Harmony and Ian VanGundy envisioned a tightknit, hardworking crew when they began selecting members for their team last year. Harmony explains how the team at Blackbird Brewery has surpassed even their highest expectations.
Our team is the heart and soul of Blackbird. They love our business as much as we do and have taken ownership since day one…together we have become a family.
The Blackbird Brewery commitment to excellence extends beyond serving beer we can proud of in style-specific glassware, all while maintaining a beautiful taproom and beer garden. We believe it’s important for our team to actively pursue advanced, up-to-date knowledge and expertise in the craft beer industry to maximize your taproom experience. We are proud to announce that every member of the Blackbird Brewery team has achieved their Cicerone Certification.
The Cicerone Certification Program US Certified Beer Server Training Includes the Following Topics:
- Keeping and Serving Beer
- Purchasing and accepting beer
- Serving alcohol (alcohol’s effects and responsible service practices)
- Beer storage (freshness, rotation, refrigeration, temperature, light, and serving guidelines)
- Draft systems (key elements, operation, troubleshooting, and maintenance)
- Beer glassware (selection, “beer clean,” preparation, bottled beer)
- Serving draft beer (pouring beer, pouring nitro beer, changing a keg)
- Beer Styles
- Understanding beer styles (historical development of beer styles)
- Style parameters (quantitative parameters like ABV, ABW, IBUs, and SRM and qualitative parameters like appearance, aroma, flavor, finish, mouthfeel, perceived bitterness)
- Beer style knowledge (knowledge requirements, by region)
- Beer Flavor and Evaluation
- Taste and flavor (how we perceive flavor and beer evaluation)
- Identify normal flavors of beer and their source (malt and grain, hop and fermentation flavors)
- Off-flavor knowledge (oxidation, lightstruck, skunky, and dirty draft lines)
- Beer Ingredients and Brewing Processes
- Ingredients (grains, hops, yeast and water)
- Pairing Beer with Food
It’s clear to see why we’re so proud of our amazing team! Next time you are ordering a beer, take the time to ask your bartender a few questions. We invite you to learn more about the delicious beer we’ve all come to love and appreciate!
