alvarado street brewery monterey, ca
achieving the title of master cicerone is no small feat. The designation, which recognizes an individual’s “exceptional understanding of brewing, beer, and pairing,” requires a grueling two-day, 14-hour exam with written, oral, and tasting components. A test-taker might, for example, have 15 minutes to identify which beers in a flight are different from a control sample and explain how. In 2011, Nicole Erny became the fourth person and the first woman to receive the certification. “You don’t really prepare for that exam,” she says. You just know when you’re ready. Today, she’s the quality, sensory, and 60 southwest december 2019
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educational projects coordinator at Alvarado Street Brewery in Monterey, California—in other words, the resident beer genius. And Erny really does take every sense into account. Part of her job involves training the staff to identify different aroma compounds and distinguish them from taste. “Our tastes are limited to sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and umami,” Erny says. “Everything else is an aroma.” She draws on years of experience as a beer bartender to instruct others on creating a positive customer experience. “That’s a big part of where the magic happens,” she says. “It’s about connecting great beer with people who are going to enjoy it.” —Tommie Ethington
HAIR AND MAKEUP BY REBECCA TAFF; WARDROBE STYLING BY MAT GIBILISCO
first female master cicerone
PHOTOGRAPHY BY COLIN PRICE
11/7/19 12:06 PM
