By Garret Ellison November 13, 2014 at 7:52 AM, updated November 13, 2014 at 2:43 PM GRAND RAPIDS, MI - She may not look or act like it, but Angela Steil has only been able to legally consume the beverage she specializes in for less than year. But, don't let age fool you. Steil is wise beyond her years when it comes to beer. In July, the 21-year-old Grandville, Michigan graduate landed her dream job. After three interviews with the leaders at Redwater Restaurant Group, Steil was tapped as in-house beer sommelier at Gravity, the expanding company's new 64-tap, beer-focused restaurant opening this weekend along the East Beltline. The high-profile gig, scarce in Michigan restaurants - even those in Beer City USA - comes mere months after Steil passed her exam with the Cicerone Certification Program , a stamp of approval she may be the youngest ever to receive. Getting to this point was no pub crawl for Steil, who turned to a career in beer after taking a pass on the modeling industry in New York. The depth of knowledge one must possess to pass the Cicerone program is intimidating, but the credential it represents has great potential in an industry on the upswing worldwide. "She has a passion and dedication that a lot of people don't seem to develop until they've been in this industry for many years," said Virginia Thomas, business manager at the Chicago-based cicerone program started by renowned beer expert, author and judge Ray Daniels . "She's been really hands-on and kind of jumped-in with both feet." The Cicerone Certification Program, which trademarked the term, is not the only beer sommelier program in the world, but few would question its authority and standing within the U.S. hospitality industry. In seven years of existence, it has only produced seven Master Cicerones - an elite number Steil hopes to someday join. To become a Certified Cicerone, Steil had to pass a $400 four-hour exam that tested her on an array of knowledge about serving beer, styles of beer, flavor and evaluation, brewing process and ingredients, and finally, beer and food pairing. Although the program doesn't record student age data that would erase all doubt, Steil said folks in the program have said she's likely the youngest Certified Cicerone in the U.S., and quite possibly, the world. The credential has not been lost on Redwater, which has included Steil in advance marketing for Gravity and uses a cover photo of her alongside General Manager Kristen Kent and Executive Chef Laurel Deruda on Facebook . Tall and striking, with pointy vintage glasses and an engaging, yet disarming presence, Steil, who also writes and consults on beer , is not bashful about her age, but also not too caught-up in it. "I never want to ride on something like that," she said. "It just shows I had an incredible passion for the beer industry at an early age and wanted to do something with it." Her veer into beer began in New York City, where she moved three weeks after graduating from Grandville High School in 2011 to pursue a career as a fashion model. She had a flamboyant style, or 'steil,' as it were, all of her own in high school - something she called her "ugly pretty." She was known for outrageous outfits and hairdos, and the fashion world seemed an ideal creative outlet. Unfortunately, she soon discovered that being a model in the Big Apple requires a starvation diet that was unwilling to adhere to. The certification exam is no picnic. Only about half pass on the first trySitting at a bar in Brooklyn one night, Steil ordered a smoked pork dinner and sought a recommendation for a beer to match. The bartender poured her an Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier M"arzen, a highly rated import from Bamberg, Germany. The dark, smoky rauchbier proved to be an epiphany in a bottle. As they say, she was hook, line and sinker. "It was like, 'How on Earth can I keep doing this?'" From there, Steil began to learn everything should could about beer - the chemistry, the ingredients, the process, the history, the community - all of it. She started pouring through books like 'Tasting Beer' by Randy Mosher, and "Beer Companion" by Michael Jackson, and blogging her new journey. "During the process of reading snippets on the subway I began an endless dialogue in my head," she wrote in Dec. 2012. "Whenever conversation began with anyone I would somehow turn it into a conversation about beer." Earlier that year, a woman in Oakland, Calif. named Nicole Erny earned certification as a Master Cicerone - the first woman and the youngest person to achieve the title. Erny's accomplishment had a big impact on Steil, who "decided right then and there I would do whatever I can to ace that exam." The certification exam is no picnic. Only about half pass on the first try. The Master Cicerone exam's fail rate is more than 90 percent, said Thomas. The 19-page syllabus includes doozies like " by taste, detect and identify a limited set of off-flavors (acetaldehyde, diacetyl, DMS, Trans-2-nonenal, and acetic acid) by comparing spiked samples to a control beer, " and " based on your analysis of a given commercial example, identify whether the sample is fit for service or whether the sample exhibits flaws caused by improper handling. " Thus far, the program has passed about 1,500 Certified Cicerones who've found jobs as far away as Taiwan and Hong Kong. About 35 are in Michigan. After intense study involving marathon flash card sessions, videos, "every book they mention" and innumerable blind flight tastings - and another move, from New York to Los Angeles, this time - Steil aced her exam in March. A few months later, she moved back to Michigan. Meanwhile, leaders at Redwater Restaurant Group (a division of Watermark Properties) were finalizing acquisition of the I-96 interchange-adjacent Malarky's restaurant on the East Beltline. Craig Smith, Redwater's chief operating officer, heard about Cicerones through a beer distributor and decided he wanted one for the company's new restaurant concept, Gravity. Thus far in Michigan, Cicerones on a dining room floor are rare. Most work in a brewery or beverage wholesaler. At Gravity, Smith saw an in-house Cicerone as pivotal to staying ahead of the craft beer curve. He met Steil in June. She quickly shot straight to the top of his short list. "She really worked hard to educate herself and made numerous contacts in the business," he said. "I was just amazed she'd done these things and was so articulate and excited about it at her age." At Gravity, Steil has sectioned the beer list by flavor, not beer style as is common. Better to emphasize the food pairing, she said. On the menu, each dish description includes a flavor profile to help patrons pick a beer to drink with their meal. "Pairing different beers and food can create a transcendent experience," she said. "Beer is the most diverse beverage in the world. Literally any flavor compound you can come up with, beer can create that. It can go in more directions than wine ever possibly could - that's why it's such an exceptional pairing tool." As Gravity becomes established, Steil hopes the novelty aspect of her age wears off. In the meantime, she accepts it as an accountability measure - a challenge designed to keep her from getting complacent. "I did the work. I passed that incredibly difficult exam. I'm very passionate about what I do and I have great intuition," she said. "As long as my guests enjoy themselves and have a great experience, that's the goal." "Like a barrel-aged beer, I hope to get better over time." http://ift.tt/11mWAN6



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21-year-old Cicerone tapped as beer sommelier at new Gravity taphouse

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