Cicerone 101

Hey MAP Newsletter Fam! It's been awhile since I've done a Beer University article, sorry about that! It’s a silly excuse but, man, did this summer come and go in a flash… and my focus and concentration was on the tasting room. But I’m back and ready to newsletter!

This month is going to be about something I’ve been striving toward for years and finally got most of my ducks in a row (a bunch of them are still running in circles but they’re closer to forming a line). My goal for 2025 is to become the 15th Certified Cicerone® in the state - following in the footsteps of MAP’s very own Brittany Ricks & Loy Maierhauser!! 

But what is the Cicerone program, and what’s a Cicerone? Well, according to Mirriam-Webster a cicerone is a “guide who conducts sightseers,” but the Cicerone program defines their work as providing “certifications for skilled beer professionals.” Although, I do like the idea of us being a guide to beer nerds and newbies alike :) 

Within the Cicerone program there are four levels: Certified Beer Server (Level 1), Certified Cicerone (Level 2), Advanced Cicerone (Level 3), and Master Cicerone (Level 4). MAP requires all of our servers and bartenders to become Level 1 Certified Beer Servers (which is part of why they’re so very knowledgeable!). Brittany recently became the newest member of the Level 2 Certified Cicerone level, while Loy is the only person in Montana at Level 3. We are also lucky enough to have one of the world’s 28 Master Cicerones right here in Bozeman!

But how do you achieve these certifications? Starting at the beginning, the Certified Beer Server (Level 1) exam is solely an online exam, in which candidates must answer 60 challenging questions in 30 minutes.  Topics covered include beer styles, ingredients, the brewing process, and best practices for serving beer.

The Certified Cicerone (Level 2) exam is the one I have been working on, and is a three-part test with a tasting section, a demonstration, AND a written test. I recently took the first part, which consisted of the tasting & demonstration portion done together. For that piece of the exam, candidates have 45 minutes to get through 16 samples of beer, during which they identify off flavors and explain how to prevent them (throw back to an old Beer University article where I discussed things like oxidation, diacetyl, skunking, etc.), as well as determining what style of beer a sample is when given two options. The demonstration portion varies, but also requires in-depth knowledge of something in the beer world! It’s taken me a while to really feel comfortable with my beer knowledge and palate, and finding out recently that I passed this first half of the test is something I’m really proud of.  (Shout out to our server/bartender/floor manager Cat Beard, who also passed the recent tasting exam!)

And while I’m celebrating my success on the tasting and demo part of the exam, I’m simultaneously still very nervous about the written portion which I will take later in 2025. So if you see me out drinking beer with books and notes and pens in front of me, trust me it’s for educational purposes. 🙂

While we’re here, I’d really love to know what you all want to know/learn in the next year! It’s really helped me study for this, and the more I teach you the better prepared I feel for my test!  Feel free to reply to this newsletter with any topic ideas you’d like to learn more about!

Stay thirsty, friends!