Beer is complex and wonderful.

I’ve been in the industry for near 20 years. Previous to beer, I spent a decade as the GM of a very busy restaurant and music club, where I worked to perfect their excellent pub food, full bar, and yes, beer. They had 24 taps when I started and by the time I left, some near 12 years later, we had built the system to 36 taps plus a cask engine, and one of the most respected draft programs in the greater Boston area. I worked hard to develop the program, educate myself, our staff & customers, and increase beers reach across the city, state, and country. I fell in love here, both with my wife and the beverage!

I am an Advanced Cicerone® and Certified BJCP & International Beer Judge. I have a long history with the Cicerone Program and I have my sights set on the title of Master Cicerone®, once again. I hope to sit for the exam in November 2025. 

I worked with Beer Scholar (Chris Cohen & Scott Fielder) to prep for the Advanced Written Exam, and realized a positive outcome after taking the exam in February 2025. This is a fee-based study group and well worth your time (and money). Built on Skool, it’s easy to participate, anywhere in the world.

I retook the BJCP Tasting Exam after judging at the Indiana Brewers Cup this past July and leveled up to Certified Judge. I will aim to take the tasting exam again next summer, in hopes of leveling up to National. My judging experience, sensory knowledge, and palate continue to improve every competition I attend. I recently judged Concurso Brasileiro de Cervejas and South Beer Cup, Balneário Camboriu, Santa Catarina, Brazil (2025), GABF Phase 1 (2024) and Brussels Beer Challenge 2023, after being knighted by the Knighthood of the Brewer’s Paddle (Belgium) in May of the same year. I have had the honor to judge at GABF (2019, 2022, & 2024) and the National Homebrew Competition (2019).

I recently connected with and discovered Prud’homme Beer Certification and am totally moved by Roger Mittag’s work. Philosophically, his program is exactly where I think a student of retail beer should be. Beyond being a thrilling teacher and speaker (I feel like I could listen to his voice all day, every day), his certifications don’t get bogged down in the science and technical side of brewing, which BJCP & Cicerone do. He’s practical in his approach to teaching a bit about the history of beer and style origins, as well as touching on the brewing process, all of which are necessary to have the best appreciation and understanding for the beverage. His focus is on beer: beer styles, proper service, including pouring, flavor, taste, and beer & food pairings. I absolutely love and appreciate his educational approach to draught beer. Having spent my life on the retail side of beer, in both on and off-premise, it’s critical to understand things like why a beer should have one to two inches of foam on it and some tricks for how to quickly solve for why a beer isn’t pouring at the faucet (in a draft system). No other program gets to the point as efficently as Prud’homme! I recently took and passed the Level 1 Beer Enthusiast Certification and am excited to continue my journey.

I have tinkered with the Master Brewers Association of the Americas (MBAA) and have obtained their Associate Beer Steward Certification. I am also curious about WSET’s new Level 1 and Level 2 Awards in Beer. I believe the training involved in obtaining these awards may complement my work with the Cicerone Program, Prud'homme, and as a Beer Judge.

I am always thrilled to discuss beer and my journey. I don’t have any answers for how to pass any drinks exams (either tasting or written) except to study and learn the material - there is no other way around it. I am happy to disucss my experiences.

Here’s a blank Beer Journal I found to begin your studies. 

I would love to judge at your competition. I would love to present a class, develop training material, teach your staff or customers, or any other beery thing, so please reach out if you think I can be of assistance. My general rate card is here - let’s discuss this.

Check out my latest project.