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As the American craft beer industry explodes—boasting some 5,000 breweries by the close of 2016—a career in beer is an increasingly promising option for many with an interest in good food and drink.
But a “career in beer” sounds confoundingly vague. Are we talking brewing? Bartending? Managing a bar?
Well, all of the above, and then some. There are a large number of career paths in the vigorous beer industry, covering everything from the artistry of brewing to the business of distribution. Beer careers are all around, from small brewers working out of their garages to restaurant managers pairing beer with food to marketing mavens working for up-and-coming brands.
How do you get all these mythical, awesome-sounding jobs?
Turns out there’s a concrete and effective place to start, and that’s at Cicerone.org. This is the website of the Cicerone® Certification Program, which certifies people as experts in beer at four level: Certified Beer Server, Certified Cicerone®, Advanced Cicerone, and Master Cicerone®.
So what’s a Cicerone?
Many people know the word sommelier, but fewer have heard of a Cicerone. Just as sommeliers are seen to be wine experts, Cicerones are well versed in everything beer.
It would be inaccurate, however, to say that Cicerones are like “sommeliers of beer.” The two titles are not equivalent: Cicerone is a title tightly controlled by the Cicerone Certification Program, and it must be earned through a series of tests about all aspects of beer production, storing, serving, and consumption. By contrast, anyone can call themselves as sommelier, whether they know much about wine or not.
Founder Ray Daniels started the Cicerone Certification Program in 2007 in an attempt to fix a widespread ignorance about beer that he found while traveling as a representative of the Brewers Association.
“I was traveling all over the country and drinking craft beer,” say says. “I found that in many cases the beer was in terrible shape and that the bar staff didn’t know anything about the beer.”
It was that experience that led him to think, as he remembers, “You know, someone should do something to get the people who serve beer to have a little more pride in what they’re doing and a little more professionalism in how they present the product.”
That someone, he decided, would be him. He now runs the program from Chicago and travels the world administering the certification assessments.
Aspiring Certified Beer Servers can become certified via a 60-question, multiple-choice online exam that takes half an hour. More than 75,000 people around the world have this designation, and many brewpubs and bars now either require or encourage their staff to take this exam. Hiring managers may give preferential treatment to applicants who have passed it already.
The three upper-level exams are given in person in cities throughout North America, Great Britain, Australia, and Asia (and probably soon in Latin America). Each exam includes a tasting component, where applicants prove they can pinpoint basic off-flavors and identify beer styles by taste.
There are far fewer Certified Cicerones than Certified Beer Servers—more than 2,500 Cicerones, 20 Advanced Cicerones, and only 11 Master Cicerones. (The Advanced level test was just introduced this year, so relatively few people have taken it. The Master level test is incredibly hard to pass, with many applicants failing one or more times before passing.)
“The Certified Cicerone we consider to be a mature beer professional, someone who works full-time with beer,” says Daniels. “Somebody who you could trust to run your beer program if you’re a retailer, or to go out to represent your brand or brands if you’re in the beer sales business.”
Patrick Rue, CEO and founder of The Bruery in Orange County, California, and one of the few certified Master Cicerones in the world, says that he has found the certification valuable in judging the level of knowledge necessary for his staff at various levels.
“I’d recommend it to anyone who wants to have a career in beer or who already has a career in beer,” he says. “If I’m hiring someone, if they have any level on the Cicerone Program I take their application a lot more seriously. I think it’s a huge stamp of quality when you have that.”
Daniels agrees that the certification offers an important mark of distinction for would-be and up-and-coming beer professionals.
“For people who are in the industry and hoping to move ahead, becoming a Cicerone definitely distinguishes you from other people doing the same job” he says. “Or if you’re trying to get your first job, that’s even more impressive.”
The certifications are widely accepted as an indication of competence and knowledge, and the higher you go in the levels, the broader their applicability.
“We have everything from bartenders and waitstaff to brewery presidents,” says Daniels. “So there’s literally every job in the beer industry you can find among the holders of these certifications.”
(Cicerone is a registered trademark of Caduceus Communications, Inc. dba The Cicerone Certification Program dba Craft Beer Institute in the United States and other countries.)
