Beer Sommelier

Beer Sommelier Courses

Brew-School runs a recognised beer sommelier course to upskill and improve your knowledge in this growing area of beer appreciation and knowledge.

What is a beer sommelier?

A beer sommelier is someone who is trained in the service and knowledge of beer.  They are also sometimes referred to as a cicerone.  A beer sommelier will have an understanding of beer styles, brewing ingredients, history of beer and brewing, the importance of glassware in beer service, dispensing systems for beer, an understanding of beer styles and how they can be matched with food.  A beer sommelier in this respect is very similar to a wine sommelier but obviously their exertise relates to beer rather than wine.

There are a number of recognised beer sommelier qualifications including the :

• Brew-School Beer Sommelier Award which utilizes some of the UK's most prominent and recognised beer sommelier educators and professionals and is also examined on the day.
• The Doemens 3 day beer sommelier course which takes place in Munich, Germany
• Beer Accademy beer sommelier award which unfortunately is no longer running because it has now been taken over by WSET, who will not be running courses until 2024.
• The cicerone award system is an American based system of beer sommelier awards and can be completed online and in person.

The most recent of these beer sommelier qualifications is the Brew-School Beer Sommelier qualification which is examined and has been put together using the knowledge aand expertise of one of the UK’s leading beer sommelier examiners creating a full ranging theoretical and practically based beer sommelier qualification for both people working in beer and the hospitality industry.  Brew-School only employs qualified beer sommeliers in their  beer sommelier training courses.

How long does it take to become a beer sommelier?

There is no set time scale for becoming a beer sommelier.  Some beer sommelier courses take a number of days, some can be done in one day.  We would always recommend that a beer sommlier award includes at least a part examined element to it just to test the beer sommelier's competence.  With being a beer sommelier as with all aspects of beer and brewing you never stop learning about beer flavours and styles which is the exiting thing about the world of beer.

How to become a beer sommelier?

Firstly, you need to familiarize yourself with a range of beer styles and be open minded to them and their appreciation.

You will also need to take at some stage a recognised beer sommelier course.  There are a number of beer sommelier courses available.

Brew-School’s UK beer sommelier course is a unique international qualification that combines it’s reputation for craft beer brewing knowledge along with its love of beer and the appreciation of international beer styles and passion for beer and brewing.  To become a recognised Brew-School Beer Sommelier you will need to successfully complete the exam and the one day Beer Sommelier Course.

The importance of a beer sommelier qualification

To work confidently and successfully with beer and have a full understanding of beer flavours and styles is important requirement to enable you or your staff to function successfully in a hospitality environment.  Customers and consumers respond more positively when staff can speak knowledgeably and confidently about the beer products that they are serving.  There is nothing worse for beer consumers to be served by staff who’s only repost is “I don’t know. I don’t drink beer”.  

 A beer sommelier qualification can be a fun thing to have and take as a beer fan but it is also a useful recognition of a level of beer knowledge in the hospitality industry to ensure that customers get the level of beer service they deserve.