WSET L1 Award in Beer ONLINE

Online Dates available:
O1BE2504APP     18/11/2024 - 15/12/2024
O1BE2505APP     16/12/2024 - 12/01/2025
O1BE2506APP     13/01/2025 - 09/02/2025
O1BE2507APP     10/02/2025 - 09/03/2025
O1BE2508APP     10/03/2025  -06/04/2025
O1BE2509APP     07/04/2025 - 04/05/2025
O1BE2510APP     05/05/2025 - 01/06/2025
O1BE2511APP     02/06/2025 - 29/06/2025
O1BE2512APP 30/06/2025 - 27/07/2025

What will I learn?

• The main ingredients used to make beer
  • Malt (malted grains) 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)

View the Specification

Assessment 

Your learning will be assessed by a closed-book exam of 30 multiple-choice questions to be completed in 45 minutes. Exams will be 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.

Online Exams have an additional cost of £35

This qualification is regulated by Ofqual.

Successful students will receive a WSET digital certificate.

Tasting 

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.

Students studying in-person will taste around 14 beers across a range of styles.

Recommended tasting samples

• An introduction to tasting beer: Porter or stout, American pale ale or American IPA or hazy IPA, Weissbier
• Malt-driven styles: International pale lager or blonde ale, Munich Dunkel or brown ale
• Hop-driven styles: Bitter or traditional Czech or German pilsner, American pale ale or American IPA or hazy IPA
• Yeast-driven styles: Tripel or dubbel, Saison or witbier
• Sour styles: Geuze or Berliner weisse
• Beer and food: Munich Helles, Porter, Dubbel, American pale ale

Studying Online

• Where: Online via WSET’s Online Classroom, with an online exam*
• Duration: Four weeks of self-guided study to be completed around your schedule
• Private study: At least three hours a week
• Samples: Beers not included. We recommend you taste a minimum of seven beers and you‘ll get guidance on what styles to taste
• Includes: Access to WSET's Online Classroom for one year, a dedicated online tutor, your examination, and exclusive offers via our Student Deals Card
• Enhanced features: Revision videos, flashcards and exam tips
• Who: Those who need a flexible study option, international students, or those far away from our classroom centres
• Technology requirements: We recommend that you use a laptop or desktop device and have a reliable internet connection. To sit your examination online you will also need one additional smart device such as a smartphone or tablet

*More information on how online examinations work will be shared with you once you enrol. If you are a student in Mainland China or the UAE, it’s not possible for you to take the exam online due to technological restrictions.