Why I became Hospitality/Beverage Specialist Certified

In my exploration of wine, I have come across many other beverages & products being made on the same properties. Many farms have vines, orchards, animals and more that they make use of in a multitude of ways. To help me understand the beverages I was exploring in conjunction with wine, I chose to take the Hospitality/Beverage Specialist Certificate (HBSC) from the Society of Wine Educators. I felt this broad-based entry-level beverage knowledge program designed to fulfill the needs of those planning to pursue higher levels of wine, beer, or spirits certification. As I am currently preparing for the Certified Wine Specialist exam, it seems a perfect fit and nice program to pursue. 

The Hospitality/Beverage Specialist Certificate provides a wide array of knowledge to the student, covering all commercially relevant beverages in hospitality. The program’s core content covers: coffee, tea, beer, sake, cider (apple), perry (pear), wine, and spirits. The course and exam cover all aspects of the beverage, including brief history, production, sensory evaluation, writing tasting notes, and service standards for each type of beverage. It was nice to get a brief summary of the original origins, where the sources are today and where the different beverages fit into the market currently & historically. There was also a chapter at the end on the responsible service of beverage alcohol, as it is every beverage servers job to make sure that everyone gets home safe & returns another day.

I am glad to say that on July 1, 2019 I took and passed the HBSC on my 1st attempt. The test time limit went by a lot quicker that I imagined, but I was surprised the level of detail I retained. I was glad I took the course and recommend it to anyone who services the Hospitality or Restaurant end of an establishment. It will give you a wonderful knowledge base to build on, as well as allow you to show yet one more level of expertise you offer to guests and management. Good luck to all those choose to follow and study for this exam. I hope you have great success where ever this knowledge takes you.