010. Reading list for Certified Beer Server (part 2)

Ok we’re moving on to part 2 of the Certified Beer Server Syllabus: Beer Styles. First, we’ll learn a basic understanding of beer styles. The next section will explain both the qualitative and quantitative parameters of beer styles. Finally, we’ll learn a little about the history and culture of styles and dig into the styles by region.

Piles of Books by Michael Coghlan on flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)

I’m on a roll! I’ve been studying lots and kicking out my notes to share with you. I hope they are helpful. Send me an email and let me know. And if you have questions about any of the materials, leave them in the comments below the specific lesson. I’ll try to answer any questions I can, or maybe we’ll hear the answer from someone else reading along.

So let’s look at the reading list for part 2.

The first step is to get my study materials together

Today I’m going through the materials to find any recommended books, articles, or whatnot. Here are the materials that I’ll need to study for the Certified Beer Server, Part II. Beer Styles.

Feel free to get anything that you think you’ll need to pass the exam. Or check out my free study notes throughout this site.

For the basic information and cultural background, the Cicerone® Certification Program recommends Michael Jackson’s Great Beer Guide by Michael Jackson. I ordered this book for myself. Feel free to order your own copy from the link here, or check out my study notes throughout this site.

For a little bit about the history and culture of each style, they recommend mostly the style descriptions from All About Beer Magazine. More on that below.

As for the actual style descriptions, we’re going use the descriptions from the Beer Judge Certification Program. The Brewers Association also has comprehensive style guidelines. However, the Cicerone® Certification Program refers to the BJCP styles because they change less often.

Keep in mind that we need to know only the styles referenced in the Certified Beer Server syllabus. We’re not going to need to memorize all 73 pages of the BJCP Style Guidelines or the entire All About Beer website.

Reading list for Certified Beer Server, Part II. Beer Styles

Cicerone® Certification Program. “Certified Beer Server Syllabus.” http://cicerone.org, September 1, 2016. PDF.
Check to see which styles we need to know.
Jackson, Michael. Michael Jackson’s Great Beer Guide. New York: Dorling Kindersley, 2000. Print.
Check out the basic info and cultural background for each style.
All About Beer Magazine. Styles. http://allaboutbeer.com. Accessed February 2015.
Check out the bits about history and culture of each style.
Beer Judge Certification Program, Inc. BJCP 2015 Style Guidelines; Beer, Mead, and Cider Style Guidelines with Special Ingredient Descriptions. http://www.bjcp.org, 2015. PDF.
Know the descriptions for each style we need to learn.

So we need only a few resources for the Certified Beer Server syllabus, Part II: Beer Styles. But those sources have are packed full of material that we need to cover. (Go here for reading materials for part I.)

I realized early on that it takes quite a bit of work to look at the syllabus, dig through the suggested reading materials, and gleam what I’ll need for the Certified Beer Server exam. This would be much easier if the materials were collected together in one place and I could just read through it.

I know the Cicerone® Certification Program has a study guide for sale, but it’s like 200 bucks! It does include the price of the exam, but I’m already paying for the exam and I can just get these materials to study on my own. So I’d rather do it this way.

It’s pretty neat to see that this certification is already helping me gain employment. I can hardly wait to pass the exam and start using this information to bring excellent beer service to craft beer lovers.

Let’s get to work! First lesson of Part II: Understanding beer styles and where they came from.