Exam Tactics: How to Present Beer and Food Pairing Knowledge in Advanced and Master Exams

One element of the Advanced and Master Cicerone exams always seems to have an air of mystery: Pairing Beer with Food. I admit that this area was where I was the least confident when I started my Cicerone journey. To me, it always seemed that you needed some innate ability to conjure a magical marriage of beer and food. Well, that's not quite the case. Sure, some people gravitate toward the subject more than others. But you can still do quite well on the exam if you're not one of those people. So, I'm writing this post to demystify this exam topic and give you some tips for success.

When you take the Advanced or Master Cicerone exam, you will complete oral exams or essays in which you must select a commercial beer to pair with a specific dish. You may need to propose a dish to pair with a particular beer or modify a dish to improve a pairing. We may also ask you to incorporate beer into the food preparation process. We all know that people have different tastes. How, then, can one be successful when answering such questions? The text on the Advanced and Master Cicerone exam syllabi can help serve as a guide:

"...candidates must demonstrate in-depth knowledge of food ingredients, cooking techniques, and global cuisines. Candidates are evaluated on their ability to articulate flavor elements in various dishes and how those elements interact with traits in commercial examples of beer. They must demonstrate a full understanding of the flavor vocabulary, pairing concepts, and flavor interactions outlined below to confidently evaluate, modify, or design pairings."

Analyze the Flavors

The foundation of a response to the beer and food questions you'll see should always start with flavor. There may be other things that can inspire a pairing. But, when answering questions on an Advanced or Master Cicerone exam, you must first and foremost demonstrate a command of flavor. Whether it's an oral exam or an essay question, doing so begins by analyzing the flavors we've presented to you. For example, an essay question may describe a dish a chef wants to highlight during a dinner. We'll list the ingredients used and some preparation details. In an oral exam, we may have a dish prepared for you to taste. In both scenarios, describe the flavor elements of the dish. These elements can include whether the dish is heavy or light. Does it have salty, sweet, or acidic ingredients? Is it fatty or oily? What seasonings shape the flavor profile? How does the preparation method affect the flavor impact? Be thorough in your analysis. Address all of the elements of the flavor profile—even those that may seem obvious. Doing so gives your examiner the information they need to assess your understanding of the topic. And, by taking stock of the available flavor elements, you can then use those traits to compose a pairing that demonstrates skill and knowledge. 

In the same scenario, we'll ask for your recommendation on a beer to pair with the dish. You'll want to go through a similar sensory assessment with the beer as the food item. Cicerone Certification Program Founder Ray Daniels wrote an excellent exam tactics post that offers a framework for doing so. The post focuses on the beer styles oral exam, but the technique is equally effective in beer and food scenarios. He writes about "Covering the Whole Beer," which is important for two reasons. First, as a beer expert, we expect you to recommend beer brands you know exceptionally well. By being thorough, you demonstrate that you fully understand the beer you're suggesting. Second, numerous interactions between elements of a beer and dish shape a pairing. Describing the range of elements in a beer offers a springboard for demonstrating your knowledge of these interactions. A beer's malt, hop, and fermentation flavors are clear starting points. But don't forget to mention the level of sweetness, bitterness, or acidity, which can offer an opportunity to articulate an array of potential flavor interactions. Mouthfeel traits like carbonation, presence or absence of alcohol warmth, and body can also impact a pairing. 

Think Through the Flavor Interactions

You learned about ideas like intensity when first introduced to beer and food pairing. You also discovered complementary, contrasting, or cutting flavor interactions. These, of course, are vital components you must address. At higher levels, we introduce interactions that accentuate, soften, or cancel. Get to know them. Show that you understand these when relevant to the flavors at hand. The exam syllabi describe these concepts well, but in my experience, many candidates need to practice explaining them, both in writing and verbally. I certainly did! One area where candidates lose points is mischaracterizing the flavor interactions outlined in the syllabus. 

Remember to be thorough. A strong description of flavor interactions covers multiple aspects of the beer and the food. At the same time, it shouldn't neglect the salient flavor elements. If you recommend an IPA and don't discuss how the hop aroma interacts with aspects of the dish, you've missed an opportunity to support that decision. 

