Level 1 Beer

Always wanted to know more about beer?

Can you tell the difference between an IPA and a pilsner? A brown ale and a porter? 

WSET are proud to have launched their first-ever beer courses. The exciting new Level 1 Award in Beer is a beginner-level qualification for anyone interested in learning the basics about lagers, ales, sours and more. Through a short and interactive course, you’ll learn the foundations of beer production, styles, service, food pairing and tasting.

Upon completion you’ll gain a globally recognised qualification and the knowledge to help you explore the world of beer in greater depth.

What you’ll learn

The WSET Level 1 Award in Beer provides a great introduction to the world of beer. Learning through sight, smell and taste, you’ll become familiar with a range of beer styles and how they are made.

If you work with beer, you’ll be able to answer customer queries with confidence and provide helpful recommendations. If you’re learning for fun, you’ll feel inspired to explore new styles and know how to get the most out of every glass.

What’s covered?

• The main ingredients used to make beer

  • malt and other sugar sources, water, hops, yeast

• The main production steps used to make beer

  • malting, brewing

• The principles of successful beer storage, service and food pairing

  • Beer storage and service: keeping beer fresh, glassware, pouring keg beer, opening and pouring bottled beer, service temperature

  • Common beer faults: staling, light strike (skunking), bacterial infection

  • Food and beer: Preferences, sensitivities, interactions, application and other considerations

• The characteristics of a range of key beer styles

  • Malt-driven styles: American or international pale lager, Munich helles, Blonde ale,  Munich dunkel, Brown ale, Porter and stout, Barley wine

  • Hop-driven styles: Traditional Czech or German pilsner, Bitter, American pale ale, American IPA, Hazy IPA

  • Yeast driven styles: Weissbier, Dubbel, Tripel, Saison, Witbier

  • Sour styles: Berliner weisse, Geuze (gueuze)

Course delivery & assessment

• This qualification can be completed with six hours of guided learning.
• Your learning will be assessed by a closed-book exam of 30 multiple-choice questions to be completed in 45 minutes. 
• Courses and exams are available both online and in-person.
• WSET is committed to making our exams fair and accessible, and ensuring that no candidate is placed at a disadvantage. If you have any special requirements or need to request reasonable adjustments, please let us know.
• Successful students will receive a WSET certificate and lapel pin.
• All our classes are delivered in English therefore a good level of English is beneficial.
• You must be at least 18 years old to enrol on any of our courses.

No prior beer knowledge is required, just enthusiasm!

• WSET’s approach focuses on learning through tasting, so you can experience the influence of ingredients, processes and other key factors on what’s in the glass.

• You won’t be assessed on your tasting skills at Level 1, but tasting is an important part of the course. You’ll learn the basics of how to taste and describe beer using the WSET Level 1 Systematic Approach to Tasting Beer.

Ready to boost your beer knowledge?

Learn more here about pricing from our WSET-Approved Program Provider Juice Education Consultants.