Coffee taster to beer sommelier
A coffee taster already meets 34% of what the beer sommelier role asks for. The move turns on 11 required skills not yet in the profile.
67.4/ 100
1 How much of what a beer sommelier is expected to do is already part of a coffee taster’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the beer sommelier role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A beer sommelier role treats 5 of its required skills as things a coffee taster already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- analyse trends in the food and beverage industries
- apply GMP
- apply HACCP
- apply requirements concerning manufacturing of food and beverages
- perform sensory evaluation of food products
What stands in the way is 11 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 11 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A beer sommelier role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a coffee taster background worth leading with.
- already held find new types of food and beverages communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held maintain food specifications information skills
- already held analyse trends in the food and beverage industries information skills
- already held perform sensory evaluation of food products information skills
- already held perform public relations communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held apply GMP assisting and caring
All 11 carried skills, including the 5 the beer sommelier role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 19 missing skills fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn beer downstream processing required
- still to learn brewhouse processes required
- still to learn fermentation processes of beverages required
- still to learn ingredients for beer production required
- still to learn variety of beers required
- optional, not held malting process optional
- optional, not held modern brewing systems optional
- optional, not held types of barley optional
- still to learn consult on beer presentation required
- still to learn advise on beer production required
- optional, not held train staff in beer knowledge optional
- optional, not held maintain relationship with customers optional
- optional, not held apply foreign language for international trade optional
- optional, not held provide training on quality management supervision optional
- still to learn apply extensive study of beer styles required
- still to learn describe the flavour of different beers required
- optional, not held measure precise food processing operations optional
- still to learn pair beer with food required
- still to learn biotechnology required
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a beer sommelier role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 consult on beer presentation practise this
- 02 pair beer with food practise this
- 03 advise on beer production practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 11 skills that carry over
- already held analyse trends in the food and beverage industries skill
- already held apply GMP skill
- already held apply HACCP skill
- already held apply requirements concerning manufacturing of food and beverages skill
- already held perform sensory evaluation of food products skill
- already held communicate with customers skill
- already held find new types of food and beverages skill
- already held liaise with colleagues skill
- already held liaise with managers skill
- already held maintain food specifications skill
- already held perform public relations skill
8 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held train staff in beer knowledge optional
- optional, not held maintain relationship with customers optional
- optional, not held malting process optional
- optional, not held measure precise food processing operations optional
- optional, not held modern brewing systems optional
- optional, not held types of barley optional
- optional, not held apply foreign language for international trade optional
- optional, not held provide training on quality management supervision optional
17 held skills the beer sommelier role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role act reliably skill
- not needed by the target role analyse characteristics of food products at reception skill
- not needed by the target role boil water skill
- not needed by the target role check processing parameters skill
- not needed by the target role coffee characteristics knowledge
- not needed by the target role create coffee flavour profiles skill
- not needed by the target role educate customers on coffee varieties skill
- not needed by the target role evaluate coffee characteristics skill
- not needed by the target role food and beverage industry knowledge
- not needed by the target role grade coffee beans skill
- not needed by the target role have computer literacy skill
- not needed by the target role label samples skill
- not needed by the target role perform coffee tastings skill
- not needed by the target role prepare specialised coffee skill
- not needed by the target role temperature scales knowledge
- not needed by the target role tolerate strong smells skill
- not needed by the target role types of coffee beans knowledge
9 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn beer downstream processing required
- still to learn brewhouse processes required
- still to learn fermentation processes of beverages required
- still to learn ingredients for beer production required
- still to learn variety of beers required
- still to learn biotechnology required
- optional, not held malting process optional
- optional, not held modern brewing systems optional
- optional, not held types of barley optional
Common questions about this move
Can a coffee taster become a beer sommelier?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A coffee taster already covers 34% of what a beer sommelier is expected to do: 11 skills carry over, 5 of which the beer sommelier role treats as required.
What skills does a coffee taster need to become a beer sommelier?
11 required skills are missing, plus 8 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is consult on beer presentation.
How hard is the move from coffee taster to beer sommelier?
Its learning distance is 67.4 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.