Treat this listing as several credentials, not one exam: the Cicerone ladder (Certified Beer Server, Certified Cicerone, Advanced Cicerone, Master Cicerone), HACCP training, and state food protection manager certification for CA, TX, FL, NY, and IL. Each has its own issuer, fees, and rules. The Cicerone exams have verified details here, including syllabus version 6 cutoffs; for HACCP and the state manager credential, your route runs through an accredited training provider and your local regulator.
One listing, several separate credentials
This bundle is not a single exam. It groups the four-level Cicerone beer ladder with HACCP training and state food protection manager certification, each run by a different issuer.
Cicerone runs four beer certifications in ascending order: Certified Beer Server at level 1, Certified Cicerone at level 2, Advanced Cicerone at level 3, and Master Cicerone at level 4, which the issuer describes as its most demanding test.
HACCP training and food protection manager certification sit outside the beer world entirely. They have their own providers, accreditation bodies, and jurisdiction-specific rules, and no retrieved source publishes a combined exam covering them.
Pick your target before you study. The table below maps each credential in the listing to its issuer and what it signals.
| Credential | Issuer | What it signals |
|---|---|---|
| Certified Beer Server | Cicerone Certification Program | First-level beer service fundamentals |
| Certified Cicerone | Cicerone Certification Program | Professional beer knowledge plus tasting skill |
| Advanced Cicerone | Cicerone Certification Program | Expert beer knowledge and tasting ability |
| Master Cicerone | Cicerone Certification Program | The program's most demanding designation |
| HACCP training | International HACCP Alliance-accredited providers | Introductory food safety plan training |
| Food protection manager | Accredited certification programs, recognized per state | Person-in-charge food safety responsibility |
Sources: Certified Beer Server | Cicerone Certification Program — Exam overview, prerequisites, cost, versions, and exam details; Certified Cicerone – The Mark of a Beer Professional | Cicerone Certification Program — Prerequisites, fees, passing score, knowledge areas, and scoring breakdown; Advanced Cicerone Certification – Distinctive Expertise in Beer | Cicerone Certification Program — Prerequisites, exam format, fees, passing score, scoring breakdown, and scheduled dates; Accredited Introductory HACCP Training Programs - International HACCP Alliance — Complete list of accredited introductory HACCP course providers; State Regulations | NRFSP — ANAB-CFP accreditation note and direction to check local jurisdictions
Certified Beer Server: format, cost, and syllabus version
Level 1 is an online, closed-book exam of 60 multiple-choice questions with a 30-minute limit, and you need 75 percent to pass. It costs $79 and includes two attempts.
Before the exam, you must pass a five-question quiz about the Cicerone program itself. A perfect score is required, but you can retake this short quiz as needed.
The exam is closed book: no notes, references, or outside help. You need 75 percent — at least 45 of 60 correct — to pass within the 30-minute limit. If you take the exam in a language that is not your first, or have special needs, you can email the issuer to request a time extension.
A purchase costs $79 (USD) and includes two attempts to pass. Exam fees are non-refundable. Versions are offered in several languages, some adapted to the US, Canadian, or UK beer markets; if you live elsewhere, the issuer recommends the International version.
Version matters. The US syllabus, version 6, was updated on August 6, 2024, and the issuer directs anyone taking the exam after November 1, 2024 to study that version. Download the syllabus matching your market and language before you start.
Sources: Certified Beer Server | Cicerone Certification Program — Exam overview, prerequisites, cost, versions, and exam details; US Certified Beer Server Syllabus v6 | Cicerone Certification Program — Version 6, updated August 6, 2024; applies to exams after November 1, 2024
Certified Cicerone: prerequisites, fees, and knowledge areas
Level 2 requires a passed Certified Beer Server exam and legal drinking age. Passing takes 80 percent overall and at least 70 percent on the tasting portion.
The written portion costs $250 (USD) and the tasting and demonstration portion $200. Retakes cost $200 and $150 respectively, and fees are non-refundable. You purchase each component from the issuer's exam schedule.
The issuer calls this a challenging exam needing substantial preparation, suggesting an experienced candidate might prepare in six months while many should plan one to two years.
The US Certified Cicerone syllabus, version 6, was updated August 6, 2024, and applies to exams taken after January 1, 2025. It organizes the tested knowledge into five areas with fixed grade weights, shown below. Use the syllabus itself as your content map, since it catalogs everything the exam can test.
| Knowledge area | Share of overall grade |
|---|---|
| Keeping and Serving Beer | 25% |
| Beer Styles | 25% |
| Beer Flavor and Evaluation | 25% |
| Beer Ingredients and Brewing Processes | 15% |
| Pairing Beer with Food | 10% |
Sources: Certified Cicerone – The Mark of a Beer Professional | Cicerone Certification Program — Prerequisites, fees, passing score, knowledge areas, and scoring breakdown; US Certified Cicerone® Syllabus v6 | Cicerone Certification Program — Version 6, updated August 6, 2024; applies to exams after January 1, 2025
Advanced Cicerone: written exam plus tasting and oral panels
Level 3 requires a passed Certified Cicerone exam. You complete an online written exam plus in-person tasting panels and two oral exams, needing 80 percent overall and 75 percent on tasting.
First-time fees are $450 (USD) for the written exam and $400 for the tasting and oral exam. Retakes cost $400 and $350 respectively, and fees are nonrefundable. Candidates must be of legal drinking age.
The written component is taken online in a remotely proctored session and ranges from multiple choice to essays; in-person written sittings exist on a limited basis. Tasting panels are held in person and cover off-flavor identification, style discrimination, and descriptive analysis, with two oral exams on beer styles and food pairing taken alongside them. Testing uses AROXA flavor standards.
