even the studying. I mean, how can I not enjoy studying when the topic is beer?!  If you are interested in the Cicerone Program, visit www.cicerone.org.  

Review: Baba Black Lager

Uinata Brewing Co.

Grade:  C+

Appearance:  Pours black with a cream white head that disipates quickly and leaves mediocre lacing.

Smell: Smells similar to a porter.  Strong chocolate with notes of coffee, brown sugar and a touch of roasted malt.  Smells great.

Taste: Not near as sweet as the smell lead on.  Dry, roasted dark malt with a little bit of dark chocolate and breadiness.  Finishes slightly roasty and smokey.

Mouthfeel: Light body with moderate carbonation.  Light and crisp, which a lager should be.

Drinkability: An easy drinking organic lager that is easy to have a few, and the modest 4% ABV doesn't hurt.

Overall: This is like a thin porter.  There is nothing wrong with it, but nothing exciting either.  Its a good sessionable alternative to more robust dark beers.

Review: Brewer's Reserve IPA

Squatters Brewery

Grade:  B+

Appearance: Pours slightly hazy with the standard golden orange color.  The white head doesn't last and leaves minimal lacing.

Smell: Strong pine and citrus hops and dose of caramel malt.  There are notes of apricot, pineapple and melon.  Smells good.

Taste: Starts off with caramel sweetness and fruit notes of pineapple, apricot and slight melon.  The hops are a combination of citrus and a little bit of pine.  Finishes hoppy and citrusy.

Mouthfeel: Medium body and medium carbonation. A perfect mouthfeel for an American IPA.

Drinkability: Pretty good.  There is nice caramel sweetness with the hops toned down, making it more palatable to have a few.

Overall: A good IPA.  Its balanced and smooth and the 6.5% ABV is masked very well.  It has all the elements of a good IPA.  Squatters knows what its doing IPA-wise.  Their Hop Rising Double IPA is awesome as well.

Commentary: Why I Love The Craft Beer Business

Outsiders look upon craft beer brewers as uptight, snobbish and competitive.  Yes, the craft beer business is super competitive, the most competitive it has ever been due to the recent explosion of craft breweries all across the country.  With all the new breweries popping up trying to be successful, there is also a mutual respect for one another.  The entire craft beer business takes care of each other.  Craft breweries don't take cheap shot each other or put down another brewery just to sell a few more bottles of their beer.  There is one thing they all have in common and that is to see the growth of craft beer as a whole.  I "Like" a lot of breweries on Facebook and every day I see craft breweries promoting the beers of another brewey.  For example, today Tenaya Creek Brewery promoted the fact that they now have Pallete Wrecker by Green Flash Brewing Co. on tap at their brewery on their Facebook and Stone Brewing Co. last week were not shy in making it known they are now have Pliney The Elder by Russian River Brewing Co. on tap at their brewery.  Almost every microbrewery I have been to has guest beers on tap, which are beers from other breweries, along with their own.  It shows they are not concerned about their own success per say, but getting consumers familiar with the art of craft beer all together.  When have you ever seen Budweiser serve Miller or Coors in their establishment?  How many commercials have you seen from Miller putting down Budweiser and Coors?  I've seen so many it makes my head explode.  These companies only care about the mighty dollar and will do whatever it takes to take down Miller and Coors. I don't see any craft breweries doing that.  Every commercial from Samuel Adams talks ONLY about what makes their beer good and the qualities of a good beer.  They have never once put down the BMC companies on a commercial or on the internet.  Samuel Adams can also make it harder for smaller breweries to grow.  But instead they encourage the growth of new breweries by giving money every year to the best amateur brewers in the country so that they can start their own breweries and by lobbying congress to lower the tax rate that smaller breweries get hit with in order for them to survive.  Brewers could easily put down another brewery just to make a few more bucks, but they are not interested in that at all.  Their sole mission is the create awareness of craft beer in this country.  By trying to cheap shot other craft brewers, it only slows down that goal and destroys what a lot of people love about craft beer, which is variety, originality and integrity.  Sorry if this is cheesy, but this is why I love the craft beer business.

Review: Red Tail Ale

Mendocino Brewing Co.

Grade:  C+

Appearance: Pours a cloudy pale brown orange with a weak dirty white head that leaves thin lacing.

Smell: Light and sweet toasted malt with some citrus and grass.  Also hints of pine hops and light fruits.

Taste: Toasted caramel malt up front with grassy hops and a touch of citrus.  This bitterness if pretty forward and lasts throughout each sip.  That's all I really picked up.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation.  The carbonation really intensifies at the finish.

Drinkability: This brew is easy to drink.  The flavors are simple and not cloyingly sweet, unlike most ambers.

Overall: I am surprised how bitter this beer is for an amber, almost like an English Bitter.  There is a rugged, manly feel to this brew.  You get toasted caramel malt and a good dose of hops and that's it.  What else do you need?  It doesn't care about being complex or well-rounded.  It is not a great amber, but who cares?

Review: Damsel Blonde Ale

(I can't believe it has really been two weeks since my last post.  Time flies!)

Metolius Brewing Co.

Grade:  D+

Appearance: Pours a golden straw color with a receding white head and average lacing.

Smell: Light pilsner and wheat malt with grassy, floral hops.  Some bread and honey notes and a hint of lemon.

Taste: Light lemon tartness and a slight bready note from the pale malts.  Then transitions to herbal, grassy notes with moderate bitterness.  Finishes watery with pale malt and slight bitterness on the tongue.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation.  Light and crisp, then turns pretty much to water.

Drinkability: This light-bodied, barely there beer is easy to put down and quench your thirst.

Overall: A really boring and bland beer, even for a blonde ale.  It has no flavor or personality and is just plain dull.  On the bright side, it is a good thirst quencher.  I won't be buying a again.

Review: Black Marlin Porter

Ballast Point Brewing Co.

Grade:  B

Appearance:  Pours a dark black amber with a light tan head that recedes to some thin lacing.

Smell: Strong roasted malts and coffee.  Notes of milk chocolate and caramel.  Some floral hops open up an earthy aroma.

Taste:  Toasted malt and a dose of hops transition to dry, bitter hops.  Chocolate and molasses notes are there and become more pronounced as the brew warms.  Finishes dry and roasty with subtle bitter citrus.

Mouthfeel: Pretty light body for a porter with moderate carbonation.  The mouth is left dry with mild bitterness.

Drinkability: For being 6% ABV and a porter, it goes down smoothly.  It has a lighter body, yet retains a full body flavor.

Overall: This beer was pretty dry when colder, but the malt sweetness came through as it warmed.  I have tried a sampler of their entire lineup and several full servings of most of their selection and they haven't disappointed me yet.  If you want to experience all of the flavors this beer has to offer, drink it slightly cooler than room temperature.