Courses

Essentials in Brewing Course

Quench your thirst for beer knowledge. Discover the principles of beer and brewing with this highly interactive and self-assessed online course.

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As we transition to becoming the Chartered Institute of Brewers and Distillers (CIBD) on 1st January 2025 with a new website, you will not be able to book any courses or qualifications between 1st January and 5th January 2025. If you have already booked a qualification or a short course with us, you will continue to have access to the learning material on Moodle.

Click here for more on the transition.

Essentials in Brewing provides an insightful overview of the brewing process in an engaging and interactive way, from the history of brewing and raw materials through fermentation and maturation to the basics of packaging. 

This course will benefit those working in supporting roles (e.g. sales/marketing) at a brewery, a bar or restaurant or anyone who has a passion for beer.

Essentials in Brewing features videos and animations of the brewing process and interviews with brewing industry professionals. Your learning is assessed as you go through the course and, when finished, you will receive a Certificate of Completion.

Financial Support

The IBD has partnered with the Drinks Trust to support those candidates from less advantaged backgrounds who wish to progress in their careers by taking our Essentials in Brewing course. What Financial Support Can I Get?

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ESSENTIAL INFORMATION

Learning Time: Approximately 10 hours

90 days full access to unique interactive content from date of enrolment

Price: Just £99

 

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What previous candidates are saying?

“Absolutely loved doing the brewing course, learnt so much and really enjoyed the interaction content in the modules, especially the practical experiments, as an engineer in the field I feel this has given me another string to my bow and the product knowledge is invaluable to assisting me when onsite”.
Karl Haigh
Cellar Service Technician, Greene King Cellar Service
"I work in the packaging centre and wanted to understand more about the processes that it takes to create beer and to better understand the foundation of the business I’m in. The interactive learning features enhance my learning experience extremely well. It’s been fantastic to learn how much actually goes into crafting beer".
Elizabeth Hammond
Packaging Co-Ordinator at Frederic Robinsons
“Thoroughly enjoyable course with interesting interactive modules”.
Steve Nash
Cellar Service Technician, Greene King Cellar Service
"I felt I needed a refresher course on the basics of brewing to help me in my new job. This course helped me to meet my learning objectives extremely well. I thought the presenter was great and I liked the interactive elements of the course (the 3D visuals and animations). Whilst the course is basic in terms of technical information, it provides the learner with a great foundation to start from"
Richard Davies
Midlands and Wales Sales Manager at Charles Faram Hop
“A well structured, easy to navigate and enjoyable way to learn”.
Dave Allard
Cellar Service Technician, Greene King Cellar Service
"I wanted to take this course to have an introduction to brewing. The pace is just right and the assessments after each section helped me to achieve my learning objectives. I highly likely would recommend Essentials in Brewing".
Euan Henderson
Distillery Manager at Inver House Distillers
"I took the Essentials in Brewing to learn some brewing basics with a view to a career change. I have learnt the complexities of the brewing process that I assumed naively it was much simpler. I was very pleased if a little daunted at what I learned but also at how much more there is ahead!".
David Crook
Bar Owner and Civil Servant at Home Office
"This course was recommended by my employer and the lessons helped me achieve the learning objectives extremely well. I could move through at my own pace and go back over things if unsure. I highly likely would recommend Essentials in Brewing".
Yolanda O'Neill
General Manager at Thirsty Crow Brewing Co
"I have worked in the beer industry for 8 years in a variety of roles in Canada and now Australia, including being a facilitator for a highly regarded beer education program. I have now been a sales rep for over 3 years and wanted to refresh content I had previously learned through other beer education courses, and further expand my knowledge. My employer was happy to pay for the course, which was also a big incentive. These reasons, and the fantastic reputation of the IBD, made the decision to do the course an easy one! The variety of content delivery methods made the course fun and engaging. The quizzes and unit assessments were a great way to clarify what you had learned, and track your progress."
Niall McCorry
Sales Representative at Black Hops Craft Brewery
"I have been working at a brewery for around 6 months and I’m keen to learn more about what we do. The lessons, with all the interactive features, helped me to achieve my learning goals extremely well. The overall information provided is very easy to take in! I highly recommend this course".
Karen Porteous
Customer Sales Representative at Greene King

Key features

  • Learn at your own pace when and where it is most convenient for you
  • Have access to the course material for 90 days from the date of enrolment
  • Learn with a rich blend of engaging text and illustrations along with interactive games, videos and animations
  • Download unit summaries
  • Self-assess your learning at the end of each unit 
  • Receive a Certificate of Completion from the most recognised brewing learning provider in the world

After completing these six units you will understand:

  • What beer is and how it is made
  • The families of beer styles
  • The milestones in the history of beer and brewing
  • The cereals used to make beer
  • How malt is made
  • The importance of water
  • What hops are and why they are used
  • The role of yeast in brewing
  • How we extract sugar from malt
  • How and when hops are added to beer
  • What wort is and why we boil it
  • The importance of looking after yeast
  • The different types of fermentation vessel
  • The changes that beer undergoes in fermentation
  • The flavours produced in fermentation
  • Why we mature and clarify beer
  • Why some beers are not filtered
  • The characteristics of a finished beer
  • What consumers expect from beer
  • The main beer flavours
  • How beer can go stale
  • The effect of beer on our health

Who is this course for?

  • Professionals working in a brewery in a support department: Commercial, Sales & Marketing, HR, Finance...
  • Hospitality professionals working in a bar, pub or restaurant
  • Beer lovers with no experience in the industry
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What financial support can I get?

The IBD and the Drink Trust are partnered together to provide financial support to those candidates based in the UK who would need economic assistance to take this course. 

Financial Support

Why choose the IBD?

The IBD provides the most widely recognised professional beverage qualifications in the world. The IBD has existed since 1886 and has built up a reputation for trust in the industry due to the quality of its learning material, support for learners and rigor of its exams. 

Since we began professional qualifications in the 1950s, we have qualified over 100,000 brewers and distillers across the globe.