Beer education

EBCU Endorsed Beer Education

Delegates at the 73rd Delegates Meeting in Rome (April 2026) approved the establishment of an EBCU Endorsed Beer Education scheme. The scheme recognises professional and expert-level beer education programmes across Europe that meet EBCU’s criteria for independence, educational quality, and consumer awareness.

The scheme is open to any organisation — not only EBCU member organisations. Endorsed programmes will be listed on this page.

Endorsed programmes

No programmes have been endorsed yet. If your organisation offers a professional or expert-level beer education programme and wishes to apply for EBCU endorsement, please contact us at executives@ebcu.org.

Criteria for EBCU endorsement of beer education programmes

1. Independence

The programme must not be funded by or designed to promote any specific brewery, brand, or commercial interest. It must be aligned with EBCU’s values of independence and consumer representation.

2. Educational Quality

The programme must demonstrate a qualified and expert teaching body and a rigorous examination or assessment process. A documented curriculum or course outline must be provided as part of the application.

3. Consumer Awareness

The programme must include content that promotes responsible consumption and covers relevant knowledge of beer handling and presentation.

How to apply

Any organisation wishing to seek endorsement submits the following to EBCU at executives@ebcu.org:

• A description of the programme (its aims, audience, and format)
• A documented curriculum or course outline
• Details of the teaching body and their qualifications
• Details of the examination or assessment process

Applications are reviewed by the Beer Styles, Beer Competitions and Beer Education working group. The final decision to endorse rests with EBCU. No fee is charged for endorsement.

EBCU endorsement of a programme should not be taken to mean EBCU endorsement of any specific outcomes, certifications, or individuals produced by that programme. All decisions to continue with or withdraw endorsement rest with EBCU.

About the scheme

The idea for an EBCU beer education endorsement scheme was first proposed by Unionbirrai, who suggested that EBCU could provide an official endorsement for training paths offered by member associations. The scheme is modelled on EBCU’s well-established beer competition endorsement scheme and adapts that approach for the field of beer education.

EBCU does not seek to harmonise endorsed programmes or impose a common European standard. Each programme may reflect the historical, cultural, and technical specificities of its country or organisation. Endorsement signals that a programme meets EBCU’s quality threshold — not that it conforms to a single European model.

More information is available on request from executives@ebcu.org.