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25-11-2014, 13:41
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Last week, American beer writer and blogger Chad Polenz contacted us to ask our views on beer certifications — the Cicerone programme and BJCP (http://www.bjcp.org/) accreditation in particular. It’s not something we have strong views on but we did our best to answer and he used what we gave him alongside responses from a slew of others to inform*a*blog post*entitled ‘What do beer writers think of beer certifications? (http://blog.timesunion.com/beer/what-do-beer-writers-think-of-beer-certifications/3225/)’*It’s more balanced*than the tetchy reaction (https://www.facebook.com/groups/89455427728/permalink/10153334741842729/) might suggest, and well worth a read.
We thought we ought to*elaborate a bit on our position, insofar as we have one.
If*we worked in the industry proper, as opposed to commentating on it from a deliberate distance, we might well consider getting ourselves certified. A scheduled programme of study with milestones and markers is no doubt helpful for many people embarking on careers in hospitality and brewing and, if nothing else, probably improves their confidence.
We also sometimes feel at a disadvantage when it comes to writing beer reviews because we can’t identify specific off-flavours or guess at hop varieties with complete confidence, and avoid claiming any kind of expertise as a result. Studying for certification, to a very great degree, seems to solve this problem.
And yet, as far as we know, few (if any) of our favourite beer writers are certified. In general, they gain their authority by consistently demonstrating their knowledge and*experience in what they write, rather than by declaring*it; and, in particular, by supporting their statements with evidence wherever possible. They are, perhaps, the kind of people who set their own programme of study.
This post is mostly about flagging Chad’s blog post*so if you’ve got general comments, probably best to leave them there, but comments are open below if you prefer.
Certifications and Beer Writing (http://boakandbailey.com/2014/11/certifications-and-beer-writing/)


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