The syllabus weights Keeping and Serving Beer at 20 percent, Beer Styles at 22.5, Beer Flavor and Evaluation at 22.5, Beer Ingredients and Brewing Processes at 20, and Pairing Beer with Food at 15. Across components, the written exam supplies 75 percent of the overall score, the oral exams 10 percent, and tasting 15 percent.
The version 6.0 syllabus, updated August 1, 2024, applies to exams taken after January 1, 2025. As of this update, the issuer lists written exam dates from November 2026 through February 2027, with Spanish availability, and in-person tasting sessions in Atlanta and Boston. Check the issuer's schedule for current availability.
Sources: Advanced Cicerone Certification – Distinctive Expertise in Beer | Cicerone Certification Program — Prerequisites, exam format, fees, passing score, scoring breakdown, and scheduled dates; Advanced Cicerone® Syllabus v6 | Cicerone Certification Program — Version 6.0, updated August 1, 2024; applies to exams after January 1, 2025
HACCP training and state food protection manager rules
These are separate pathways with no single exam documented here. HACCP runs through Alliance-accredited training providers, and food protection manager recognition is decided state by state.
The International HACCP Alliance publishes a list of accredited introductory HACCP training providers, including universities, consultants, company programs, and on-demand online courses. Completing a course from that list is the route these sources support; specifics such as format, cost, and assessment depend on the provider you choose.
Food protection manager certification is jurisdiction-specific. National Registry describes an ANAB-CFP-accredited manager certification program and directs candidates to check with their local jurisdiction or regulatory body for the most current information. Its state list includes California, Texas, Florida, New York, and Illinois, but no retrieved source publishes a single five-state exam or restates each state's rules.
Practically, this means two verification steps before you spend money: pick an Alliance-accredited HACCP provider that fits your role, and contact your state or local regulator to confirm which manager credential it currently recognizes.
Sources: Accredited Introductory HACCP Training Programs - International HACCP Alliance — Complete list of accredited introductory HACCP course providers; State Regulations | NRFSP — ANAB-CFP accreditation note and direction to check local jurisdictions
Sort shared vocabulary before you study
The bundle's main trap is vocabulary reuse: sanitation, temperature, and hazard appear in both beer service and food safety with different meanings. Sort each term into its owning framework before drilling content.
Cicerone's level 1 scope already includes service fundamentals such as beer-clean glassware, a proper pour, and protecting beer from improper handling after it leaves the brewery. Food safety planning uses overlapping words for different purposes. Studying a term once and reusing the definition across frameworks is where cross-credential errors begin.
This sorting step is study advice, not an official requirement, and the exercise below is an original practice task rather than exam content.
Practice exercise
Start a two-column vocabulary log for these terms: sanitation, temperature control, glassware, hazard, critical limit, head retention. For each term, record which pathway's framework owns it — Cicerone beer service, food safety planning, or both — and write one sentence defining it in that context. Mark terms that belong to only one pathway.
Show answer
Sanitation, temperature control, and hazard appear on both sides and earn two definitions each; in beer service, sanitation and temperature relate to glassware, line hygiene, and serving beer as the brewer intended, while in food safety they support hazard control. Glassware and head retention belong only to beer service. Critical limit belongs only to food safety planning. A correct log assigns each term once per owning framework and flags the shared ones rather than forcing a single definition.
A log with a single definition per term signals cross-framework confusion: the reader is carrying beer-service meanings into food safety planning or the reverse. Flagging shared terms keeps each pathway's study self-contained. This exercise trains organization habits only; it does not replace the issuer's syllabus content or accredited food safety training.
Next steps for your chosen pathway
Create a free Cicerone account and download the syllabus for your exam version, or contact an accredited HACCP provider and your state regulator for the food safety routes.
For the beer ladder, start with a free Cicerone account, download the syllabus for your market, and use the issuer's recommended study products: BeerSavvy for Certified Beer Server, and the Road to Cicerone courses — each mapped to a syllabus area with an end-of-course quiz — for Certified Cicerone.
Work up the ladder in order, since Certified Cicerone requires a passed Certified Beer Server exam and Advanced Cicerone requires Certified Cicerone. Always match your study version to your exam date using the cutoffs above.
For the food safety routes, choose an International HACCP Alliance-accredited introductory course, and confirm your state's manager certification expectations with your local regulator before booking anything.
- Create a free Cicerone account and download the syllabus for your target level and market
- For CBS after November 1, 2024, study US syllabus version 6; for CC and AC after January 1, 2025, study version 6
- For HACCP, select a provider from the Alliance's accredited list
- For the manager credential, verify current recognition rules with your state or local authority
Sources: Certified Beer Server | Cicerone Certification Program — Exam overview, prerequisites, cost, versions, and exam details; Certified Cicerone – The Mark of a Beer Professional | Cicerone Certification Program — Prerequisites, fees, passing score, knowledge areas, and scoring breakdown; Accredited Introductory HACCP Training Programs - International HACCP Alliance — Complete list of accredited introductory HACCP course providers; State Regulations | NRFSP — ANAB-CFP accreditation note and direction to check local jurisdictions
Sources
Facts checked:
- Certified Beer Server | Cicerone Certification Program
- US Certified Beer Server Syllabus v6 | Cicerone Certification Program
- Certified Cicerone – The Mark of a Beer Professional | Cicerone Certification Program
- US Certified Cicerone® Syllabus v6 | Cicerone Certification Program
- Advanced Cicerone Certification – Distinctive Expertise in Beer | Cicerone Certification Program
- Advanced Cicerone® Syllabus v6 | Cicerone Certification Program
- Accredited Introductory HACCP Training Programs - International HACCP Alliance
- State Regulations | NRFSP