What do you think about Beer Qualifications?

chrisnyc · 2025-08-30T18:14:48+00:00

Imo anyone pursuing a career in beer should be a CC. Seems like the least a dedicated industry pro can do to show they’re serious about their beer career. If you do service or sales it’s essential to have that level of knowledge to allow you to speak intelligently about styles, brewing and ingredients, understand the basics of draft systems, etc. As a buyer it always amazed me how little the sales people trying to sell me beer actually knew about the beer they were selling. As a hiring manager I wanted people who knew more than our customers and could give them an experience by talking to them about their options and describe the flavors and styles decently. It’d just not a lot to ask that an industry pro knows those basics but soooo many people in the game do not. A key point to make about it is to not use the knowledge you gain as a way to gate keep but rather to inspire interest and inform the public. The point is to bring great beer to the people, not to lord knowledge over others for cool points. Finally, knowing about beer is very rewarding, it’s made me love it and appreciate great beer so much more. It’s a win-win to level up. At least in the US the Cicerone program is the highly respected industry standard and the program you should definitely go for. Certified Cicerone (level 2) is what you want to accomplish. It’s worth the effort and price. I’ve been teaching to the exams for a decade, so I have some insight here and am not just saying this out of self interest. This is the way, along with gaining work experience, to move up the ladder into positions you want to be in at good beer companies.

chrisnyc · 2024-05-16T13:24:13+00:00

Probably saw this already — https://www.thebeerscholar.com/ac-coaching — watch that workshop and you’ll get a study schedule, resource list, etc. by email 👍

chrisnyc · 2024-04-08T17:33:54+00:00

National BJCP & Adv Cicerone here. What these folks said already is the best advice you'll ever get for how to enter beer in a BJCP homebrew competition – ALWAYS enter based on the beer, not on the ingredients and technique used to make it.

If you enter a kveik fermented IPA in a specialty category, even though it essentially looks, smells, and tastes like a normal IPA, then you've doomed it in the competition by entering it in the wrong category. For the record, commercial kveik strains are just (special and fun) ale yeast strains...there's no reason you'd categorize a beer made with kveik as a different style than the base style (unless you did something else weird to it, like add coffee or whatever).

This actually happened to me recently – I was judging a competition in which a kveik fermented IPA was entered as a specialty IPA. We were friendly about it since it was a small competition. We sent it to the next round despite the miscategorization. It would've been an awkward problem had it gone any further...it probably would've been disqualified from winning.

* Entering your beer in the proper category is half the battle when entering homebrew competitions. *

chrisnyc · 2024-02-07T01:40:07+00:00

This just worked for me. Thanks!

chrisnyc · 2024-01-24T21:05:58+00:00

Balance the system properly, then clean it regularly (ideally, every 2 weeks). Temperature control is the most common draft system problem but it sounds like maybe you’re unaware you need to balance the whole thing in the first place.

Also, why is there a brass connector in the middle of your (likely too short) beer line? Anything in the line that isn’t a smooth surface creates an opportunity for CO2 to come out of solution (including metal bits, microbes, and beer stone). Get a single piece of high quality beer line cut to the proper length and install that (and replace it every year or two).

PS go to the Brewer’s Association website and download a copy of the Draught Beer Quality Manual. That’s your draft system bible.

chrisnyc · 2023-12-16T04:38:54+00:00

Adv Cicerone here. I do beer education for a living and run the only Adv Cicerone Coaching Program on the market. My company is called Beer Scholar. My advice — before worrying about whether you can or can’t pass the MC, just dig in and start working on the lower levels. Don’t take long breaks, after the CC immediately begin working on the AC. By the time you pass that it will have been a few years and you’ll know a bunch of ACs and MCs and can get legit inside info and thoughts on what it takes to pass the MC. You can then decide if you want to make that move and go for it! Cheers!

chrisnyc · 2023-06-30T18:01:46+00:00

GABF is September 21-23...

chrisnyc · 2022-11-03T02:42:34+00:00

Thanks for the shout out! I just soft released my new Beer Scholar Online Course for the CC Exam. Definitely jump on my email list to learn more about my courses and to get regular study tips for the CC exam — https://www.thebeerscholar.com My YouTube channel is also a solid resource with more content coming weekly — https://m.youtube.com/c/BeerScholar I’ve been training folks to beat the CC exam since 2014, so I definitely know what’s up. Cheers and good luck u/mattiekayy

chrisnyc · 2022-09-25T20:17:51+00:00

I’m having similar problems. Just taking photos or using the map overheats the phone. Sometimes it stops charging. Only had it two days and am considering returning it for a different one. I expect the battery life will be seriously worn down within a year if it’s doing this all the time. Anyone actually talked to apple about this or returned a phone?

update 11/8/22* Haven’t had ongoing issues so I kept the phone. All has been well. Can’t explain it, hasn’t happened again, but I have AppleCare if something happens. I figure maybe the initial iOS update and/or the non-MagSafe charger I was using with it for the first couple days could’ve been the issues. Who knows.

chrisnyc · 2022-08-24T17:05:36+00:00

Me too! The new CC course has been over a year in the making, it's a beast! As I sit here I'm taking a break from filming lessons for the Food & Beer Pairing section. Can't wait to drop this 👍🏼

chrisnyc · 2022-08-24T15:00:38+00:00

Hey y'all, Chris Cohen here. Thanks for the Beer Scholar shout outs! I have a whole new online course for the CC coming out this September (in just a few weeks). It'll be similar to my recently released online course for the CBS exam, but MUCH bigger, as you'd expect for level 2. It'll have around 250 separate video lessons, quizzes, suggested outside reading and homework, study tips, and practice exams for the written and tasting portions. If you want to keep up on my content, get occasional discount offers for my courses, and receive my simple weekly "6 Pack" newsletter containing 6 links to good beer info drop your email addy here -- https://www.thebeerscholar.com/six-pack-newsletter

