BeerSchool
It”s simple, School for Beer! Throughout the festival our school is in session. BeerSchool offers classes on Beer Tasting, Brewing, food pairing, History, Arts and Crafts and Phys-ed.
This years Curriculum will be posted on our website and updates will happen frequently as the start of school approaches.
Cicerone Certification Program – Cicerone
The Cicerone Certification Program offers four levels of certification, beginning with the fundamentals and progressing to the most complex and demanding.
Level 1– Certified Beer Server Overview
Great beer service begins with the fundamentals: beer clean glassware, a proper pour, and beer that hasn’t been ruined by improper handling. When properly executed, these elements showcase the beer as the brewer intended. And in today’s beer world, every dialog between server and guest begins with talk of beer styles and flavors. The Cicerone Certified Beer Server exam assesses these skills to recognize those individuals who are best prepared to sell or serve a wide range of beers.
Level 2– Certified Cicerone Overview
Beer industry workers learn from many different sources and soon gain knowledge that distinguishes them from those on the customer side of the bar. But without certification, it is hard to tell what people really know simply by looking at a resume or business card.
The Certified Cicerone exam lets you quickly demonstrate that you hold a professional body of knowledge and essential tasting skills related to beer. You’ll earn the right to use the title Certified Cicerone® and display the logo on your card and correspondence. You’ll also appear in our certification directory, where anyone can verify your status. Certified Cicerones enjoy enhanced respect and prestige to help you succeed in the industry.
Prerequisites: Must have passed the Certified Beer Server exam. Candidates for this level of certification must be of legal drinking age.
Level 3– Advanced Cicerone Overview
The 3rd-level rank of Advanced Cicerone was introduced in 2015 to distinguish those individuals who had advanced their knowledge to an expert level.
To achieve this certification, you must demonstrate expert beer knowledge and excellent tasting ability. Well-prepared candidates will have extensive style knowledge, familiarity with beer service management, experience with brewing processes and ingredients, and expertise in cuisine and pairing beer with food.
Prerequisites:
- Must have passed the Certified Cicerone exam
Level 4- Master Cicerone Overview
The Master Cicerone exam will challenge you to master every technical and aesthetic aspect of beer. You will converse with professional brewers and chefs as a peer, demonstrate expert tasting skills, and yet also use easy-to-understand but vividly descriptive language for a consumer audience. Those with these skills serve the industry as consultants, educators, and knowledge leaders in various organizations.
Prerequisites: All candidates for the Master Cicerone exam must have passed the Advanced Cicerone® exam. Candidates for this level of certification must be of legal drinking age.
Moonshine 101 – West of 5th Distillery
Learn from the remarkable success of the family owned and operated Alberta business about how they make some of the best moonshine on the market. From the tastings of summer strong “Strawberry Rhubarb”, to Sunday Morning “Espresso”, to rock and roll late-night vibe of “White Lightening”, their selection alone is unparalleled.
Beer and Charcuterie Pairing – Olds College Brewery
Craft beer and charcuterie belong together. Maxwell Rude and Matthew Gauthier, students in Brewmaster and Brewery Operation Management Program at Olds College, are proud to host a Beer and Charcuterie Pairing event at Beer School. Come taste delicious beers brewed by the brewmaster to become and match them with different charcuteries prepared by students from the Meat Processing Certificate program. Max and Matthew will guide you to hone your skills and improve your sensory analysis.
A Need for Mead – Fallentimber Meadery
If someone offers you a glass of mead and you have a brief moment of story land wonder, thinking “How did I end up at the Renaissance Faire?,” Mead is quickly on its way to becoming THE way to get a buzz, but do you actually know anything about it—besides its frequent links to medieval culture? Chris Molyneux, the sales manager at Fallentimber, member of the family and lover of good things will take you through the history of Meadery at Fallentimber (our favourite Meadsters!!) and will provide samplings of three of their most popular products. Get there early cause seating on this one will be hard to get.
Craft Beer Trends | Low to No Alcohol – Village Brewery
Today, non-alcoholic beer is experiencing an unprecedented boom on the craft side of the market. The target audience has expanded. Low to no alcohol beers are enjoyed by a variety of folks such as expectant mothers who miss the refreshing taste of a cold beer, athletes who are training in endurance sports but have caught on to the idea of this bevvie for its anti-inflammatory benefits, or perhaps for someone who’s craving a stout with their dinner but has to drive themselves home. Whatever the case may be, the world of no/low ABV beer has changed drastically. Join Jay Wright from Village Brewery as we delve into this trend in the beer industry for 2020 and in the future.