Evaluate the Pairing

Your exam will require that you assess a pairing. You may need to provide feedback on a pairing a chef has proposed (don't worry, you won't hurt their feelings if you think something should change). You must also explain why your recommendations result in a great pairing (and, in the case of an oral exam where you're tasting the pairing, why your suggestions may not have worked as planned). To do this, you must connect the dots between the range of flavor elements in the beer and dish and the range of potential interactions. 

When studying for the Certified Cicerone exam, you learned a lot about beer's palate-refreshing benefits. Depending on the pairing, you can use those to your advantage. You also learned how some beer traits might emphasize undesired flavors. If those are a factor in your exam, you have an opportunity to address how your recommendations mitigate them. 

But these are fundamental concepts. You must address them, but to do well on higher-level exams, you must explain how your choices benefit or improve the pairing. And you need to use language that a chef (who may not be a beer expert like you) can understand. For example, did you introduce a contrasting flavor element to add depth to the pairing that makes it interesting? Did you introduce flavor elements that help accentuate certain desirable flavors? Or did you remove certain flavor elements to showcase others? Does your pairing evoke familiar culinary flavor combinations? These are all tangible ways you can explain your choices to a chef. Demonstrate your knowledge with a robust discussion of the myriad characteristics of beer and food, but remember to keep your audience in mind. 

Putting it All Together

We've just outlined a process for answering beer and food questions. Consider using the mnemonic ATE to help you organize your answers to beer and food pairing questions. 

Analyze the Flavors
Think Through the Flavor Interactions
Evaluate the Pairing

Some of you may be eager to start experimenting right now! Others may need tangible examples of ways to succeed at the Advanced and Master Cicerone levels. To help with this, we've collected examples inspired by actual exam responses. Returning to the exam syllabi text, you'll recall that candidates must demonstrate in-depth knowledge of food ingredients and cooking techniques. Which of these two statements does a better job of that?

a. "Pair Raymo's Amber Ale with a fried empanada stuffed with beef, onion, olive, egg, and spices."

b. "Pair Raymo's Amber Ale with an empanada. Make the empanada shell with wheat flour and lard, then flatten it. Stuff the shell with a filling of browned ground beef, fine-diced yellow onions, sliced green olives, chopped hard-boiled eggs, smoked paprika, cumin, and dried oregano. Pan fry in canola oil until browned."

You'll also recall candidates are evaluated on their ability to articulate flavor elements in various dishes and how those elements interact with traits in commercial examples of beer. Of these two statements, which do you think is more effective in doing that?

a. "The malt character of Raymo's Amber Ale goes well with fresh corn masa tacos with soy-marinated pork belly. The cilantro [coriander leaf] matches Raymo's hop character. The carbonation and bitterness cuts through the pork fat and sour cream, while the malt calms the pepper spice."

b. "The pork belly soy marinade in the fresh corn masa tacos contributes umami and salt, which accentuates the malt sweetness in Raymo's Amber Ale. That malt sweetness soothes the heat from the thinly sliced jalapeno peppers. The fresh cilantro is almost lemon-pepper-like, drawing out the lime and orange peel hop character in the beer. The sour cream and the hop character unite to create a flavor almost like lime sherbet."

You have the right idea if you answered "B" for both. These best exemplify the responses we expect at the Advanced and Master Cicerone levels. But suppose you are reading this and thinking, "I've never made a beef empanada; I'll never do well on this exam." It's true that some questions on the exam necessarily limit your responses to using specific dishes or ingredients. However, you will have opportunities to draw upon your culinary experience to show your knowledge. For example, a vegan may be able to modify a dish to incorporate a plant-based alternative and, therefore, be more confident in discussing the flavor elements.* You may also find it easier to demonstrate your skill by making suggestions inspired by cuisines from your culture or region. So long as you demonstrate a command of flavors and how they interact, you can do very well. 

We encourage you to try this framework as you prepare for the exam, and let us know if it helps. Do you have other tips for success? Ways to improve upon this framework? Let us know!

*We make accommodations for dietary restrictions during Advanced and Master Cicerone oral exams.