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I saved this post till today. Ground Hog Day, 2019. Exactly 3 years ago, I was sitting in Cicerone HQ taking the very first Advanced Cicerone exam ever given. That exam would feel like Bill Murray’s Ground Hog Day experience in I repeated it 3 times.
On April 4, 2018, I passed the Advanced Cicerone exam. You can read about my path to this point here:
The third time is a charm, or so they say.
I was hoping they were right. I was also more prepared and focused for my third (and thankfully, final) attempt at passing the Advanced Cicerone exam. For me, the third time was a fresh start. In theory, if I did better on either the written/oral or tasting exam scores, I’d pass. That was the strategy that informed attempts 2.0 and 2.1. It didn’t work.
So for my third go around, I registered to retake both sections. I needed to raise my overall from a 79 to an 80 and bump tasting score up from 75, which was the minimum passing tasting score but pulled down my overall score.
I flew to Miami and stayed at a hotel near the testing site. I took note cards and other study materials but didn’t look at them. I was tired and knew rest was more important than nailing down the SRM of a Belgian Golden Strong Ale (3-6, btw). I was feeling more confident this time and was able to sleep well.
I left feeling spent. I wasn’t surprised. By the third time, I knew what to expect after the ordeal. But it was the first time I left feeling confident that passing was possible. I knew it would be close, as the first two times, but I felt good. On May 11, while setting up for Chattabrewga, I got the congratulatory email. I passed. Finally, I was an Advanced Cicerone.
As of today, there 112, or about 35 a year. Compared to over 3,700 Certified Cicerones, we’re a small bunch (but not as small as the uber-exclusive 18 member Master Cicerone cohort). I imagine that the growth rate will continue, but that most Certified Cicerones are content to stay there. It’s a special group of people doing the hard, daily work of the beer industry. Nobody should rush to level up without considering the investment.
Becoming an Advanced Cicerone requires a significant amount of time and money. For me, that looked like:
- 2.5 years
- 350 hours of study and sensory training
- 43,000 Southwest Airlines points for flights to Chicago, Dallas, and Miami
- About $6,200 spent on:
- 2,200 Travel (hotels, rental cars, Uber, CTA passes, food)
- 1,000 Books & Study Materials (Books from the resource list and the four Road to Cicerone Books)
- 1,300 Cicerone Off Flavor Seminar in Asheville and 3 Cicerone Off-flavor Kits (both level 2 and 3 kits)
- 1,745 Exam Fees
Of course, if you knock it out on your first attempt you’ll still need about $2,000 for the exam, off-flavor kit, travel, and books. Better yet, get your boss to pay for it.
It was an extraordinary adventure and I don’t regret a bit of it.
Friends ask if I’ll sit for the master exam. A part of me wants to but I don’t think I have the time and resources to prepare the way I need to. I have an idea of just how deep the rabbit hole goes. I know what preparation I need to perform at the level the master exam requires. Could I do it? I think I could. That’s the kicker. Do I want to do what to take to reach that level? That’s the question I can’t answer yet.
I am thrilled and proud to be a member of this exclusive group of beer professionals. Cheers.