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I wasn’t done.
I took about one year after I became a Certified Beer Server to become a Certified Cicerone®. It was a massive relief as two years earlier I thought it was something I probably couldn’t do. (See my last post to read about that part of the journey.) I spent that year reading, studying and tasting my way to great beer knowledge. Now I could rest and get out of study mode.
That lasted one and a half years. Going for the Master level was not for me. I know people with way more beer knowledge and a better palate than me who have failed the Master exam. But on August 3, 2015, the Cicerone® Program announced the new level three, making the Master exam the fourth level. Their email read:
Advanced Cicerone creates a challenge that every Certified Cicerone can aspire to achieve. It will be a one-day exam given in multiple cities each year so that most Certified Cicerones will be able to take it without extensive travel expenses. And because it will borrow some components from the Master Cicerone exam, it will help individuals assess whether they want to pursue that ultimate level of certification once they pass.
That last sentence should have scared the hell out of me, but I didn’t comprehend the depth of what they meant. I would.
There was no thought given as to whether I’d go for the new level. I instantly knew I wanted to go for it. A new chapter in my Cicerone® began one that would last for nearly two and a half years.
A lot of people questioned the need for a new level, but I didn’t. I understood the massive gap between Certified and Master. A great defense of the new exam was written by fellow Advanced Cicerone®, Chris Cohen of the Old Devil Moon bar and the Beer Scholar study guide. There is a significant knowledge span between Certified and Master, and the Advanced level is well positioned in between.
I had no idea that day of the challenges I would face to level up. First, I had to get a seat at the exam. The new level was in high demand when it launched, so they established a lottery system. I put my name in for a seat in Chicago and crossed my fingers.
On October 9, 2015, I got the email informing me that I would be one of the lucky few (or maybe unlucky, depending on your perspective) to sit for the very first exam on February 2, 2016, in Chicago at Cicerone® HQ. The day-long exam would be given on 2 days in Chicago in early February, then on the West and East coasts in March. I flew to Chicago a few days early so I was well rested for the test and hunkered down to review the day before.
After that exam, I wrote this post but didn’t publish it until all Spring 2016 candidates had sat for the exam. Because it was all very new, scoring took a while. I got mine on May 25, about 16 weeks later. (They’ve got better. When I finally passed, it only took five weeks to get my scores!) I didn’t pass and had these thoughts about what I just experienced.
Swing and a miss. I was humbled, but not out of it. It would take two more tries, more about that next time.