WSET Level 2 Award in Beer
Online Course
Develop your beer expertise
This intermediate online course is designed for enthusiasts and drinks-trade professionals who want a comprehensive, structured understanding of beer: how it is brewed, how its styles are defined and labelled, and how it should be stored and served. No prior knowledge is required. The Level 1 Award in Beer is a helpful starting point but not a prerequisite for Level 2, and you can take this course from anywhere.
Courses start regularly throughout the year. You study online over a five-week window, working through the material at your own pace with the support of an expert instructor. We hold regular online exam dates to fit your schedule, wherever you live.
WSET is a global leader in drinks education. When you enroll with Fine Vintage, you’ll have access to an expert WSET-certified instructor online to answer your questions and support your learning. With courses starting regularly throughout the year and online exam dates to suit your schedule, you can easily fit your studies around your life. You’ll have five weeks from your course start date to complete the program.
Course Overview
The WSET Level 2 Award in Beer takes you well beyond the basics to explore the ingredients, brewing techniques and flavour profiles that shape the world’s beers. You’ll start with beer’s four main ingredients and discover how malting transforms barley, what distinguishes base malts from specialty malts, and how caramel and dark roasted malts contribute colour and flavour. Next, you’ll explore the influence that adjuncts and water chemistry have on beer, while getting to know the classic hop varieties from Saaz and East Kent Goldings to Cascade, Citra and Nelson Sauvin. You’ll learn how ale yeasts, lager yeasts, Brettanomyces and bacteria contribute to a beer’s character. From there, you’ll follow the brewing process stage by stage, from milling and mashing through wort boiling, fermentation and maturation to filtration, carbonation, packaging and cask-conditioning. You’ll understand how the brewer’s choices affect the style and quality of the finished beer. With more than 60 beer styles to explore, you’ll build a detailed understanding of the characteristics and production methods behind malt-driven lagers and ales, hop-driven styles, yeast-driven ales, spontaneous and mixed-fermentation beers, and speciality styles, including barrel-aged, flavoured, low-alcohol and gluten-free beers. You’ll put your knowledge into practice with the WSET Level 2 Systematic Approach to Tasting Beer®. Learn to taste, describe and assess beer quality with greater precision, alongside learning the practical skills of how to store and serve beer from keg, cask and bottle, recognise common faults, and explore the principles of beer and food pairing. By the end of the course, you’ll have a deeper technical understanding of beer, a more developed tasting vocabulary and the skills to assess a wide range of beer styles. You’ll also earn an internationally recognised WSET qualification, with the flexibility to study entirely online from anywhere in the world.
Here are the six modules:
Module 1: Introduction to beer and tasting: how to taste, describe and evaluate beer using the WSET Level 2 Systematic Approach to Tasting Beer®
Module 2: Beer ingredients: malt and adjuncts, water, hops and other flavourings, yeast and bacteria, and how each shapes the style of beer
Module 3: Brewing beer: alcoholic fermentation, the stages and equipment of the brewing process, the production options open to the brewer, and spontaneous and mixed culture fermentation
Module 4: Different styles of beer: how over 60 malt-driven, hop-driven, yeast-driven, mixed fermentation and speciality styles are produced and labelled, and their typical characteristics
Module 5: Storage and service of beer and food: storage conditions, packaging and shelf life, glassware, pouring, common faults and food pairing
Module 6: Revision, including a mock exam
Price & Payments
The WSET Level 2 Award in Beer online course costs USD$599, all-inclusive. The cost includes access to the WSET online course, your WSET study pack eBook, including the textbook Beer: Looking behind the label, access to a WSET-certified expert instructor, your exam fees, and certificate.
You’ll need to purchase your own beer samples, if you desire. It’s not a requirement to buy any beer to complete this course, but tasting a selection will help you get far more out of it. After registration, we provide you with a list of recommended beer styles that are widely available.
Full payment is charged at the time of registration. Your payment is non-refundable and non-transferable.
Don’t forget: when you register for a WSET online course, you receive a FREE Fine Vintage online course (value of $99-$299 depending on your selection) plus FREE access to our extensive video library, and a list of our Fine Vintage proprietary exam practice questions.
Online Program
You can choose from multiple start dates, with courses regularly scheduled throughout the year. You’ll have five weeks from the course start date to work through the six modules, which should be followed in sequential order. We recommend setting aside five to six hours of study per week to cover the online activities and read the relevant chapters in your textbook. The WSET Level 2 Award in Beer online course is approximately 28 hours in total, including private study. Regular access and participation in the online activities are essential for this mode of study. You’ll have access to a WSET-certified beer educator and can ask questions throughout the course.
Examination
Your WSET Level 2 exam is completed fully online using remote invigilation. You must have a laptop or desktop computer to complete the exam. Fine Vintage offers regular online exam dates to fit your schedule. You can pick your exam date and time online immediately after you register for the course, or you can select your exam date anytime in the next 11 months. You have one year from your course start date to schedule and take your exam.
The exam consists of 50 multiple-choice questions, to be completed in 60 minutes. A mark of 55% or higher is required to pass, with Pass with Merit awarded at 70% and Pass with Distinction at 85%. You’ll receive your results by email, and if successful, you’ll receive a digital WSET certificate and badge.
We require 10 business days’ notice to register you for the WSET Level 2 Award in Beer exam. There’s a USD$100 fee to change your exam date after it’s been scheduled or to resit the exam, if required.
You should have a reasonable degree of technical ability to use the examination software. You’ll receive detailed set-up instructions after you register.
The WSET Level 2 Award in Beer is an internationally recognised qualification, regulated by Ofqual since February 2026.
Online Course Format
Approximately 28 hours required
The ideal online course to deepen your beer education
Over 60 beer styles covered
Get your WSET certification online
Upcoming course dates:
Important: You must register for the WSET Online Courses at least 6 business days before the course begins.
TERMS: Full payment is charged at the time of registration. Your payment is non-refundable and non-transferable.
Tell me more
Who takes this course?
This course is well-suited to beer enthusiasts as well as anyone who needs a good level of beer knowledge for their work, especially in bars and restaurants, breweries and taprooms, retail, wholesaling and distribution.
Course Preparation
Study Guide
You’ll be emailed the access codes to the online course by WSET within two business days of the start of the course. For Level 2 in Beer, you’ll receive a link to your WSET study pack in eBook format, including your textbook (Beer: Looking behind the label), within two business days of registration. We’ll also email you a list of practice exam questions to help you thoroughly prepare.
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