Beer has arrived! Today we’re excited to announce the first course providers to offer our new Level 1 and Level 2 Awards in Beer.
From February 2024, WSET School London and TheDrinkSchool will be the first to offer in-person and online courses to people in the drinks trade and those interested in expanding their knowledge of beer in the UK. In addition, Molson Coors, multinational drink and brewing company, has been approved to deliver our beer courses to internal teams and customers. Two additional schools, W Wine School, based in Tel Aviv, Israel, and WineWise from Antwerp, Belgium, will be the first to offer courses in the EMEA region outside the UK.
WSET School London will run Level 1 Award in Beer courses from Friday 14 February and Level 2 Award in Beer courses from Monday 19 February. Now available to book.
Gary Keller, Wine & Drinks Expertise Director, Molson Coors Beverage Company, said: “Beer has never been more exciting than it is today. It is great to see WSET replicating their courses on wines, spirits and sake with Level 1 and 2 Awards in Beer. Beer education is somewhat behind other segments such as wine and spirits, but WSET’s new courses provide an important step in increasing overall knowledge of this exciting and vibrant drink.
“From a customer point of view, this course will help staff increase their beer expertise and share that knowledge of ingredients, brewing processes, flavours and styles with customers. Drinkers are looking for better experiences across all categories and increased knowledge from courses such as this will help improve drinkers’ ability to appreciate and explore the world of beer.”
With over 50 years of educational experience, beer will be our fourth qualification subject stream following wine, spirits and sake. The courses have been created by WSET’s Sara Hobday (Head of Research and Curriculum – Beer), and Mirella Amato (Master Cicerone and WSET Senior Business Development Manager for Beer), in collaboration with industry experts.
The new Level 1 and 2 Awards in Beer will provide both trade professionals and beer enthusiasts with the product knowledge and tasting skills to become more beer confident. Launching online and in-person, the courses will explore the main types and styles of beer, key methods of production, tasting technique and food pairings. Using our trademarked Systematic Approach to Tasting, students will be equipped with a universal language to describe what they’re tasting and a framework for assessing quality.
Rachel Webster, WSET Global APP Development Director, said: “2024 will be an exciting year for WSET as we expand into a new drinks category for the first time in 10 years. Harnessing our experience as leaders in global drinks education, our new Level 1 and 2 Awards in Beer will bring a unique and interactive approach to tasting and learning. We hope they will inspire both trade professionals and enthusiasts by equipping them with essential knowledge and skills.”
Natalya Watson, WSET Business Development Manager, Beer, said: “WSET’s longstanding reputation and global reach will bring beer education to a bigger audience than ever before. There’s long been a gap in the UK market for in-person beer courses that teach tasting alongside theory. These new courses will introduce students to a broad range of beer styles and develop their palates so they can discuss and describe beers with confidence.”
To celebrate the launch of its new beer qualifications, we’re running a series of bitesize webinars exploring the world of beer. Taking place from 26 February to 1 March, sign up for the following webinars:
- What is beer made from? Monday 26 February, 3pm GMT – Register here
- How is beer made? Wednesday 28 February, 7am GMT – Register here
- How to choose the right beer glass - Thursday 29 February, 4pm GMT – Register here
- How do you taste beer? Friday 1 March, 11am GMT – Register here
To learn more about our new beer qualifications sign up to our newsletter and watch our beer launch video.
