Free Beer Study Resources
Stop Memorizing Beer. Start Understanding It.
Free beer study resources curated by Master Cicerone and Master BJCP beer judge, Jen Blair. Whether you’re preparing for Cicerone, WSET, or BJCP exams or advancing your professional beer skills, these free beer study resources are designed to help you understand not just what beer tastes like, but why. Use these tools to make studying less intimidating and develop real mastery of beer, not just flashcard knowledge.
Learn how to taste beer, improve your beer-tasting skills, and level up your beer sensory evaluation by subscribing to the Sensory as Strategy blog. Subscribers receive access to sensory exercises, sensory methods, and sensory best practices, carefully curated and designed for all levels of beer tasters.
Random Beer Style Generator
This random beer style generator lets you choose the Cicerone level you’re studying, as well as global beer regions. Study only the beer styles you may be tested on, or test yourself on every beer style tested on the Master Cicerone exam. This free beer study tool allows you to self-test your knowledge using the beer style generator as a prompt.
How to Use the Random Beer Style Generator:
If desired, select the Cicerone Certification Program certification level for which you are preparing.
If desired, select the global beer region on which you’d like to focus.
Click the “Pick a Beer” button and receive a randomly selected beer style.
Depending on your goals, you may want to use the prompt to:
Write or recite the quantitative ranges for ABV, IBU, and SRM for the style.
Write a complete description of the beer style.
Write or recite commercial examples.
Or maybe you’re new to beer and just want some guidance on a new beer style to learn about!
For maximum memory retention, I recommend writing or reciting the information and then checking your work against the beer style guidelines you are using. Self-testing this way gives you a more accurate sense of what you know and don’t know, but also strengthens what you’re learning.
Random Beer Style Generator
Beer Style Comparison Chart
This free beer style comparison chart helps you group beer styles together in several different ways, from similar styles across regions to style differences within the same region. I created this beer style comparison chart while I was studying for the Advanced Cicerone exam.
Three levels of Cicerone certification - Certified, Advanced, and Master - have a tasting exam component, and each tasting exam has a style discrimination section.
For the Certified Cicerone tasting exam, you are given one beer sample and asked to select which of two beer styles it is. For example, you may have to determine if a sample is a German Pils or Munich Helles.
For the Advanced Cicerone tasting exam, you are given one beer sample and asked to select which of four beer styles it is. For example, you may have to determine if a sample is a German Pils, Munich Helles, American Lager, or Cream Ale.
For the Master Cicerone tasting exam, you are given seven samples and asked to determine the beer style for each sample. You are not given any styles from which to select. Yes, it is as difficult as it sounds.
How to Use the Beer Style Comparison Chart
Comparing and contrasting similar beer styles, such as:
Quantitative traits of each group (ABV, IBU, SRM)
Regions where each style originated
Commonalities and differences between aroma, appearance, flavor, and mouthfeel
Commonalities and differences between characteristic ingredients, i.e., malt, hops, water, and yeast
Unique or novel ingredients and processes
Commercial examples of each style
Creating tasting panels for style comparisons or blind tastings, such as:
Style comparison tasting, i.e., tasting an American Amber Ale, American Brown Ale, American Pale Ale, and California Common side-by-side
Blind tasting practice, i.e., is this sample an example of an American Amber Ale, American Brown Ale, American Pale Ale, or California Common?
| Style 1 | Style 2 | Style 3 | Style 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Amber Ale | American Brown Ale | American Pale Ale | California Common |
| American Barleywine | Double IPA | English Barley Wine | American Strong Ale |
| American Barleywine | Old Ale | British Strong Ale | American Strong Ale |
| American Brown Ale | Brown IPA | California Common | British Brown Ale |
| American IPA | English IPA | Double IPA | Ordinary Bitter |
| American Pale Ale | Belgian Pale Ale | Strong Bitter | Dark Mild |
| American Pale Ale | American IPA | Helles Bock | Best Bitter |
| American Stout | Irish Stout | Foreign Extra Stout | Oatmeal Stout |
| American Stout | American Porter | Black IPA | Irish Stout |
| American Porter | Sweet Stout | American Stout | Baltic Porter |
