Q: Whose platform is this course on, and why are there two logins?
A: This is the one thing worth understanding before you buy, because it surprises people. The course content itself runs on WSET Global's own learning portal - six modules, delivered by WSET - and Napa Valley Wine Academy layers our teaching on top through a separate NVWA portal for the webinars, instructor contact and group discussion. So yes, you will have two logins. Your eBook code arrives from us within about 15 minutes of purchase; your WSET Global portal access is emailed directly by onlineclassroom@wsetglobal.com and arrives roughly two days before your course start date. If either email has not appeared, check spam and then contact us rather than waiting.
Q: If the course is WSET's, what am I paying Napa Valley Wine Academy for?
A: A fair question, and the honest answer is the teaching. On top of WSET's six-module platform you get four live 60-minute Zoom webinars covering both theory and guided tasting, a dedicated instructor for the full five weeks who answers your questions, access to instructor and group discussion through our own portal, your exam registration and fee, and the eBook. WSET's platform gives you the syllabus; we give you someone to ask. If you would rather have no scheduled sessions at all, say so before enrolling and we will tell you what self-study routes exist.
Q: Are the webinars mandatory, and what if I miss one?
A: Attendance is not mandatory and every webinar is recorded and posted afterwards, so a work conflict will not put you behind. Do attend live where you can, though: the sessions include an orientation, lectures and guided tasting, and they are the only chance to ask your instructor a question in real time and hear how they reason through a beer rather than just the conclusion. Missing one costs you the conversation, not the content.
Q: How is the course structured?
A: Five weeks, six modules, with a fixed start and end date. The module content is available to work through on your own schedule, while the four webinars happen at set times - so it is semi-synchronous rather than either a rigid classroom or a free-for-all. You are part of a cohort moving through the material together.
Q: How long do I keep access?
A: A full 12 months, counted from your course start date - so the material stays available for months of revision after the five taught weeks end. The eBook runs on its own clock: 12 months from the moment you redeem the code, readable on up to three devices. Redeem it promptly and the two windows line up.
Q: Do I need to buy beer, and how much?
A: Yes, and you should plan for it before enrolling, because tasting samples are not included in the course fee. The specification lists around thirty recommended samples across eight groups: five for learning to evaluate beer, two on the brewing and malting process, four each for malt-driven, hop-driven and yeast-driven styles, two to four mixed-fermentation beers, five specialty beers, and four to demonstrate storage and service off-flavours. You source them yourself. Beer is the least forgiving of the WSET subjects on this point - it does not keep like spirits - so buy in step with the modules rather than all at once.
Q: Where do I find the more unusual samples?
A: A good bottle shop or a well-stocked taproom covers most of the list, and single cans mean you are not committing to a six-pack of something you only need once. The off-flavour samples are the awkward part of the syllabus, because you are looking for faults rather than good beer - your instructor will talk you through practical options in the webinars, and you can ask before your cohort starts by emailing support@napavalleywineacademy.com.
Q: Is the textbook included, and can I get it in print?
A: The official WSET eBook is included - a redemption code reaches you within about 15 minutes of purchase, and once redeemed it is yours for 12 months on up to three devices. If you would rather have paper, the printed WSET Level 2 Award in Beer textbook is available separately for $65 and ships to US students within about five business days of ordering. Buy it at the same time as the course if you know you want it.
Q: What does the course actually cover?
A: Ingredients first - malt, hops, yeast and water, how each is processed and what each contributes - then the brewing and fermentation processes and how production decisions shape style and quality. From there you work through the world's key styles by what drives them: malt-driven, hop-driven, yeast-driven and mixed-fermentation beers, plus specialty and flavoured styles, from Belgium, Germany, the UK and the US. You also cover label terminology, storage and service including off-flavours and their causes, and throughout you build your palate on the WSET Level 2 Systematic Approach to Tasting Beer®.
Q: Do I need a qualification before this?
A: No formal prerequisite, but Level 2 Beer assumes some basic beer knowledge and moves fairly quickly into production detail. If you are starting from scratch, the WSET Level 1 Award in Beer online at $325 is the better first step and will make this course far more rewarding. All attendees must be at least 21 years of age.
Q: How much study time does it need?
A: WSET specifies a Total Qualification Time of 28 hours for the Level 2 Award in Beer: 17 guided learning hours, one of which is the examination itself, plus around 11 hours of private study. Across a five-week cohort that is roughly five to six hours a week, which most people fit around a job comfortably.
Q: Should I take this or the in-person Level 2 Beer course?
A: Cost and pours are the difference. Online is $699 over five weeks, with four live webinars, and you source your own beers. The in-person course is $933 and puts an educator in the room with the beers poured for you - which matters more for beer than for most subjects, because the off-flavour samples are genuinely hard to assemble yourself. Both award the identical WSET Level 2 Award in Beer, and the certificate does not record which format you took. If sourcing thirty beers sounds like the part that will defeat you, pay the extra.
Q: Who teaches it?
