Samuel Merritt leading a Cicerone training class but probably not in Korean.
With talk of war with North Korea and discussions of dropping out of our free-trade deal with South Korea, our relationship with Korean culture is in a serious funk. As an olive branch, the U.S.-based Cicerone Certification Program recently announced the launch of its Certified Beer Server exam in Korean. The translation of this exam makes professional beer certification directly available to a quickly emerging beer market in the Korean peninsula. The new version allows Korean speakers to join more than 85,000 beer professionals worldwide who have already earned the Certified Beer Server title.
The Cicerone Certification Program wants to expand quality beer service and have an option for non-English speaking Koreans who wish to receive their certification with this translated Certified Beer Server exam. Currently, Korea is home to 13 Certified Cicerones and more than 120 Certified Beer Servers, all of whom passed the exams in English. The first Certified Cicerone exam held in Korea in April 2016 resulted in four passing individuals. The Korean translation of the Certified Beer Server exam will open the door for future Certified Cicerone candidates in Korea.
“Because of support for the Cicerone program in Korea, we conducted the first Asian Certified Cicerone exam there in 2016,” said Ray Daniels, Founder and Director of the Cicerone Certification Program. “We continue our progress in the region with this introduction of the Certified Beer Sever exam in Korean.”
September marks the rollout of a Korean translation of the Certified Beer Server exam with a translated version of the first-level syllabus to follow in upcoming weeks.
To access the Korean exam, visit https://www.cicerone.org/int-en/products/certified-beer-server-exam.
The Cicerone Certification Program is built around a series of four professional certification exams starting with Certified Beer Server and ending with the top level Master Cicerone. With roots in the American craft beer movement and in-depth coverage of classic European beer culture, the Cicerone program has become the global standard for assessing beer professionals since its launch in 2008.