| American Wheat | American Blonde Ale | Weissbier | Witbier |
| Baltic Porter | Belgian Dark Strong Ale | Imperial Stout | Foreign Extra Stout |
| Belgian Blond Ale | Lambic | Belgian Tripel | Belgian Golden Strong Ale |
| Belgian Blond Ale | Belgian Pale Ale | Saison | Biere de Garde |
| Belgian Dark Strong Ale | Dunkles Bock | Wee Heavy | Belgian Dubbel |
| Berliner Weisse | Gose | Lambic | Gueuze |
| Berliner Weisse | Weissbier | Witbier | American Wheat |
| Biere de Garde | California Common | International Amber Lager | Vienna Lager |
| American Blonde Ale | Cream Ale | Kolsch | American Wheat |
| Czech Premium Pale Lager | German Pils | International Pale Lager | American Lager |
| American Porter | English Porter | American Stout | Oatmeal Stout |
| British Brown Ale | English Porter | Munich Dunkel | American Brown Ale |
| English Porter | Munich Dunkel | Schwarzbier | American Porter |
| American Amber Ale | Irish Red Ale | Marzen | International Amber Lager |
| Dunkles Bock | Marzen | Rauchbier | British Brown Ale |
| Cream Ale | Kolsch | Munich Helles | American Light Lager |
| International Dark Lager | Munich Dunkel | Schwarzbier | Irish Stout |
| Doppelbock | Eisbock | Helles Bock | Dunkles Bock |
| Doppelbock | Weizenbock | Helles Bock | Dunkles Bock |
| German Pils | Helles Exportbier | Munich Helles | American Lager |
| Foreign Extra Stout | Irish Stout | Sweet Stout | Schwarzbier |
| American Porter | Irish Stout | Schwarzbier | Dark Mild |
| Dunkles Weissbier | Munich Dunkel | Weizenbock | British Brown Ale |
| Altbier | International Amber Lager | Irish Red Ale | Marzen |
| Altbier | Marzen | Best Bitter | Vienna Lager |
| English Barley Wine | Imperial Stout | Wee Heavy | Old Ale |
| Best Bitter | Ordinary Bitter | Strong Bitter | Belgian Pale Ale |
| Flanders Red Ale | Wee Heavy | Oud Bruin | Altbier |
| Fruit Lambic | Gueuze | Lambic | Berliner Weisse |
| German Pils | Munich Helles | American Lager | Czech Premium Pale Lager |
| International Amber Lager | Irish Red Ale | Marzen | Munich Dunkel |
| American Lager | American Light Lager | International Pale Lager | Czech Premium Pale Lager |
| Dark Mild | Ordinary Bitter | Scottish Light | American Brown Ale |
| Marzen | Munich Dunkel | British Strong Ale | Vienna Lager |
| Best Bitter | International Amber Lager | Marzen | Altbier |
| Scottish Export | Scottish Heavy | Wee Heavy | Old Ale |
| Dark Mild | Scottish Heavy | Scottish Light | Ordinary Bitter |
| Lambic | Weissbier | Witbier | Gose |
| Dunkles Bock | Marzen | Munich Dunkel | British Brown Ale |
| American Lager | American Wheat | Cream Ale | Weissbier |
| American Light Lager | Czech Pale Lager | German Leichtbier | Kolsch |
| Festbier | Helles Bock | Munich Helles | Marzen |
| Czech Amber Lager | Dunkles Bock | Marzen | American Amber Ale |
| American Pale Ale | Best Bitter | British Golden Ale | Belgian Blonde Ale |
| Australian Sparkling Ale | Best Bitter | British Golden Ale | Festbier |
| Foreign Extra Stout | Irish Extra Stout | Irish Stout | Tropical Stout |
| British Strong Ale | English Barley Wine | Old Ale | American Strong Ale |
| American Porter | American Stout | Imperial Stout | Irish Stout |
| White IPA | Belgian Golden Strong Ale | Belgian IPA | Belgian Tripel |
| Belgian Golden Strong Ale | Hazy IPA | Belgian Tripel | White IPA |
| American IPA | American Strong Ale | Double IPA | Rye IPA |
| American Stout | Black IPA | Schwarzbier | Baltic Porter |
| American Brown Ale | Czech Dark Lager | Brown IPA | English Porter |
| American IPA | American Strong Ale | Red IPA | Irish Red Ale |
| American Amber Ale | American Barleywine | Red IPA | American Brown Ale |
| American IPA | Double IPA | Rye IPA | Roggenbier |
| American IPA | White IPA | Witbier | Belgian Tripel |
| American Barleywine | American Strong Ale | Double IPA | English Barley Wine |
| Belgian Tripel | German Pils | Belgian Single | Witbier |
| Czech Amber Lager | International Amber Lager | Vienna Lager | American Amber Ale |
| Czech Pale Lager | Czech Premium Pale Lager | German Pils | Belgian Single |
| American Barleywine | American Wheat | Wheatwine | Weizenbock |
You can download a free PDF of the Beer Style Comparison Chart here.
12-Week Certified Cicerone Exam Prep Schedule
Knowing where to start studying for a Certified Cicerone exam can be tough, and the amount of material to study can be overwhelming. I created this 12-week study schedule when I was helping a group of brewery employees prepare for their Certified Cicerone exam. The Certified Cicerone Exam Prep Schedule breaks the tested Certified Cicerone topics into smaller, more manageable chunks. The exam prep schedule is also easy to modify based on your studying needs - you can spend two weeks on each topic, or even a month.
