The American Cider Affiliation is thrilled to announce that twenty individuals have newly earned the title of Licensed Pommelier™ because of the examination held at CiderCon® 2023 in Chicago, Illinois final month. It’s the largest passing cohort of any Licensed Pommelier™ examination up to now.
The brand new Licensed Pommeliers™ are: Ann Marie Thornton of James Creek Cider Home (NC), Anthony Lopez of Casa de Oro Cider (CA), Brian Wing, James Kerr & Khris Johnson of Inexperienced Bench Brewing (FL), Cam Workman of Schilling Cider (WA), Casey Simpson of Artifact Cider Venture (MA), Danny Dispo of Hydraulic Fireside (NY), David Lugo of the Clyde Theatre (IN), Deirdre Birmingham of The Cider Farm (WI), Geoff Happel (NC), Ian Niblock (VA), Karl Hartdegen (NC) & Max Finnance (CT) of Daring Rock Exhausting Cider (NC), Janelle Balsillie of Carolinia Cider Firm and Heeman’s Cidery and Meadery (ON, Canada), Joseph Nosse of Frontier Ciderworks (OH), Sarah Pozgay of Twin Cities Somms (MN), Walker Smith of Goldeneye Cider (WA), cidermaker Eric Gasser (CA), and cider fanatic Brandon Buza (CA).
Cider is a fantastically nuanced beverage with a various set of components which are typically much less understood by meals and beverage professionals. Certifications are more and more used within the skilled realm to set oneself aside as a person with specialised data, although cider is commonly coated in a cursory method by most certification applications, if in any respect. This led the American Cider Affiliation to ascertain its Licensed Cider Skilled (CCP) program to teach these on the front-line of cider gross sales. Immediately it’s the world’s most complete and in-depth cider certification program for beverage professionals.
The Licensed Cider Skilled program started with a Stage 1 certification to assist these within the trade develop a elementary understanding of cider. The Licensed Pommelier™ certification was developed to maneuver past a elementary understanding and to encourage cider professionals to assume critically whereas demonstrating the next understanding of the weather of cider. The rigorous check consists of 5 sorts of questions: brief reply, fill within the clean, matching, essay and blind sensory (based mostly on tasting). Check questions fall into seven classes: Apples, the Orchard & Historical past, Cidermaking, Analysis, Households & Taste, Conserving & Serving, Meals & Cider and Social Accountability.
“To see twenty individuals cross the Licensed Pommelier™ examination in a single sitting is outstanding for a lot of causes,” says Michelle McGrath, CEO of the ACA. “Persons are valuing the Licensed Pommelier™ designation and placing within the arduous work of making ready for the examination. It’s thrilling to look at ACA’s cider appreciation program develop and succeed.”
Whereas the Licensed Pommelier™ examination is designed to be difficult, the ACA is devoted to creating positive all the knowledge examined on is accessible to these needing to be taught. To that finish, the ACA just lately introduced the discharge of their new textbook to assist candidates put together to take the examination. These considering making ready for the examination should buy the brand new textbook via Kindle Direct Publishing. As well as, sensory evaluation apply webinars and a Fb examine group are regularly being up to date with assets for candidates finding out for the examination. Hyperlinks to all CCP assets could be discovered on the ACA’s web site.
“We now have seen an enormous benefit for candidates that make the most of the examine aides we make out there,” states Jennie Dorsey, ACA’s Cider Training Outreach Supervisor. “We’ve additionally witnessed new skilled connections kind via ACA prep-webinars and casual examine teams. It’s thrilling to see networking as one of many CCP program’s many constructive impacts on the cider neighborhood.”
The ACA asks that you just contact Cider Training Outreach Supervisor Jennie Dorsey if in case you have questions on this system or are considering taking both the Stage 1 Licensed Cider Skilled check or the Licensed Pommelier™ examination.
The subsequent Licensed Pommelier™ examination will probably be scheduled for the Bay Space of California in September, and extra assessments dates will probably be introduced shortly. You can too be taught extra at https://ciderassociation.org/certification.
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The American Cider Affiliation is a corporation of cider and perry producers in america. Our mission is to develop a various and profitable U.S. cider trade by offering worthwhile data, assets and companies to our members and by advocating on their behalf.
