Earlier this week “Garrett Oliver on the Crimes Against Beer” generated the flurry of tweet and blog posts you’d expect in reaction to an article with that headline. And Ray Daniels tweeted “Cicerone is here to help!”
Today Bloomberg Businessweek posted a feature on Daniels and the Cicerone Certification Program. It’s short and it’s a business story (“If I had tried to start this business 10 years earlier, I would not have had the credibility to carry it off. It needs to be the right time, and you need to be the right person.”) But it’s an excuse to talk about beer education.
The story points out that 15,000 people have passed at least the first level Cicerone exam and the number of participants is growing exponentially (thus a new website, rumored for debut next week).
And it’s not the only game in town. The Master Brewers Association of the Americas began hosting Understanding Beer Flavor seminars last year and so far 1,600 have attended classes around the country. Like the Cicerone Program, the MBAA certifies stewards through an examination process.
Yes, those of you itching to comment, I know there are still more. And I could also point out The Brewers Association has just fancied up its Draught Beer Quality website.
Instead back to the MBAA program. Karl Ockert, probably best known as former brewmaster at BridgePort Brewing and now the MBAA technical director assembled the program. Jeff Alworth wrote about it here.
The MBAA has a couple of seminars upcoming, one in Cold Spring, Minn., Sept. 7 and one Sept. 15 in St. Louis. Perhaps they could have chosen a better date in St. Louis. That’s an official beer holiday here because Schlafly’s Hop in the City is that day.
Here’s some of what will be covered, according to a flyer for the seminar:
* Describe beer styles, flavors, and aromas
* Learn how raw ingredients and the brewing process affect beer flavor
* Understand how to maintain beer freshness
* Use the appropriate glassware for each beer type
* Assist customers with pairing food with beer
* Build a vocabulary that goes beyond “malty” and “hoppy”
* Enhance the image of beer
See, somebody’s looking out for Garrett Oliver’s beer.