Virtual Beer School
Online beer education brought to you by Natalya Watson
Virtual Beer School gives everyone the opportunity to learn more about beer and show what they know
through interactive online courses taught by Beer Sommelier & Advanced Cicerone® Natalya Watson.
Virtual Beer School ran from September 2020 through July 2023, when Natalya put all courses on hiatus in order to join WSET (the Wine & Spirit Education Trust) to support the launch of their new beer qualifications.
the courses
Virtual Beer School: Level 1
A 9-week interactive online prep course for the Certified Beer Server exam.
Virtual Beer School: Level 2
A 12-week interactive online prep course for Certified Cicerone® written exam.
about
Natalya’s vision for Virtual Beer School has always been to give people an opportunity to learn more about beer and show what they know
- which is why both courses follow syllabi from the Cicerone Certification Program
- and upon completion of the course, interested attendees can sit an exam to gain a qualification.
Why aim for a qualification? As a Beer Sommelier and Advanced Cicerone®, Natalya understands the value of these certifications in building confidence and credibility and is happy to support others at any stage in their journey.
May 2020
During lockdown, Natalya began hosting free weekly online beer education sessions on a variety of topics crowd-sourced from attendees.
September 2020
The idea for Virtual Beer School developed from there, as a more formal paid-for offering to help prepare interested attendees for the Certified Beer Server exam…
February 2021
… and later the Certified Cicerone® exam (as requested by students), so attendees could learn more about beer and show what they know.
Natalya designed Virtual Beer School to be approachable and accessible, to build confidence, and to create community.
In 2022, Natalya was named “Training Professional of the Year” at the British Institute of Innkeeping’s National Innovation in Training Awards. And, as of 2023, more than 400 students have now completed her courses.
meet the VBS community
Brian Dawson
Certified Beer Server [IRL]
Twitter
Gabriele Bertucci
Certified Beer Server [UK]
Website
Sam Bennett
VBS2 alum [UK]
Insta
Matt Knee
Certified Beer Server [US]
Twitter
Chris Hall
Certified Beer Server [UK]
Untappd
Graham Meakin
Certified Beer Server [UK]
Twitter
Jonny Porter
Certified Beer Server [UK]
Twitter
Tara Gooda
Certified Beer Server [UK]
Insta
Till Aders
Certified Beer Server [UK]
Untappd
Alex Shouksmith
VBS1 alum
[UK]
Chris Sandison
Certified Cicerone [UK]
Twitter
Charlie Brown
Certified Beer Server [UK]
Insta
Robert Ward
Certified Cicerone [France]
Untappd
… and many more!
course reviews
“Loved this course”
I absolutely loved this course! Nat is a great teacher and is very good about introducing new beer concepts/ styles in a very approachable manner.
– VBS attendee, Dec 2020
“Would recommend”
Brilliant course, presented in an informative and engaging way… I would recommend to anyone who is interested in learning more about beer!
– VBS attendee, April 2021
“Absolutely fantastic”
Absolutely fantastic course! Loved the interaction with the other students. Natalya is a great teacher with a wealth of information about all things beer!
– VBS attendee, April 2022
Natalya Watson, Beer Sommelier 