Why Become A Certified Cicerone?

Anyone can call themselves an expert on beer.

Heck, my personal business cards say Beer Connoisseur in lieu of having a “job title”.

But what does that really mean? After all, it is a self-proclaimed title. It would be like calling myself a wine aficionado. Sure I know more about wine than your average person, but does that qualify me as an expert in the subject?

In today’s society, standardized tests are king.

There is a reason why people obtain college degrees. As much as we would love to prove our own intelligence level without a diploma, it makes it that much easier to argue our case with that silly piece of paper.

And forget the significance of a college diploma, one can’t even get into college without a decent score on the SAT or the ACT. As for further education? Try getting into graduate or professional programs without taking the GRE, MCAT or LSAT. Not going to happen, my friends.

Would you visit a “doctor” that does not hold a Medicinae Doctor (MD) degree or hire a “lawyer” without a Juris Doctor degree? The Wench thinks not.

Having an official title means a lot in today’s day and age. Sad yes, but true.

If I told you that I gave the best massages in the world, would you pay me $100 an hour to massage you? Probably not. If I was certified in some crazy exotic form of massage from some fancy massage therapy school, I can guarantee that you would pay me big money to massage your back.

There is a large debate on whether or not standardized measures should predetermine one’s ability to perform a certain set of skills. I can argue both ways.

As much as I hate them, I do believe that standardized tests are important. Without them, anyone could declare themselves have any sort of credentials that they want or see fit, by their own standards — i.e.: I drink beer, therefore, I am a beer expert.

Society does need (ahhhh and my liberal nature hates admitting this) some sort of standards when it comes to expertise in different arenas. There has to be some sort of neutral and fair system in place that determines ones level of expertise in a certain subject. Am I wrong?

At this time in my life, I do not want to be a brewer. And therefore, the American Brewers Guild and UC Davis are not really “smart” options. Both are expensive and geared towards brewing.

Nonetheless, I still want to become an expert in beer. I want to know all the intricate details of the brewing process, beer styles, beer ingredients, beer flavor and evaluation, pairing beer with food, serving beer and storing beer. I want to be a BJCP certified judge as well. But I have to start somewhere.

The perfect place to start my career in beer is with the Cicerone Certification Program.

Ray Daniels is the founder of the Cicerone Certification Program. Ray is one of the (if not THE) most knowledgeable people on the subject of beer that I have had the honor of meeting in person. He is extremely inspirational and I consider him to be a mentor of mine.

In addition to meeting Ray Daniels in person, I have also had the honor of interviewing him for my website, Drink With The Wench.

So what exactly is a Cicerone and why is the certification program important?

According to Ray, “The word Cicerone (pronounced sis-uh-rohn) has been chosen to designate those with proven expertise in selecting, acquiring and serving today’s wide range of beers.  The titles “Certified Cicerone(tm)” and “Master Cicerone(tm)” are protected certification trademarks. Only those who have passed the requisite test of knowledge and tasting skill can call themselves a Cicerone.”

Anyone can call themselves a “Beer Sommelier” — but only the honored few who pass the Cicerone Certification program can tout the title of “Cicerone.”

My goal is to become of those honored few. Wish me luck!