A Michigan man has become the first to earn the title of Master Cicerone. Andrew Van Til, an account manager at Elite Brands Michigan, one of seven beer industry professionals who took the Master Cicerone exam last month in Chicago and the only one who passed.
“During the Master Cicerone exam, Van Til distinguished himself with his knowledge of all aspects of beer and his skill in tasting beer and in managing draft beer systems,” said Ray Daniels, Director of the Cicerone Certification Program.
Van Til earned the certification through a series of exams culminating with two days of intense written and oral questioning about beer styles, draft systems, beer evaluation, brewing technology and beer and food pairing.
Master Cicerone is third and top level of the Cicerone Certification Program. Founded in 2007, the program tests and certifies beer expertise similar to the wine world’s Master Sommelier program.
To date, the Cicerone Certification Program has given more than 1,000 exams across the three levels of the program. Approximately 800 individuals have earned the first level title of Certified Beer Server and about 75 individuals have achieved the title of Certified Cicerone.