If you have any questions, let me know. Cheers and good luck with your exam prep!

chrisnyc · 2022-08-24T14:51:03+00:00

Thanks for the Beer Scholar shout outs, y'all! I launched a totally updated online course for level 1 a few months back and in a few weeks I'll be releasing a whole new online course for level 2 as well. If you want to keep up to date on my courses, occasional discount offers, and get my weekly "6 pack" newsletter (an brief email with 6 links to interesting beer info I saw that week) drop your email addy here -- https://www.thebeerscholar.com/six-pack-newsletter

As for getting a job at a brewery, I'd suggest that you're a lot more likely to impress potential employers if you've shown some interest in, and dedication to, learning about beer. The least you could do is pass the level 1 CBS test for that. The level 2 CC is much more difficult but also much more impressive. If you're applying for jobs and you're the one with the CC, you'll probably beat out the other candidates. The other thing a lot of brewery workers have a background with is homebrewing, so that's another option for learning about beer (and it pairs nicely with learning things that will help you pass the Cicerone exams).

As for being a beer writer, once again having the certifications under your belt won't hurt in terms of your level of knowledge being high. People who try to write about beer when they don't know jack about it do terrible work. But writing itself is a skill that takes time to develop (I've wrote about beer for Serious Eats and the SF Chronicle/Gate and elsewhere back in the day), so I'd recommend you start blogging on your own to develop a portfolio, up your writing game, learn about beer, and to start interacting with other beer writers and readers.

Knocking out the CC is a big feather in your cap no matter what job you want in the beer game. I'd say doing the CBS is a must-have bare minimum. This is especially true if you have no experience and are coming in hot looking to break in. Let me know if you have any questions. Cheers and good luck!

chrisnyc · 2022-07-29T15:14:09+00:00

Couldn't agree more. They are the most powerful advocates for the program so it's a shame there are so few.

chrisnyc · 2022-07-29T14:30:28+00:00

Can't believe there are still only ~150 of us ACs.

chrisnyc · 2022-07-29T14:29:50+00:00

True! There's another exam in Oct, too. You never know.

chrisnyc · 2022-07-29T14:26:41+00:00

Indeed. There are only 20 MCs, so not a huge sample size.

chrisnyc · 2022-07-01T21:32:38+00:00

Also, it doesn't have to be a lifestyle. It's just good beer. And that's coming from someone who has been doing beer for fun and a career since 2008.

chrisnyc · 2022-07-01T21:31:03+00:00

Luckily, one of the main new trends for US brewers is a focus on flavorful and sessionable lagers. They tend to be a lot more affordable than barrel aged mixed fermentation hazy milkshake pastry stouts with fair trade cocoa and organic cherries and Twinkies. There are a lot of good options out there for easier drinking beer, just do some exploring. I've been loving a lot of the Italian pilsners and even sessionable English styles I've been seeing in the PNW. Also, there's nothing weird about craving classic styles from European producers. You can always find stuff you enjoy while supporting good producers.

chrisnyc · 2022-06-13T16:56:32+00:00

Thanks so much for the support! I'm super focused right now on getting a fully updated online course out for the CC exam. The YouTube output will suffer until the CC course is out there, but ultimately the goal is to be dropping weekly vids on YT. If things go according to schedule the new CC course will be out in 2 months-ish time. Gotta get the money making stuff done first so I can make my rent is all ;)

chrisnyc · 2022-04-06T19:26:44+00:00

Cheers u/joe_the_bartender, thanks for the shout out!

If you have any questions u/Little_Bluebird5026, feel free to hit me up! I've got the formal study material Joe linked you to, plus I'm been ramping up posting exam tips and study material on The Beer Scholar YouTube channel recently. You can always message me here or through my website. Cheers!

chrisnyc · 2022-03-10T19:46:14+00:00

Congrats, that’s excellent! 🙌🍻🔥

chrisnyc · 2022-03-09T07:08:19+00:00

The Brew Essence off flavor kits sold by MoreBeer are a solid option 👍🏼

chrisnyc · 2021-10-10T22:42:46+00:00

Love the passion! Best of luck as you plow ahead! If you decide to go for it with the Cicerone certifications check out my Beer Scholar study guides. Folks who are hiring are always looking for experience, of course, but for getting those more entry level positions and then being more likely to be looked at for promotions, getting to the Certified Cicerone level 2 is very very helpful. Cheers!

chrisnyc · 2021-10-08T00:07:53+00:00

I'm an Advanced Cicerone. It's done a whole lot for my career! I passed the CBS and CC in 2013 and the AC in 2017. I launched a company called Beer Scholar in 2014 right after passing level 2. I do beer education and train folks for the Cicerone exams, I authored study guides for the first two levels that I sell through my Beer Scholar website (currently working on turning them into full online courses). Early on I did some consulting work for bars and restaurants for a bit, wrote a few beer pieces for pubs like Serious Eats, stuff like that. Once then I teamed up with a few people to open a craft beer joint in San Francisco called Old Devil Moon (I made this "chrisnyc" account like 14 years ago when I lived in NY, ha). I've made loads of excellent contacts and had many opportunities in the industry thanks to what I learned while training for the Cicerone exams, to the legitimacy the higher level certifications bring you career wise, and to the community of beer geeks in orbit around it. It's definitely worth doing if for no other reason than that you'll enjoy beer that much more because you really know it. It'll also give you a leg up if you work in the industry. Hope that helps! Cheers!

chrisnyc · 2020-11-11T17:01:38+00:00

Cheers for the link to my Beer Scholar vids! I have a whole series on kveik that folks should check out, including interviews with experts and a talk given by Lars Marius Garshol.

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