Mural Brewing

I have not been keeping up with writing blog posts, despite all intentions, as somehow the last update was 19 months ago. I’ll keep things brief and in chronological order, so picture a calendar flipping film montage here! I’ll write future posts that expand on some areas.

One big caveat: all of the following activities cost time, money, and energy (physical, mental, emotional, and social alike). Through work I received unanticipated professional development funds for volunteering as the chair of two SDSU Senate-related committees. This unexpected boon caused unintended complications including having to justify purchasing courses, course materials, and travel expenses using stateside funds while tying the KSAs of a culinary historian and sensory scientist in training with my day-to-day job as an analyst. I am grateful for the opportunities I’ve experienced the means to experience them, and the people who supported and educated me every day. While I don’t recommend that people speed run professional credentials, I do recommend exploring them as you’re inclined and able.

January 2025 – I judged the Craft Maltsters Guild Malt Cup Sensory Round at East Village Brewing Co. I attended the 2025 American Hop Convention in Coronado, CA. I took the Siebel Institute Essential Quality Control Course at White Labs with Keith Lemke, Devin Tani, and Lindsay Barr. This course really helped to understand QA/QC processes in the brewhouse and to hone sensory skills.

March 2025 – I was accepted into the new SDSU MS Food Science program starting fall 2025. Since my background is in humanities and social sciences, a number of science prerequisite courses were required.

April 2025 – I took the UC Davis Digital Marketing for Craft Breweries course with Emily Hutto and Julie Rhodes. I also judged meads and smoked beers at the American Homebrewers Association (AHA) National Homebrew Competition (NHC) Round One at AleSmith Brewing Company in San Diego, CA.

July 2025 – I judged the 2025 International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) media awards. I also withdrew from the the SDSU MS Food Science program as both my and my wife’s work-life balance changed with the new administration. I will pursue this program in the future.

August 2025 – I took the Advanced Cicerone® Sensory Workshop with Dan Imdieke and Jason Pratt at White Labs in San Diego, CA before sitting for the Advanced Cicerone® tasting exam and oral exams for the second time. I also took the online written exam for the first time. I got close to passing but no cigar.

September 2025 – I completed the UC Davis Applied Sensory & Consumer Science Certificate Program. This one-year online program was invaluable for putting all the pieces together with sensory science and data mapping. I have some projects I want to work on in R Studio that I’ll write more about at a later time. I judged 196 beer samples across 20 flights during phase one of the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) at the Brewers Association warehouse in Louisville, CO. It was an amazing experience working with high caliber judges and sampling high-quality beer.

October 2025 – I guest lectured on Sensory Evaluation of Hops and Beer for Dr. Arun Sethuraman’s SDSU BIOL 596 Research Methods in Agricultural Sciences. This is the third time I’ve given this hands-on lecture to undergrad and grad biology, biochemistry, and bioinformatics students. I also presented the 2025 North American Guild of Beer Writers (NAGBW) Awards ceremony.

January 2026 – I participated in the Crosby Hops & Latitude 46: Hop EXPerience San Diego hosted at Societe Brewing Co. where I tried a number of beers using experimental hops. I also had a brew day on the pilot system at Stone Brewing Co. in Escondido, CA with Steve Gonzalez, Fritzi Lara Lino, Cecil Menasco, Dr. Jing Zhao, and Jacob Pascua. Jacob is an SDSU MS Food Science major with Dr. Zhao, and we are collaborating with Stone on a hop product utilization project using sensory and chemical analysis to improve brewhouse efficiency.

February 2026 – I sat for the Advanced Cicerone® tasting exam and oral exams for the third time at White Labs and the online written exam for the second time.

March 2026 – I passed the Advanced Cicerone® exam! I am grateful for the ongoing support of my wife who helped sample classic style examples, set up blind tastings, and hung in there with innumerable discussions about off flavors. Thanks to my daughters who continue to enjoy identifying and discovering sensory attributes and food pairings. I am also grateful for The Beer Scholar Advanced Cicerone community led by Scott Fielder and Chris Cohen. The resources, especially the flashcards, were invaluable. Jen Blair’s aroma training was also extremely helpful in honing my sensory abilities. In addition to the Cicerone-provided recommended reading list, I even made some Sporcle games to help retain knowledge. This was a grueling exam with so many variables that you cannot control.

March 2026 – I judged meads at the American Homebrewers Association (AHA) National Homebrew Competition (NHC) Round One at AleSmith Brewing Company in San Diego, CA. I also judged herb and spice beer, cold IPA and IPL, and Belgian Dark Strong Ales at the San Diego County Fair Craft Beer Competition.

April 2026 – I judged perries and meads for the QUAFF America’s Finest City (AFC) Homebrew Competition at AleSmith Brewing Company in San Diego, CA. I also joined the American Craft Beer Hall of Fame Board of Advisors.

June 2026 – I passed the WSET Level 2 in Beer with Distinction! I answered 100% of the questions correctly. I took the online WSET class in May through the Wine & Drinks Academy, and there’s a lot to offer from this program that is complementary to BJCP and Cicerone.

July 2026 – I accepted the invite to judge at the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) in October 2026. I’m looking forward to seeing how the judging will be modified this year. I was selected to present at the inaugural Craft Connections: Beer Education Summit in February 2027. I signed up to retake the Beer Judge Certification Program® (BJCP®) beer tasting exam in October and the written exam in November in order to get to National or Master’s level. I am finalizing judging of the 2026 International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) media awards. And everything is set up for the 2026 NAGBW Awards to go live on August 1. And I finally wrote an update post! Thank you for reading and be on the lookout for more writing in the near future. Cheers!