A Particular Passion for Beer

Chris Robertson DipWSET is the senior director for beer, cider & ready-to-drink at the LCBO. He has over 25 years of experience in the industry as a buyer, marketer, and business leader. He has extensive knowledge of beer, spirits and wine, including the WSET Level 4 Diploma. In 2019, Chris was awarded the David A. Churchill Memorial Scholarship for the highest score in the WSET Diploma’s Global Business of Wine unit at IWEG.

Chris has a particular passion for beer. It was the first category he managed as beverage alcohol buyer and still his favourite. Chris helped develop and deliver several of the LCBO’s internal beer training programs, has tasted thousands of different beers, and travelled extensively in important producing countries like Belgium, Czechia, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States and Canada. While he appreciates all beer styles, his favourites are Czech and German pilsners, English bitters, and American IPAs.

WSET Level 1 Award in Beer

A flight of four beers in different hues with two hands holding up two of the glasses.

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.

The next online WSET Level 1 Award in Beer will take place Monday, March 11th – Sunday, April 7th. Learn more.

The next in-class WSET Level 1 Award in Beer will take place Mondays, March 18th and March 25th at 5:30 pm – 8:30pm. Learn more.

WSET Level 2 Award in Beer

Redheaded woman in a purple shirt behind a bar holding up a beer in a glass.

WSET Level 2 Award in Beer is the perfect beer course for anyone wishing to learn about a wide range of beer styles, as well as those seeking to build on the introductory knowledge gained with the WSET Level 2 Award in Beer. You’ll gain a recognized qualification and the skills to select, taste and describe beers with confidence.

This 16-hour course provides fundamental product knowledge and systematic tasting skills. Expect to spend 11 hours on preparation and review outside of the classroom.

The next online WSET Level 2 Award in Beer will take place Monday, March 4th – Sunday, April 7th. Learn more.

Shifting Gears: From Wine Tasting to Beer Tasting

Join Master Cicerone® Mirella Amato, WSET’s Senior Development Manager for Beer, as she reveals how to leverage your wine-tasting expertise to become a proficient beer taster. Discover the similarities and differences between the two and explore how to adapt perception, characteristics, and mechanics using the WSET SAT for Beer.

Grab your favourite beer (any beer you like!), an ISO glass, a spittoon, and a sheet of white paper to taste along and maximize your learning in this interactive webinar.

Attendees must hold the WSET Level 4 Diploma; WSET reserves the right to cancel tickets booked for non-diploma holders. Sign up now!

Starting Soon at IWEG

White wine grapes on a vine with the text WSET Level 2 Award in Wines

WSET Level 2 Award in Wines

WSET Level 2 Award in Wines is the perfect wine course for anyone wishing to learn about a wide range of grapes and styles, as well as those seeking to build on the introductory knowledge gained with the WSET Level 1 Award in Wines. You’ll gain knowledge of the principal and regionally important grape varieties of the world, the regions in which they are grown and the styles of wine they produce.

The next online WSET Level 2 Award in Wines will run Monday, March 4th – Sunday, April 7th. Learn more.

The next in-class WSET Level 2 Award in Wines will run Saturdays, March 2nd – March 23rd at 9:30am – 4:30pm. Learn more.

WSET Level 1 Award in Beer

Four glasses of beer with different hues. The text says WSET Level 1 Award in Beer, in-person.

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.

The next online WSET Level 1 Award in Beer will run Monday, March 11th – Sunday, April 7th. Learn more.

The next in-class WSET Level 1 Award in Beer will run Mondays, March 18th and March 25th at 5:30 pm – 8:30pm. Learn more.

The French Wine Scholar

Image of logo with the words French Wine Scholar (FWS). In the background in a laptop with the image single and double guyot pruning system, the French Wine Scholar manual and a smartphone with Champagne flashcards.

The French Wine Scholar is an in-depth specialist certification focused on the diverse wines and wine regions of France. It is designed by the Wine Scholar Guild to provide current, accurate information on all of the wine regions of France and validate proficiency in the wines and wine regions of France.

This 20-hour course provides detailed coverage of French AOC wines, as well as an introduction to French history, geography, viticulture and winemaking.

The next French Wine Scholar will run Thursdays, March 28th – May 30th at 6pm – 8pm. Learn more.