Cicerone Exam UPDATED Questions and
CORRECT Answers
The levels in the Cicerone Certification Program are... - CORRECT ANSWER - Level 1:
Certified Beer Server
Level 2: Certified Cicerone
Level 3: Advanced Cicerone
Level 4: Master Cicerone
At each level of the Cicerone Certification Program, you may refer to yourself as... - CORRECT
ANSWER - Level 1: Certified Beer Server or Beer Server
Level 2: Cicerone or Certified Cicerone
Level 3: Advanced Cicerone
Level 4: Master Cicerone
What is the three-tier system in the US? - CORRECT ANSWER - A brewer or importer
can only sell to a wholesaler (i.e. distributor), who can only sell to a retailer, who can only sell to
a consumer. It requires legal separation between all of these tiers. In other words, a company
can't brew beer AND own a bar (except where there's a state exception, like a brewpub).
Brewer/Importer > Wholesaler/Distributor > Retailer > Consumer
Why the three-tier system? - CORRECT ANSWER - 1. Makes tax collection easier for the
state
2. Protect consumers from abuses by companies that make or sell alcohol
3. Create competition in the market
It is illegal for a person to have ownership interests in companies that do business in more than
one of the tiers.
What are the two types of retailers? - CORRECT ANSWER - 1. On-premise: sells beer for
consumption on their premises, like a bar or restaurant.
, 2. Off-premise: sells beer for consumption elsewhere, like a grocery store or bottle shop.
Exceptions to the three-tier system - CORRECT ANSWER - 1. Allowing production
breweries to brew beer and also sell it directly to consumers for either on-site or off-site
consumption from a taproom or shop at the brewery.
2. Allowing brewpubs to brew beer and sell directly to consumers for on-site or off-site
consumption, such as pints with meals or growlers to go.
3. BONUS: Some states allow small brewers (that make less than a defined number of of barrels
per year) to sell directly to retailers rather than going through a wholesaler. This allows them to
skip the middleman, make greater profits, and control distribution until they reach a certain size.
What are the effects of alcohol on the body? - CORRECT ANSWER - Alcohol is a central
nervous system depressant. It affects people in very low concentrations.
The American Medical Association has defined the Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) for
impairment for all people at only 0.04 BAC. BAC is a percentage of blood by volume, so 0.04
BAC means your blood is 0.04% alcohol (not 4%!).
Even at this low level there is divided attention and a narrowing of a person's "attention field."
At 0.08 BAC a person is considered too intoxicated to drive
Alcohol absorption - CORRECT ANSWER - 10-20% of alcohol will be absorbed in the
stomach, 75-80% will be absorbed in the small intestine. Depending on how long ago the person
has eaten and what the dose of alcohol is, peak BAC levels can be reached as quickly as 30
minutes or as long as 4 hours from ingestion. Eating food delays peak BAC because the pyloric
valve at the bottom of the stomach will close to allow digestion, keeping the alcohol from
reaching the more efficient small intestine as rapidly.
Alcohol elimination - CORRECT ANSWER - The liver metabolizes and eliminates 95%
of ingested alcohol. Remaining alcohol is eliminated in breath, urine, sweat, feces, milk, and
saliva. The body's metabolic process involves oxidation of alcohol into acetaldehyde (that green
apple smell on a drunk person's breath), on to acetic acid, and finally into carbon dioxide and
water. For typical healthy people, alcohol is eliminated at a rate of about one average drink (0.5
oz. or 5 ml) of alcohol per hour.
CORRECT Answers
The levels in the Cicerone Certification Program are... - CORRECT ANSWER - Level 1:
Certified Beer Server
Level 2: Certified Cicerone
Level 3: Advanced Cicerone
Level 4: Master Cicerone
At each level of the Cicerone Certification Program, you may refer to yourself as... - CORRECT
ANSWER - Level 1: Certified Beer Server or Beer Server
Level 2: Cicerone or Certified Cicerone
Level 3: Advanced Cicerone
Level 4: Master Cicerone
What is the three-tier system in the US? - CORRECT ANSWER - A brewer or importer
can only sell to a wholesaler (i.e. distributor), who can only sell to a retailer, who can only sell to
a consumer. It requires legal separation between all of these tiers. In other words, a company
can't brew beer AND own a bar (except where there's a state exception, like a brewpub).
Brewer/Importer > Wholesaler/Distributor > Retailer > Consumer
Why the three-tier system? - CORRECT ANSWER - 1. Makes tax collection easier for the
state
2. Protect consumers from abuses by companies that make or sell alcohol
3. Create competition in the market
It is illegal for a person to have ownership interests in companies that do business in more than
one of the tiers.
What are the two types of retailers? - CORRECT ANSWER - 1. On-premise: sells beer for
consumption on their premises, like a bar or restaurant.
, 2. Off-premise: sells beer for consumption elsewhere, like a grocery store or bottle shop.
Exceptions to the three-tier system - CORRECT ANSWER - 1. Allowing production
breweries to brew beer and also sell it directly to consumers for either on-site or off-site
consumption from a taproom or shop at the brewery.
2. Allowing brewpubs to brew beer and sell directly to consumers for on-site or off-site
consumption, such as pints with meals or growlers to go.
3. BONUS: Some states allow small brewers (that make less than a defined number of of barrels
per year) to sell directly to retailers rather than going through a wholesaler. This allows them to
skip the middleman, make greater profits, and control distribution until they reach a certain size.
What are the effects of alcohol on the body? - CORRECT ANSWER - Alcohol is a central
nervous system depressant. It affects people in very low concentrations.
The American Medical Association has defined the Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) for
impairment for all people at only 0.04 BAC. BAC is a percentage of blood by volume, so 0.04
BAC means your blood is 0.04% alcohol (not 4%!).
Even at this low level there is divided attention and a narrowing of a person's "attention field."
At 0.08 BAC a person is considered too intoxicated to drive
Alcohol absorption - CORRECT ANSWER - 10-20% of alcohol will be absorbed in the
stomach, 75-80% will be absorbed in the small intestine. Depending on how long ago the person
has eaten and what the dose of alcohol is, peak BAC levels can be reached as quickly as 30
minutes or as long as 4 hours from ingestion. Eating food delays peak BAC because the pyloric
valve at the bottom of the stomach will close to allow digestion, keeping the alcohol from
reaching the more efficient small intestine as rapidly.
Alcohol elimination - CORRECT ANSWER - The liver metabolizes and eliminates 95%
of ingested alcohol. Remaining alcohol is eliminated in breath, urine, sweat, feces, milk, and
saliva. The body's metabolic process involves oxidation of alcohol into acetaldehyde (that green
apple smell on a drunk person's breath), on to acetic acid, and finally into carbon dioxide and
water. For typical healthy people, alcohol is eliminated at a rate of about one average drink (0.5
oz. or 5 ml) of alcohol per hour.
