If you’re sitting down to dine at a nice restaurant and looking indecisively over the wine list, odds are you might call over the sommelier to help you choose between a French merlot and a Chilean carmenère.

If, however, you’re similarly stumped over what beer to have, there usually isn’t someone around who’s been trained in the knowledge of suds, someone who could help you decide if that pork tenderloin is best accompanied by a bock lager or a pale ale. But that, is starting to change, thanks to a pair of programs, one based in Chicago, the other in Toronto.

The goal of the Cicerone program, is simple, according to founder Ray Daniels, a beer industry veteran and longtime instructor at Chicago’s Siebel Institute of Technology.

“I never again want to be served a bad beer in a bar,” says Daniels, whose three-tier certification system isn’t officially linked to Siebel.

Daniels’ program is largely based on self-study, with recommended reading (and drinking, of course). There are some prep courses, but they’re not required.

“This is more a certification program. People can get the knowledge where they like,” says Daniels. The term Cicerone, by the way, is an old English term for a museum or art gallery guide

Daniels canvassed brewers, restaurant managers and distributors to come up with exam questions and areas of knowledge they’d like to see a beer expert have.

The first stage, which Daniels calls Certified Beer Server, requires a basic knowledge of proper serving techniques and temperatures, and some knowledge of popular beer styles. The second stage, Certified Cicerone, delves deeper into the history of beer, different styles and how to pair them with food. A working knowledge of draft beer equipment and the proper storage of beer are also required. The final level — Master Cicerone — requires a fuller understanding of all the topics in the first two, including being able to correctly identify flaws in beer, such as being light-struck (skunky), oxidized (wet cardboard aroma/taste) or infected (which often tastes sour).

For longtime beer author Stephen Beaumont, the idea of a beer world equivalent to a sommelier is long overdue.

“This is absolutely an idea whose time has come. For too long we’ve been served beer by people who don’t know the difference between an ale and a lager,” says Beaumont, who has been offering staff beer training programs to restaurant chains for over a decade. “I think restaurants are waking up to what’s available.”

Roger Mittag, who runs a similar Canadian program called Prud’homme beer certification, agrees that the time is finally right for beer to get its due.

“Wine has always been seen as more complicated. Beer is seen as the common man’s refreshment. Over the last 15-20 years, with all the imports and craft beers that are available, people are starting to realize that beer is just as complex, if not more so,” says Mittag, a former Labatt sales staffer. “I’m not sure we could’ve put this program in place 10 years ago.”

While many people who have ever hoisted a pint or two consider themselves a beer expert, passing the Cicerone exam is no easy feat says Toronto beer educator Mirella Amato, who’s one of seven Certified Cicerones in Canada.

“It’s a tough exam, which is good. That’s what you want, or it wouldn’t have much credibility,” says Amato, who admits the toughest part of the exam for her was the portion on draft equipment.

“I’d taken the Beer Judge Certification Program so I already had a good grasp on beer styles, but I really needed to prepare for the draft equipment part,” says Amato, who went in to a brewery and asked to work on their keg fillers in order to prepare.

Jordan Bushell, a mixologist at downtown Toronto restaurant Brassaii, has passed two levels of Mittag’s Prud’homme program. Bushell, who’s been working on creative cocktail combos for years, says he appreciated the opportunity to get a deeper knowledge of Canada’s favourite beverage.

“It’s been really useful. The average beer drinker who drinks Coors Light or Bud think they know all about beer, but there are so many different things beer can offer. This gives you the ability to teach people a little bit about what they’re drinking,” says Bushell.

Even if he doesn’t get called to tableside, Bushell says he still likes being a step up on people who are on the other side of the bar.

“You go to a doctor because he knows more about your body than you do. Bartenders should know more about alcohol than you do. A lot of them don’t, and that’s a shame.”

josh@thestar.ca

Beer Quiz

How does your suds savvy measure up? Some sample exam questions from cicerone.org.

1. The clove or nutmeg flavours associated with 4-vinyl guaiacol (a phenol) are typically found in what style of beer?

A: Pilsner

B: American Wheat

C: Kolsch

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D: Weizen

2. In the beer world, “SRM” is a measurement of what beer characteristic?

A: Bitterness

B: Alcohol content

C: Colour

D: Malt Character

3. Which beer style is likely to have the highest alcohol content?

A: Scottish Ale

B: Brown Ale

C: Oatmeal Stout

D: Scotch Ale

4. What role does “choker line” play in a draft system?

A: Prevent too much beer from flowing to the tap when it is first opened

B: Provides proper beer flow regardless of applied CO2 pressure

C: Provides resistance to bring the system into balance

D: Facilitates chilling of the beer by the glycol system immediately before serving

ANSWERS: 1 D, 2 C, 3 D, 4C