Draught Training
Exclusive page for Canadians studying for their Cicerone® designation.
The biggest issue I continue to hear today from people studying for their Cicerone Certification Program exams is they just aren't as confident in their draught knowledge as they should be.
They worry that this lack of knowledge will hurt their final exam score.
My Story
I wrote my Certified Cicerone® exam in 2009. At that time, there was no Canadian version and I wasn't well versed in US beer brands as much as I should have been. I recall tasting as many brands of beer as I could in Denver with the folks from Micromatic before heading into the GABF, the evening before my exam.
Not a great idea, but in hindsight it allowed me to understand the popular "American" brands that I thought would be on the exam. Lady luck was on my side as I was fortunate enough to be familiar with all but one that was on the exam.
At that time, it had been 3 years since I started a draught service company in Toronto. I had a solid understanding of draught systems, which helped boost my mark.
I passed. Nice.
About a year later, I sold my draught service company and started Better Beer.
A big part of what we still do today is draught quality training.
While our courses aren't officially recognized or affiliated with the Cicerone Certification Program, I believe that they will help prepare you for your exams.
I'm proud of our courses and all of the people we have helped to improve their draught quality over the years. With that in mind my fellow beer lovers, I am offering our training to you at a discounted price.
Steve Riley
Certified Cicerone®
and Founder of BetterBeer.com
Serve Better Beer Course - Draught 101
What will you learn in The Serve Better Beer Course?
- How the system works - what are regulators, couplers, faucets, and FOBs.
- Proper storage and receiving of kegs - which kegs should you store upside down?
- How to change a keg without getting a beer shower.
- Proper pour - how to explain to a guest why the head is so important so you get less push-back.
- Beer clean glasses - what you can do to make sure the glasses are clean and how this saves you time.
- Branded glasses - yup, they're a pain, but they also make your life much easier, and you make more by using them.
- Using FOBs - not knowing how to use a FOB properly will waste 4 minutes of your time at EVERY keg change.
- Troubleshooting - the system only breaks down on busy nights it seems. Wouldn't it be great if you could solve some problems on your own and get back to pouring pints?
- And how to sell more beer.
Advancing Better Beer Course - Draught 201
Building on the Serve Better Beer Course, the Advancing Better Beer Course is designed for key-holders in your restaurant.
A must have for anyone who is responsible for restaurant operations, this course covers advanced level troubleshooting, detailed explanation of how the system works, and tips and techniques that you can use to help improve your quality and profitability.
Check out the Introduction video for what the course covers.
The industry's only online course to help you solve draught foaming and quality issues.
Exclusive Offer
Save 15% off of the prices below by using this coupon code at checkout:
CDN_Cicerone
Start your training in minutes - immediate registration link upon checkout!
Jesse Vallins, Advanced Cicerone® & Executive Chef at Maple Leaf Tavern
"Steve's online training was a ton of help for me while reviewing for my Certified Cicerone® and Advanced Cicerone® exams. Anyone who wants to learn about draft systems or even just brush up on their basics would benefit from checking it out."
What Are People Saying About the Serve Better Beer Course?
“The pictures and diagrams are nice. The videos are short, sweet and to the point which is important in keeping people's attention. I feel engaged and the handouts are well paced to take good notes. Overall a well designed course and a service to the beer industry! Tip of the hat to you sirs!”Camilo A, Toronto Beer Enthusiast
“Steve understands and speaks to the challenges that we in the industry face everyday. He is an industry professional which makes the course more interesting, it's not just by the book its realistic reliable information that we can use.”Sadia, Bartender, British Pub, Toronto