My Programs & Services

Want to know more about beer? To understand it, to appreciate it and to promote it? With three decades of beer knowledge and a wide range of industry experience, I can help.

Whether you're part of a brewery, beer distributor, bar, restaurant or homebrew club, I offer a number of presentations that can be beneficial to professionals or hobbyists.

Much of the information I share in my presentations is directly applicable to both the Beer Judge Certification Program (those intending to become BJCP beer judges) as well as the Cicerone(R) program (those intending to take the Cicerone(R) Certified Beer Server Exam).  I can also provide exam-specific training for groups of six or more.

Bar Staff Training

Wherever people gather to drink crafted beer, beer education is often needed -and often on both sides of the bar.  While educated consumers can drive craft beer sales to new heights, under-educated staff can unwittingly put a damper on those sales.

Distributor Sales Training

Distributor representatives who are unfamiliar with beer styles or beer style trends can find their relevance and professional integrity being questioned.  The same can be said for reps who are unfamiliar with beer off-flavors and their related terminology.
 

Brewery Training

Commercial brewers –especially those with tap rooms—may want to keep both their waitstaff and their customers well-trained in beer styles and beer evaluation. It’s also not unusual for me to be asked to do a formal evaluation of a smaller or newer brewery’s beers ahead of a major competition to give valuable feedback on the quality and stylistic integrity of that brewer’s beers.

Homebrewer Training

Homebrewers or homebrew clubs who want to up their game can also benefit from learning more about off-aromas and off-flavors as well as discovering the sources of those problems (ingredients, equipment, methods).  Learning how to properly evaluate beer is also of great interest among those who brew their own beer at home.

Beer Menu Consultation

Whether your beer menu consists of hundreds of beer choices or fewer than a dozen, careful deliberation of styles –not just brands—is important. As an expert in beer styles from around the world, I can help you make informed purchasing decisions. As always, food pairing possibilities would be taken into consideration.

Beer Enthusiasts

Clubs, social groups, organizations and special occasion parties can all get in on the fun by arranging personalized beer classes, tastings or events...let's discuss the possibilities.
 

Training Topics

• Beer 101/Beer Basics
• Beer Styles
• Beer Evaluation (proper beer judging techniques)
• Beer Sensory Class (off-flavors)
• Beer and Food Pairing
• The Origins of Beer Styles (Belgium, Germany and the UK)
• Beer History and Lore
• Sensory Panel Creation