The American Cider Association recently announced three new Certified Pommeliers. Included in that group is Anthony Chen, the head brewer at AleSmith Brewing Company in San Diego.
“Going through the Certified Pommelier process gives a deeper perspective into the cider community and gives me a better understanding of how people taste cider,” Chen told Brewer. “As a beer judge (Chen is a Beer Judge Certification Program Master Judge), I’m particularly interested in the sensory evaluation of cider and how the vocabulary translates between beer and cider.
“This helps me in my own cider recipes and when enjoying professionally-made ciders.”
Chen’s background with cider is pretty much the same as an average cider drinker.
“Along with homebrewing, home cider-making was also something I would do occasionally,” he said. But he got more interested in cider after a visit to Washington and trying ciders from Alpenfire, Snowdrift, and Sea Cider.
“After that, I started reading about different apple varietals and the process of cider-making and trying out new cider recipes/blending techniques,” he said. “Becoming a cider judge just became the natural progression of my own personal interest in cider.”
So why should a beer brewer look at adding Pom to their resume or dig more into cider in general?
“Trying different ciders is fun,” Chen said. “It’s a completely different flavor profile to beer and a world that brewers should experience even if they don’t end up deciding to do the exam.”
Getting the Pom certification as a brewer, he said, is like a French chef learning how to cook Mexican cuisine.
“The French chef can still make delicious French cuisine without learning Mexican cuisine, just as a brewer can still make delicious beer without learning about cider,” Chen said. “The advantage to having diversified knowledge is that understanding different techniques can elevate the craft and help pioneer new brewing techniques, fermentation processes, or flavor fusions.”
When it came to the exam, Chen said the tasting portion was by far the toughest part due to the need to calibrate to the exam proctors and take his beer-judging hat off.
“While judging, you are providing objective feedback about the product, speaking with neutral vocabulary, and how it aligns with style,” he said. “As a Pommelier, you are providing a sensory evaluation of the product and explaining the nuances of the cider as you perceive it.
“The ACA provided sensory webinars that allowed me to understand and align my perceptions to find a happy medium with other cider professionals. I also drank lots of cider.”
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