ON TAP By James Figy
Joe Falkowski of August Schell Brewing Co. has been a Certified Cicerone since 2009.
I
What the heck is a cicerone?
t’s a word I’ve known for a while, but didn’t quite understand what it meant. “Cicerone?” I would say. “That’s like a sommelier, just for beer instead of wine.” On a basic level, that’s correct. But this definition misses a lot of key details that make the Cicerone Certification Program unique and useful.
So … what is a cicerone?
The Cicerone Certification Program was launched in 2008 by Ray Daniels, a Chicago-based brewer, author and beer educator. The organization’s website, cicerone. org, states: “The word Cicerone (sis-uh-rohn) designates hospitality professionals with proven experience in selecting, acquiring and serving today's wide range of beers.” The goal is to train folks to provide the best service
and beer selections for consumers. But not just any beer buff can claim this moniker. In fact, there are four distinct titles for each level of the program: n Certified Beer Server n Certified Cicerone n Advanced Cicerone n Master Cicerone Each one requires a pretty rigorous test over five core areas: n Keeping and serving beer n Beer styles n Beer flavor and evaluation n Beer ingredients and brewing processes n Pairing beer with food And it also requires a price tag that can get, well, pretty spendy. The first level is just $69 and all online, with an optional study guide. But the Master Cicerone
46 • AUGUST 2022 • MANKATO MAGAZINE
MM 0822 p03.indd 46
7/14/2022 10:34:45 AM
