Gina on path to Beer Sommelier success
Congrats to National Account Controller Gina on gaining a Distinction in her WSET Level 2 Award in Beer.
In her thirst for knowledge, Gina got off to a flying start scoring a whopping 94% in the exam, the first step to becoming only one of a handful of women Beer Sommeliers in Britain, like the trail-blazing beer-writer Annabel Smith, and broadcaster Marverine Coles, who visited the Brewery in 2025 to help with the hop harvest.
We caught up with Gina to find out more:
Q: What is a Beer Sommelier?
A: It’s much the same as Wine Sommelier, just with beer! A Beer Sommelier is an expert in all things connected with beer. This includes the history of beer, the various production and brewing methods, the many styles and flavours of beer, best practice when it comes to storing and serving beer, how to detect issues with beer and which beers to pair with foods. But most of all, passionate about great beer!
Q: How are you finding the course?
A: It is really intense but good fun! There are various different modules – the WSET [Wine and Spirit Education Trust] Level 2 Award in Beer was my first, so I didn’t really know what to expect. I chose the online course which had several modules over five weeks followed by an online exam. It was very thorough and covered everything from grain to glass. It really opened my eyes to the many different beer styles available – some modules had tasting activities which were really fun and engaging.
Coming next on my sommelier journey are in-person training days, I am really looking forward to meeting up with my fellow students to swap experiences and share a beer or two! Next up are two days with the Guild of Beer Sommeliers – ‘How to judge beer’ and the GBS ‘Food and beer pairing course’. I’ll follow these up with practical Cask Marque Cellar Management Course.
At the end of all the training modules, there is a 90-minute assessment, and I will present my portfolio of practical evidence which sounds very scary. But I am trying not to think about that!
Q: How did your interest in beer first start?
A: My parents both worked at global breweries in production. I grew up with plenty of beer talk in the house! It felt like a natural step into beer when I started my career.
Q: Who are the inspirational women in the beer industry that you look up to?
A: There are now too many to mention. I work with plenty of amazing female buyers and counterparts in other breweries. I do have huge admiration for the work that Melissa Cole has done around raising the profile of women in beer.
Q: Have you discovered any new beer styles that you will be adding to your favourites list and why?
A: Yes! I loved trying Kolsch – originating from Cologne this is a hybrid beer brewed with ale yeast but cold conditioned like a lager. Easy drinking with bags of flavour. Now I just need to convince the brew team to make some.
We look forward to catching up with Gina on her exciting journey and we’re sure she will do just as well in her future exams!
Did you know?
There are only 250 women beer sommeliers world-wide?
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