Master Cicerone
Brewmaster
Certified Sommelier
Consultant
à la Bière
Bozeman, Montana
Master Cicerone
Consultant à la Bière

Prep Courses for Cicerone® Exams

Master Cicerone Rich Higgins’s Video Prep Course for the Certified Cicerone Exam

with Master Cicerone and Brewmaster Rich Higgins

Video Prep Course for the
Certified Cicerone® Exam

Free Preview Lessons
on my YouTube Channel

Level-up your beer knowledge.
Watching videos of Rich’s Prep Course is like sitting in on class!

TOPICS COVERED IN EACH CLASS

  • CLASS 1: Cicerone Intro, Beer Ingredients (55:40)
  • CLASS 2: Science of Tasting; Beer Tasting & Evaluation (59:14)
  • CLASS 3: Brewing Processes (58:45)
  • CLASS 4: Beer Off-Flavors & Food Pairing (59:50)
  • CLASS 5: Learning the Styles; German, Czech, Austrian Styles (44:08)
  • CLASS 6: Beer Styles: Belgian & French (47:42)
  • CLASS 7: Beer Styles: British & Irish (48:56)
  • CLASS 8: Beer Styles: American & Global (48:05)
  • CLASS 9: Keeping & Serving Beer (1:02:29)
  • CLASS 10: Draft Systems (44:09)
  • FREE Supplement: Syllabus Updates through 2025 (49:42)

Vimeo.com purchasers:

Click here
to jump to migration instructions!


Video Series Poster

Purchaser Testimonial: These videos were extremely helpful in my passing the written portion. I watched these videos over and over and I recommend them for anyone taking the exam.

VIDEO VIEWING


The videos are hosted on my Google Drive, and you can watch them on any internet-connected device (via a web browser or a Google Drive app) whenever you choose, with unlimited rewatching, stopping and starting. They are not available for download.


POWERPOINT DECKS

My videos show the slides from my PowerPoint decks. If you’d like to have your own copy of the PowerPoint decks, you can enhance your learning and purchase the PDFs of the PowerPoint decks featured in the class videos.

RECEIVING YOUR PURCHASE

After purchasing, I’ll email you a shared document invitation to the email address you include at the time of purchase (or that you already have on file with PayPal/Venmo). Please send me a message if you prefer I use a different email address.
Generally, I respond right away as soon as I receive the purchase notification, but if you purchase while I’m busy/asleep/offline, it may take several hours for me to share the files with you. Thank you for your patience, and I apologize for not having better tech automation. (I’m a beer guy, not a tech whiz!)


If you have any questions about any of this, feel free to send me a message!


PURCHASE OPTIONS

Click to watch more Free Previews from my Video Prep Course!


Already purchased my videos on Vimeo.com?

(Thank you so much!)
In June 2025, I migrated away from Vimeo over to Google Drive. I’m really sorry for any inconvenience! Message me/email me at rich@richhiggins.com and I’ll be happy to share video access with you.


Information about
In-Person Prep Courses for Cicerone® Exams

In-person prep courses are not currently scheduled.
They were last taught publicly in February 2020 in San Francisco, and they are also taught privately for beverage industry clients.

Rich is always looking to teach these courses and hopes to schedule them again soon.
If you are an individual or a business interested in Rich’s Prep Courses for Cicerone® Exams, please contact him.

Click to Send Rich a Message

Photo: Beer Class

Master Cicerone Rich Higgins’s In-Person Prep Courses are designed to help students prepare for Cicerone Exams. Developed and taught by Rich, the courses are comprised of multiple class periods, and allow serious beer fans and professionals to develop the necessary skills, perspective, and knowledge for confidence and success within beer service and Cicerone exams.

Rich is an experienced brewmaster, one of 28 Master Cicerones in the world, and a Certified Sommelier. He’s an experienced beer educator, having taught over 100 beer classes, and combines great information, personality, and beer into unforgettable classes.

Please Note:

  • The courses are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Cicerone Certification Program.
  • The courses are not substitutes for self-study and preparation for Cicerone exams. (The courses guide your study and mastery of the material, but you will still have to study on your own for your exam.)
  • All class attendees must be 21 years of age or older.
  • The terms Certified Cicerone®, Advanced Cicerone®, and Master Cicerone® are registered trademarks of the Cicerone Certification Program. More information is available at www.cicerone.org.

Testimonials:

“Rich’s class was a key factor in my successful preparation. I would recommend his class to anyone preparing for the Certified Cicerone exam.”

