Welcome to Golden Key Beer Academy
Designed and led by the Craft Beer Concierge
So you’re interested in checking in with me and unlocking your path to beer education and becoming a better taster. I am a Certified Cicerone who is here and eager to help you succeed, however you’re measuring that success!
Here’s what to expect from my six lesson virtual beer school:
- Learning how to build a beer vocabulary that’s personal to you.
- A deep dive into the classic styles including history, brewing processes, tasting notes, and food pairings.
- Beer tasting exercises to strengthen your palate and build your sensory knowledge.
- An interactive format meant to engage you with others who are beer curious and thirsting to learn more.
- Making this course what you need. While I have a built out lesson plan, there is wiggle room to adapt it to what you need, and the chance for individualized attention as needed.
The cost per class is $40 for an hour plus of instruction that includes two tasting activities, a slideshow, and recorded Zoom session. Both the slideshow and Zoom session will be emailed after class to use for recap or if you can’t attend a certain evening.
If you sign up for all 6 classes, I’ll throw in one class for free. However, there is the option to purchase one class at a time to make it work for your scheduling.
So for 6 classes that would be $200 instead of $240 if you paid each week individually.
Please contact me – craftbeerconcierge@gmail.com or on Instagram @craftbeerconcierge with any questions or to save your spot. Classes begin Tuesday January 20th and run mostly every OTHER Tuesday through the end of March
Here’s a look at the Syllabus for the six-week program.
Lesson One: January 20th, 2026 – The Lobby: Let’s Check In
Introductions and class takeaways
How to understand and elevate your beer vocabulary
Ingredients pt 1: Hops & Yeast
Proper Glassware
Tasting Techniques.
Lesson Two: February 3rd, 2026 – The Lager Lounge
Lager History
Ingredients pt 2: Water & Malt
Diving into the Brewing Process
Lesson Three: February 17th, 2026 – Into The Cellar
Belgian Beer overview
Trappist Ale History
Stouts, Spontaneous Fermentation & Barrel Aging
How Wild yeast & microbes affect beer
Lesson Four: March 3rd, 2026 –The Banquet Hall
All things food & beer pairing.
How to pair, how to write pairings, best practices and pratfalls.
Beer Pairing Vocabulary
Cooking with Beer
Beer service – From proper storage temperatures to corks vs caps to what’s in the walk in
Lesson Five: March 17th, 2026 – The Sensory Suite
Learn how to become a better blind taster
Really learn how taste and smell go hand in hand
Swirl, Sniff, Repeat Method
Possible Guest speaker TBA
Lesson Six: March 24th, 2026 – Checking Out
Off flavor analysis
Beer Jeopardy Final Review
Graduation