Sample Exam: Ingredients

This is an unofficial answer key for the sample Certified Cicerone Exam supplied on the Cicerone.org website.

I've supplied what I think are correct answers. I've cited sources and provided links for more in depth study, and I hope that this will aid you in preparing for the exam.

Please use the comments section below to leave questions and/or differences in opinion.

When citing sources, this answer key uses the following abbreviations:

TB         Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher

CBC       The Complete Beer Course by Joshua Bernstein

HTB       How To Brew by John Palmer

Cicerone Certification Program
Certified Cicerone Exam
April 2008

IV. Ingredients:  
 
91. What part of the barley kernel makes it uniquely attractive for use in brewing when compared to a grain like wheat? 

The phrase What part implies a physical part of the kernel - one that you could see, so you might be tempted to answer the husk, but barley's real brewing advantage over other grains are it's Enzymes (TB, p. 41)

92. The process of controlled germination and drying performed on barley to prepare it for brewing is known as what: 

Malting  (TB, p. 42)

93. Barley comes in two broad types (actually separate species) based on the number of rows the kernels form on the head. What are those two broad types?

Two-row & Six-row  (TB, p. 42)

94. Name two countries where brewing barley is grown:  

Germany, England, United States (TB, p. 134-135)
Think of countries that have historically had beer culture, then look at this map and this wiki.

95. Crystal and chocolate are names for two examples of what ingredient: 

Malt  (TB, p. 44)

96. Using common words, give the range of colors from lightest to darkest found in the malts used by brewers:

Pale to Black  (TB, p. 43-44)

97. How is corn or rice generally treated before being mixed with the majority of the malt in the brewhouse?  
  Before mashing, corn and rice are Cooked to gelatinize their starches.
(TB, p. 168)
  98. Around 1820, a patented English invention transformed production of dark beers by making what previously unavailable ingredient for brewers: 

Black malt  (TB, p. 15)

99. What sort of plant structure (like tree, bush, grass, etc.) do hops grow on? 

Vine  (TB, p. 49)

100. To ensure that they don’t decompose during storage and shipment, what important treatment are hops subjected to immediately after picking and before being baled? 

Dried  (Hop Growers of America)

101. Name the Washington-state valley best known for hop cultivation:  

Yakima Valley  (Hop Growers of America)

102. Name one other US state that produces hops commercially: 

Oregon, Idaho, California  (Hop Growers of America)
 
103. Name three European hop producing countries: 

England, Germany, Poland  (CBC, p. 17-21)

104. Name a southern hemisphere country that produces hops commercially:
 
Australia, New Zealand  (CBC, p. 20-21) 
Serious Eats has a nice comparison of leading hops varieties from down under.

105. In order to impart hop aroma in a beer would you add hops at the beginning or near the end of wort boiling? 

Near the end  (HTB, p. 43)

106. Hop oil contains compounds that contribute to what attributes of beer? 

Bitterness  (TB, p. 45)

107. The alpha acids typically constitute what percentage, by weight of the hops used by brewers? (Please give a range)
  
2 to 20%  (TB, p. 50)
  108. Some brewers use whole hops, but these days many use a more compressed physical form known as what: 

pellets, plugs  (HTB, p. 45)

109. Name two American hop varieties other than Cascade: 

Centenial, Chinook, Amarillo  (CBC, p. 19-21)

110. Name one European hop variety: 

Saaz, Hallertauer, Tettnanger, Spalt   
(TB, p. 50. CBC, p. 18-21)

111. What temperature range is beer likely to be in when it is dry hopped?


Dry hopping is done late in the fermentation cycle, and the temp range for fermentation is between 65 - 75 degrees (for ales).  (HTB, p. 44)

112. During fermentation, sugar is converted into what two major chemical products?  
  Ethanol & Carbon Dioxide  (CBC, p. 24-25)

113. Compared to ales, lager fermentations are conducted at _________________ temperatures.  
 
Lager is fermented at cooler temperatures than Ale.  (TB, p. 54)
  114. A fermenter being held at 68 deg F is most likely using which of the two major yeast types?  


Ale  (TB, p. 54)
  115. Fruity aromas and flavors are most commonly produced by which of the two major yeast types? 

Ale  (TB, p. 54)

116. Weizen yeast produce what sorts of flavor attributes in beer? 

Banana, clove  (TB, p. 56)

117. Name a beer style whose flavor might be influenced by Brettanomyces bruxellensis.  

Lambic, Flanders Red Ale, Gueuze 
(BJCP Style 17 - Sour Ale)
  118.Would the flavor attributes contributed by Pediococcus damnosis be desirable in an outstanding example of American pale ale? 

No.  (TB, p. 57)  
Pediococcus causes sour flavors, which are not appropriate in American Pale Ales.

119. Would the flavor attributes contributed by Acetobacter species be desirable in an outstanding example of Flanders red ale? 


Yes.  (TB, p. 57)
  120. Name a mineral found in water that may have a desirable effect on beer flavor: 


Calcium Carbonate, Calcium Sulfate, Copper, Zinc  

(TB, p. 39-40)
  121. Please number the following brewing processes from 1 to 5 in the order that they occur during brewing:

__4_ Wort Chilling & Aeration 
__3_ Boiling & Whirlpooling 
__2_ Mashing & Lautering 
__5_ Fermentation & Lagering 
__1_ Grain Milling

(CBC, p. 22-23)
  
122. To initiate mashing, what gets mixed with malt? 
  Hot water  (TB, p. 47)

123. What step in the brewing process sterilizes the wort and converts alpha acids to their isomerized form? 

Boiling  (TB, p. 52-53)

124. What most commonly gets “pitched” in a brewery?  

Yeast gets pitched when added to wort.  (HTB, p. 63, 67)

125. A vessel with a cone-shaped bottom is commonly used for what stage of the brewing process? 

Fermentation  (CBC, p. 23)
Here are some images. 

126. What stage of the brewing process occurs when a bottom fermented beer is held at 3-5°C (35-41°F) for several weeks in the presence of yeast?  

A bottom fermented beer is a lager. Holding it for several weeks is a process called Lagering.  (HTB, p. 99-100)

127 a. If a brewer adds gelatin or Isinglass to a beer, what are they trying to achieve?  
  Gelatin and Isinglass are fining agents used to clarify beer.  (TB, p. 58)
  b. Would these ingredients be added before or after primary fermentation? 
  After  (HTB, p. 90-91)

128. What gas do brewery bottling operations try to minimize the presence of inside the sealed bottle? 

Oxygen  (HTB, p. 71-72)

129. Why do some brewers include yeast in their bottled product? 
  Bottle conditioning aka "Secondary fermentation"  (CBC, p. 28)

130. Do most US-produced kegs contain pasteurized beer? 

No (MicroMatic)  

131. Name a benefit of pasteurization for a brewer? 
  Extended shelf life (MicroMatic)

132. Name a disadvantage of pasteurization for the brewer: 
  Altered beer flavor, cost  (MicroMatic)