– Certified Cicerone®, previous student

“Passing the Certified Cicerone Exam would not have been possible without Rich’s guidance. He is a world-class teacher and his course is a great asset to anyone preparing for the Certified Cicerone exam.”

– Certified Cicerone®, previous student

“Rich has an ability to speak intelligently, covering a lot in a short span of time in an easy-to-digest, Power-Point manner.”

– Certified Cicerone®, previous student


Photo: Beer Cheese CharcuteriePhoto: Westmalle Burger


In-Person Prep Course
for the Certified Cicerone® Exam

Dates and Times:

  • Class 1: not currently scheduled
  • Class 2: not currently scheduled
  • Class 3: not currently scheduled
  • Class 4: not currently scheduled
  • Class 5: not currently scheduled

Price:

  • payable in full or in installments — first installment to reserve your space, then second installment anytime before third class period
  • includes a draft beer of your choice on date of each class period (up to $10)

  • In-Person Course consists of 5 class periods and includes in-class quizzes, hand-outs, structured tastings of over 20 beers, 6 beer off-flavors, and food pairings, plus a 4-course beer dinner at Mikkeller Bar SF.
  • This course is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Cicerone Certification Program.
    • Reserve your space securely via Paypal
    Questions? Click to Send Rich a Message

    Details: Designed for Certified Cicerone exam candidates, Certified Beer Servers, brewers, and beer fans with a foundation of beer knowledge, this course offers in-depth instruction in the five different areas of expertise required of Certified Cicerones. Course includes five class periods, each of which includes blind tastings of beer for assessment of style, servability, off-flavors, and food pairing recommendations, and each class demonstrates food pairing strategy with a wide variety of food dishes. Course also includes enjoying and learning from a 4-course beer dinner, as well as a detailed off-flavor sensory tasting seminar, covering six primary off-flavors included in the Certified Cicerone® Syllabus. The course is a full exploration of many areas of beer and issues pertinent to the Certified Cicerone exam, and prepares the candidate for knowledge and confidence on the exam. This course complements — but is not a substitute for — self-study and preparation for the exam. This course is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Cicerone Certification Program.

    Photo: Sour Beer ClassPhoto: Rich Teaching Beer Class

    Topics: deductive tasting, brewing ingredients & processes, food pairing theory, detailed off-flavors tasting (open and blind tastings), German/Czech styles, Belgian/French styles, British/Irish styles, US styles, keeping & serving, draft systems, blind tasting and food pairings each class, 4-course beer dinner, and more


    In-Person Prep Course
    for the Certified Beer Server Exam

    Dates and Times:

    • Class 1: not currently scheduled
    • Class 2: not currently scheduled

    Price:

    • includes a draft beer of your choice on date of each class period (up to $10)

  • In-Person Course consists of 2 class periods and includes in-class practice exam, hand-outs, and structured tasting of 6 beers.
  • This course is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Cicerone Certification Program.
    • Reserve your space securely via Paypal
    Questions? Click to Send Rich a Message

    Details: Designed for Certified Beer Server exam candidates, hospitality industry, and beer fans. No prior beer knowledge necessary. This Course includes two class periods, each of which includes structured tastings of beer. This Course will lay a foundation of beer and hospitality knowledge necessary to prepare for the Certified Beer Server exam and prepares students for confidence on the exam. This course complements — but is not a substitute for — self-study and preparation for the exam. This course is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Cicerone Certification Program.

    Photo: Beer Off Flavors

    Topics: brewing ingredients & processes, beer flavor and evaluation, keeping and serving beer, beer styles, practice test, 2 beer tastings, and more

  • The terms Certified Cicerone®, Advanced Cicerone®, and Master Cicerone® are registered trademarks.
  • Online registration and payment for the exams is required at www.cicerone.org. Please familiarize yourself with the Cicerone Certification Program’s own prerequisites for taking the exams.
  • More information, including course syllabi, exam prerequisites, and exam registration, is available at www.cicerone.org.


    • Stay up to date by following me on Instagram, Twitter, and sign up for my email newsletters to stay in the loop.

    Photo: Rich Teaching Class

    Click the links below for more information about Rich’s Classes, Events, and Beer Immersions Travel:

    All of Rich’s Events & Classes
    Beer School Classes
    Rich Higgins Beer Immersions Travel to Belgium & Germany
    Deductive Beer Tasting Method

    Events & Classes Menu