Media Style Guide
ABOUT THE CICERONE CERTIFICATION PROGRAM
Launched in 2008 by brewer, author, and beer educator Ray Daniels, the Cicerone® Certification Program seeks to ensure that consumers receive the best quality beer at every service occasion. To facilitate this, those who sell and serve beer are encouraged to acquire knowledge in five areas: 1) Keeping and Serving Beer, 2) Beer Styles, 3) Beer Flavor and Evaluation, 4) Beer Ingredients and Brewing Processes, and 5) Pairing Beer with Food.
The Cicerone Certification Program certifies beer professionals at four levels:
- Certified Beer Server
- Certified Cicerone®
- Advanced Cicerone®
- Master Cicerone®
To date, more than 125,000 individuals have been certified through the program.
For more information on "What is a Cicerone?" visit: https://cicerone.org/about
MEDIA GUIDE
Trademarks
The Cicerone Certification Program holds trademarks on use of the word "Cicerone" as it pertains to beer, beer service, beer education, and beer events in the United States and 43 additional jurisdictions including Canada, Australia, the European Union, and much of Latin America and Asia. The trademarks include the word “Cicerone®” and the titles "Certified Cicerone®," "Advanced Cicerone®," and "Master Cicerone®."
As a result, in anything beer related, no one should be called a "Cicerone" unless they have earned one of the trademarked titles.
Usage
The Cicerone titles (Certified Cicerone®, Advanced Cicerone®, Master Cicerone®), are both trademarks and the proper name of a specific title. They should only appear in association with the name of an individual who has earned the appropriate certification. Both words of the title should be capitalized. (The AP StyleBook says that trademarks should be capitalized in all uses.)
Those who hold the first level certification awarded by the Cicerone Certification Program are referred to as “Certified Beer Severs” and not “Cicerones.”
You may wish to include this trademark notice at the end of any publications: Master Cicerone®, Advanced Cicerone®, Certified Cicerone®, and Cicerone® are trademarks of the Cicerone Certification Program, a Chicago-based beer education and certification organization.