After pensively looking over the menu of beers on tap, Tom Ciccateri almost looks disappointed as he orders an iced tea for his lunch.

“I thought I could find something new to try on here,” he says. “I guess not.” Ciccateri, Wynkoop Brewing Company’s 2005 Beerdrinker of the Year, knows many brews better than most husbands know their wives, and that’s the way he likes it.

“Philosophically—beer is my guiding light. It continues to lead me to a richer and more enjoyable life,” he proclaims on his “beer résumé,” one that includes over 2,500 beers tasted and just as many souvenirs captured from his international beer exploits. Ciccateri—who resides in Alexandria, Va.—had his first drink at a young age, but his service in the military commenced his true beer education.

“Well, other than the mass-marketed beers…I really got into it when I was stationed in Germany for the Air Force,” he says. “Every town had its own brewery, and there were beer festivals all the time.” The self-proclaimed “beer archeologist” won the 2005 beer crown after making the final round in each of the last three years and almost 30 years of foam-tempered experience.

“It was mixed feelings…relief—finally making it to the top, getting the recognition—and yet, knowing that I won’t be flown out for free to Denver again,” he says, laughing. “Now, I just don’t have the pressure on me.… I’m still going to go to the festivals, and I’m sure I’ll still be sampling beers wherever I can find them. Now, I may not have to pay as much attention to documenting things and being able to put it into a résumé so it impresses somebody that doesn’t necessarily know me.”

His work is more than just sipping a craft beer and taking notes, however. Ciccateri has not only judged county and state beer exhibitions, but brews his own beer, has traveled to 30 countries and published 580 bar, pub and tavern reviews, all in the name of imparting beer and its subculture.

After his victory, word of Ciccateri’s success spread through friends and family alike—but not without some revelations.

“For some of my older aunts, they actually didn’t know I was into beer, so when word of the title spread…they started writing me in congratulations—but I think it was a surprise to some of them,” he says. “So, they know what my hobbies are now.” After the competition, Ciccateri set some lofty goals for his reign—which include educating the world about American beers.

“I definitely started it by wearing [The Beerdrinker of the Year] T-shirt at a festival in Belgium…beginning my informal role as ‘beer ambassador,’” he says. “I’m very supportive of the craft beer industry, and that American beer is world-class beer, not to detract from the German or Belgium beers that have their own reputation.” The champion, who calls Alexandria’s Founders' Restaurant & Brewing Company his home-away-from-home, has honed his American beer-marketing skills and sees plenty of positive in what’s on tap for American beer.

“As people come to the U.S. on travel—I’ve seen German tourists and British tourists at Founders' Brewpub—I see them trying the beers, I see them comparing our pale ales to British pale ales; the view is changing. American beers are being sent over to Europe to compete in competitions. I was at the Helsinki Beer Festival, and there were a few American beers there. People are now starting to taste American craft beer, and they’re changing their minds about how American beers are.” While his aspirations span the globe, Ciccateri is also looking forward to one of the many perks of winning such a prestigious honor: judging future competitions.

Between the campaigning, beer-sampling and beer journalism, Ciccateri manages to keep himself in shape, defying many stereotypes about the average beer-drinker’s gut, and offers some advice for keeping your beer belly in-check: “Drink lots of fluids (beer and water), bicycle to that Belgian countryside farm-brewery, and move up gradually from the twelve-ounce glass to the pint, to the half-liter, to the twenty-ounce imperial pint, and then the one-liter.”

For Tom Ciccateri, having a good beer is more than a relief after a long day’s work or a way to kill a Saturday night—it’s a way of life.