Beer Sommelier
A beer sommelier is a trained expert that specialises in beer styles, brewing methods and food pairings. The role is sometimes referred to as a Cicerone, particularly in the United States, or perhaps a beer specialist. It’s not as common as a wine sommelier, but the field is growing rapidly.
Responsibilities
Beer sommeliers work in restaurants, craft beer bars, breweries, tap rooms, beer festivals and other hospitality venues. It’s an ideal role for beer lovers that have a passion for flavour, food matching and storytelling.
Skills
You will need a high level of expertise to become a successful beer sommelier. The WSET Level 2 Award in Beer will arm you with the skills you need to select, taste and describe beers with confidence. You’ll learn about beer production, styles, storage, labelling and much more, allowing you to speak with confidence and authority when recommending beers.
This is a customer-facing role, so you will need to be eloquent and engaging when helping guests choose a beer. You’ll also need to learn the correct serving temperatures, glassware and so on.
Behind the scenes, you will curate the beer menu. Beer sommeliers often double up as buyers, heading to breweries and trade tastings to source interesting brews. You will also need to train and educate staff at your establishment, and ensure that the service remains consistent.
Career Progression
Many beer sommeliers start out as servers or bartenders, and they then develop specialist beer knowledge. They often moonlight as freelance educators, writers, and judges too. You can potentially move into other beer industry jobs, such as sales, marketing or even brewing.