| Week | Topic |
|---|---|
| 1 | Sensory Analysis & Evaluation Techniques |
| 2 | Purchasing & Serving Beer |
| 3 | Draft Principles & Systems |
| 4 | Beer Flavors & Sources |
| 5 | Off Flavors & Sources |
| 6 | Belgian & French Beer Styles |
| 7 | Brewing Process |
| 8 | British & Irish Beer Styles |
| 9 | Brewing Ingredients |
| 10 | German, Czech, & Austrian Beer Styles |
| 11 | United States Beer Styles |
| 12 | Pairing Beer with Food |
Other Helpful Certified Cicerone Free Resources
Cicerone Certification Program US Certified Cicerone Syllabus
For non-US versions of the Certified Cicerone Syllabus, click here
Tasting Together: Guided Discussions with a Master Cicerone YouTube Playlist
12-Week BJCP Beer Judging Exam Prep Schedule
Similar to Cicerone exams, knowing where or how to start studying for Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) exams can be overwhelming and confusing. I created this 12-week BJCP Beer Judging Exam prep schedule as part of the free virtual beer judge training I did in 2021. The BJCP Beer Judging Exam is more commonly known as the BJCP tasting exam. As with the Certified Cicerone exam prep schedule above, the BJCP Beer Judging Exam prep schedule can be easily modified based on your study needs.
| Week | Category | Beer Substyles |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1. Standard American Beer 2. International Lager 3. Czech Lager | 1A. American Light Lager 1B. American Lager 1C. Cream Ale 1D. American Wheat Beer 2A. International Pale Lager 2B. International Amber Lager 2C. International Dark Lager 3A. Czech Pale Lager 3B. Czech Premium Pale Lager 3C. Czech Amber Lager 3D. Czech Dark Lager |
| 2 | 1. Pale Malty European Lager 2. Pale Bitter European Beer 3. German Wheat Beer | 4A. Munich Helles 4B. Festbier 4C. Helles Bock 5A. German Leichtbier 5B. Kölsch 5C. German Helles Exportbier 5D. German Pils 10A. Weissbier 10B. Dunkles Weissbier 10C. Weizenbock |
| 3 | 1. Amber Malty European Lager 2. Amber Bitter Eurpoean Lager 3. Dark European Lager 4. Strong European Beer | 6A. Märzen 6B. Rauchbier 6C. Dunkles Bock 7A. Vienna Lager 7B. Altbier 8A. Munich Dunkel 8B. Schwarzbier 9A. Doppelbock 9B. Eisbock 9C. Baltic Porter |
| 4 | 1. British Bitter 2. Pale Commonwealth Beer 3. Strong British Ale | 11A. Ordinary Bitter 11B. Best Bitter 11C. Strong Bitter 12A. British Golden Ale 12B. Australian Sparkling Ale 12C. English IPA 17A. British Strong Ale 17B. Old Ale 17C. Wee Heavy 17D. English Barley Wine |
| 5 | 1. Brown British Beer 2. Scottish Ale 3. Irish Beer | 13A. Dark Mild 13B. British Brown Ale 13C. English Porter 14A. Scottish Light 14B. Scottish Heavy 14C. Scottish Export 15A. Irish Red Ale 15B. Irish Stout 15C. Irish Extra Stout |
| 6 | Review Weeks 1-5 | |
| 7 | 1. Dark British Beer 2. Amber and Brown American Beer 3. American Porter and Stout | 16A. Sweet Stout 16B. Oatmeal Stout 16C. Tropical Stout 16D. Foreign Extra Stout 19A. American Amber Ale 19B. California Common 19C. American Brown Ale 20A. American Porter 20B. American Stout 20C. Imperial Stout |
| 8 | 1. Pale American Ale 2. Strong American Ale | 18A. Blonde Ale 18B. American Pale Ale 22A. Double IPA 22B. American Strong Ale 22C. American Barleywine 22D. Wheatwine |
| 9 | 1. IPA | 21A. American IPA 21B. Belgian IPA 21B. Black IPA 21B. Brown IPA 21B. Brut IPA 21B. Red IPA 21B. Rye IPA 21B. White IPA 21C. Hazy IPA |
| 10 | 1. European Sour Ale 2. Belgian Ale | 23A. Berliner Weisse 23B. Flanders Red Ale 23C. Oud Bruin 23D. Lambic 23E. Gueuze 23F. Fruit Lambic 23G. Gose 24A. Witbier 24B. Belgian Pale Ale 24C. Bière de Garde |
| 11 | 1. Strong Belgian Ale 2. Monastic Ale | 25A. Belgian Blond Ale 25B. Saison 25C. Belgian Golden Strong Ale 26A. Belgian Single 26B. Belgian Dubbel 26C. Belgian Tripel 26D. Belgian Dark Strong Ale |
| 12 | Review Weeks 6-11 | |
Other Helpful BJCP Beer Judging and
Beer Judge Written Proficiency Exam Free Resources
BJCP Beer Exam Study Guide (note: this study guide contains some incorrect information on sensory and brewing.)
Explore More Free Beer Study Resources
Beer Study Book Recommendations
Please note the above recommendations link to my Bookshop.org affiliate store. I receive a 10% commission for all books purchased through my affiliate storefront.