A: Stephen Staples, who is a WSET Certified Beer Instructor and an Advanced Cicerone, holds the WSET Level 4 Diploma and a Graduate Certificate in Brewing from Federation University, and judges as a National BJCP judge. He has managed a homebrew supply shop in Australia, sold cell-counting microscopes to wineries in Germany and worked in alcohol retail in the United States. He is also a retired high school teacher, which is the part that shows in a webinar - the questions get answered properly.
Q: What does the $699 cover, and what costs extra?
A: Five weeks of the six-module WSET Global online programme, four live instructor-led webinars, a dedicated instructor and access to instructor and group discussion through our own portal, 12 months of course access from your start date, the WSET eBook for 12 months from redemption, and your online exam registration and fee. Costing extra: your tasting beers, the printed textbook at $65, and our Level 2 Beer electronic flashcards at $49. Group discounts apply automatically when booking together: 5% for two students, 8% for three and 10% for four.
Q: Can I cancel or move to a later cohort?
A: This is an online instructor-led course, so our online course refund and transfer terms apply rather than the in-person ones - and because your eBook code and portal access are issued before the course begins, act early rather than late. Email support@napavalleywineacademy.com as soon as you know, and read the General Policies page for the current terms before you buy.
Q: What is the exam format, and what do I need to pass?
A: A closed-book theory exam: 50 multiple-choice questions in 60 minutes, one mark each, taken online with remote invigilation. The pass mark is 55%, which is 28 correct answers out of 50. Merit is awarded for 70 to 84%, which is 35 to 42 correct, and Distinction for 85% or above, which is 43 or more. There is no separately assessed tasting exam at Level 2 - the beers you taste build your palate and your vocabulary, but they are not examined.
Q: When can I sit the exam?
A: Sittings run roughly every two to three months, all at 10 AM to 11 AM Pacific, so whichever cohort you join there is a date within easy reach. Currently scheduled: 10 October 2026, 9 December 2026, 3 March 2027, 8 May 2027, 4 August 2027, 2 October 2027 and 1 December 2027. Dates are subject to change, and you can see the current list when you register inside your online course.
Q: How far ahead do I have to register?
A: At least 30 days before your chosen sitting, and within 12 months of your course start date - both deadlines matter. The 30-day rule is the one that catches people: if your course finishes only a few days before a sitting, you need to have registered for it weeks earlier, while you were still in week one or two. Pick your exam date at the start of the course and work backwards from it rather than deciding once you feel ready.
Q: What happens if I let the 12 months run out?
A: Your included exam registration expires with it, and a fresh exam fee would apply. With sittings every two to three months and a 30-day registration cut-off, there is no good reason to leave it that long - but drifting is genuinely the most common way online students come unstuck, not the beer. Book the date, then study toward it.
Q: What equipment do I need for the online exam?
A: A laptop or desktop computer - tablets are not permitted as your primary device - with a working webcam, microphone and speakers, plus a mobile phone to act as a secondary camera. You will also need government-issued photo ID, a reliable broadband connection and a quiet room where you will not be interrupted and cannot be overlooked. A proctor observes you for the full hour, so test your setup in advance rather than on the day. Our help centre has a remote exam quick start guide and a walkthrough video.
Q: Can I move my exam date, or resit if I do not pass?
A: Moving to a different sitting costs a $99 exam transfer fee, and with dates every two to three months there is usually somewhere sensible to move to. If you do not pass you can resit without retaking the course; email support@napavalleywineacademy.com for the current Level 2 Beer resit fee and to be booked in, since it is charged separately from the course. Either way, the 30-day registration rule applies to the new date too.
Q: When will I get my result and certificate?
A: WSET releases the result and, on passing, issues a digital certificate and badge - paper certificates and physical pins are no longer shipped. You can post the badge to LinkedIn or send it to an employer as soon as it lands, and describe yourself as WSET Level 2 Certified in Beer.
Q: Is this qualification the same wherever I take it?
A: Yes. The WSET Level 2 Award in Beer is a single global qualification set by the Wine & Spirit Education Trust in London, delivered against one published specification - Issue 1 - examined by the same paper and graded to one standard worldwide. What differs between providers is the teaching, which in our case means the four webinars and a dedicated instructor rather than working through WSET's platform alone.
Q: What is it worth in the trade?
A: Level 2 Beer is the qualification that lets you explain a beer rather than just describe it - why a hop-driven IPA and a malt-driven bock taste as they do, what an off-flavour tells you about handling, what a label legally means. That is directly useful behind a bar, in beer buying, distribution, taproom management and brewery hospitality, and it sits alongside Cicerone certification rather than competing with it. Napa Valley Wine Academy is the largest and most-awarded WSET Approved Programme Provider in the United States.
Q: Can I speak to someone before I book?
A: Yes. Email support@napavalleywineacademy.com and our student support team will help you decide which cohort and exam sitting fit your calendar, what sourcing the tasting beers will realistically cost you where you live, whether the online or in-person format suits how you learn, and whether Level 1 Beer would serve you better first.
